If you ever feel like an impostor, you’re not alone so don’t beat yourself up. I’ve also had my fair share of “imposter” moments throughout my career. Here’s a short back story. The very first time I was asked to represent my manager at a meeting, I was in my early twenties, in a room full of men (who were at least ten years older than me) and I just felt so inadequate. Instead of representing my company as I should have, I spent most of my time apologising for being there and cowering. Thinking about how I handled that meeting, it makes me shudder.
Just in case you’ve not yet put a name to that persistent feeling of inadequacy and self-doubt you feel despite your success and wins, it’s usually called ‘Imposter Syndrome.’ One simple way to describe imposter syndrome is having a mindset that your successful achievements are a result of ‘luck’ rather than your competence, qualifications, or hard work.
From Michelle Obama to Lupita Nyong’o, Maya Angelou, and many other successful business leaders and creators, this feeling of being an impostor is one they are all familiar with despite their successful careers. Still not convinced that we all go through these moments and feelings? Maybe some statistics will help. A 2020 meta-analysis published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine revealed that up to 82% of people experience self-doubt at some point in their lifetimes. Another research by a career development agency found that more than four million young people in the UK most likely suffer from the persistent fear of “being found out” or of “being exposed as a fraud” in their workplace.
According to Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes (clinical researchers), people experiencing imposter syndrome have these three attributes:
- The thought that other people have an exaggerated view of their abilities
- The fear of being exposed as a fraud
- The continuous tendency to downplay their achievements
I believe the strategies below will help you if you ever experience these thoughts and tendencies on your journey to building a successful career,
10 Effective Ways to Handle Imposter Syndrome
1. Be Perfectly Imperfect
Chasing after perfection is a fast way to get on the imposter syndrome train. The moment you start recognizing and accepting your imperfect nature as a human being, you will eventually get more comfortable in your skin and step out as the best version of yourself rather than an ‘ideal’ version. Accepting your imperfections will also help you realize that you are not immune to making mistakes.
2. Define Success on Your Terms
Come to think of it, how do you measure your success? Is it by the number of deals you are able to close in a year? Or what your manager says about your performance? Or your net worth? Being able to identify what success means to you is one sure way to handle imposter syndrome.
3. See Failures Differently
Failures are very instrumental to our success. Rather than being scared of failure, see those moments as learning opportunities. By doing this, you will significantly reduce the impact of failure on your self-esteem and truly gain lessons from the setbacks to propel you forward.
4. Adopt a Growth Mindset
I personally love this one. Having a growth mindset helps you stay open-minded towards learning and acquiring knowledge. Rather than being a ‘know-it-all’ person, become a ‘learn-it-all’ professional. This way, you are never embarrassed or disappointed when you don’t know something at the moment. Instead, you are excited and open to learning.
5. Set Realistic Goals and Expectations
When you set unrealistic expectations for yourself and career, you will struggle to achieve them and this could lead you into a space of self-doubt. As you set your goals, also recognize those factors that are beyond your control; they could stand in the way of you achieving those goals and it’s really not your fault. As old and popular as it is, the concept of setting SMART goals is still very relevant.
6. Hold On to Positive Reminders
I made a post on social media about this and I don’t mind saying it again. “When you do great work, applaud yourself, reward yourself, and take note of how awesome you are. So that on days you don’t feel up to the task, you’ll remember that your courage is greater than your fears.” Try to keep a folder where you save those positive reviews and kind words you receive. This collection will serve as a constant reminder and affirmation that you are doing better than you think.
7. Speak Up and Get Help
Sometimes we try to do everything by ourselves so that we can take all the glory when it turns out successful. The truth is, this approach is quite unhealthy and unsustainable. Asking for help and embracing collaboration in your work will take you farther than if you try to do things in your bubble.
8. Resist the Urge of Comparison
Comparing yourself with others does more harm than good. You need to remember that everyone’s race is different and the resources available to you differ from others. Comparison is one of the major causes of imposter syndrome and it often breeds a feeling of jealousy and envy which are very unhealthy for the life you desire to build.
9. Embrace Community
Belonging to a community is another excellent way to handle imposter syndrome. Once you find the right community, be vulnerable enough to speak about your struggles and learn from the stories and experiences of others in the group. This gives you a sense of belonging and the knowledge that you are not alone.
10. Do Something Outside Work
It’s very easy for us to get our identity from our work and professional lives. But beyond our jobs, we need to build a life we are proud of and content with. By doing the things you enjoy and not expecting to win or get financial gains from them, you are able to embrace other aspects of your life and learn soft skills that could also be valuable to your job.
In conclusion,
As you handle imposter syndrome and become a more confident person, remember that some other people are also experiencing this same feeling. As much as you can, be empathetic, and kind in everything you do. Be a safe space for them to speak about their troubles. If you are in a managerial position, adopt a coaching style in your organisation to help junior employees as they navigate their new roles. It’s easy for them to feel inadequate and out of place, so praise and celebrate them as often as possible. Finally, we all need to embrace continuous learning and development to improve ourselves so that we don’t doubt ourselves or fail due to incompetence.
