What Is Imposter Syndrome & What Can You Do About It?

An “A-Ha” Moment around Imposter Syndrome

Let me introduce you to my personal encounter with Imposter Syndrome.

Many years ago, I started a new job, working for a wonderful boss. It was a new role for me, both in terms of focus area and also of responsibility. My boss was wonderfully supportive, but also challenging. Little did I know that Imposter Syndrome was about to make its way into my life.

Regularly on my commute home, Imposter Syndrome (although I didn’t have a name for it yet) would rear its head and I would find myself wondering why he had so much more faith in my capabilities than I did. I’d feel overwhelmed, out of my depth, not really knowing what to do to ‘get on top of things’.

Over a glass of wine after work one evening, I said to him, “Why do you think so many women struggle to believe they’re worthy of big leadership roles? Why do we have such a loud voice in our head, telling us, ‘You’ve no idea what you’re doing. It’s only a matter of time before they realise that you’re an imposter. Shouldn’t you be looking for something a lot smaller, more in line with what you can actually do?’”

He looked me in the eye, a senior leader of great experience, presence and gravitas and said “What makes you think it’s only women who experience that?”

That was when I realised that Imposter Syndrome impacts nearly everybody.

Working with coaching clients on Imposter Syndrome

Those thoughts, that voice, none of it is unique to us. Most of us experience Imposter Syndrome at some time or another in our lives, and sometimes, multiple times.

As I shifted into the coaching space, I noticed that Imposter Syndrome was one of the most common threads and themes among my many clients.

I started to get requests to put the work that I did with my clients into some easily accessible form, like an online course.  Well, I knew that I could do that because of my long-standing experience in dealing effectively with Imposter Syndrome both on a personal level and with my clients.

Imposter Syndrome: Take 2

I had thought that maybe the Imposter Syndrome might disappear when I started doing work that was completely aligned with my passions and my capabilities. Surely when I’m doing the work I was made for, the work I was born to do, the Impostor Syndrome voice would be silenced?

When I started recording my digital coaching sessions for my online course Take Control of Imposter Syndrome, however, I discovered that wasn’t so.

“You can’t coach digitally! “

“Why would anyone listen to you?”

“You’re wasting your time and money “

Imposter Syndrome lies dormant

So I have come to the conclusion that Imposter Syndrome doesn’t ever disappear.

I don’t believe you can completely silence that voice, the inner critic, the Imposter Syndrome voice.

I do believe you can take control of it though. I do believe you can learn to identify it and address it directly.

Why does Imposter Syndrome exist?

But why does it exist? What purpose does it serve? Why is it so ubiquitous?

Could it be part of our evolution? Maybe by comparing ourselves to others, identifying our shortcomings and working to address them, to catch up, we are fulfilling some form of evolutionary drive.

We don’t have to be the fastest buck in the herd in order to escape the lion. We just have to make sure we’re not the slowest!

Could it be that living in today’s world, where we are told we can be anything, and have everything, puts us under extra pressure to be everything, perfectly, immediately?

Could it be that we have ingrained beliefs that only the things that are really difficult for us, the things we have to put real hard work and effort into are worthy and that these beliefs drive us to make things difficult for ourselves?

If it comes easily, we must be doing it wrong. 

How to identify if YOU are suffering from Imposter Syndrome

In case you are wondering whether you are prey to Imposter Syndrome, here are five things to look out for:

• Do you feel an almost constant need to impress people? When you are giving a presentation, is a part of you always looking for ways to show you’ve gone above and beyond, rather than focusing on the value you are adding?

• Do you find yourself worrying about what people think of you, of the impression you’re making? Is your inner voice critiquing what you say and how you say it, even as you are speaking?

• Do you find yourself imagining situations where things can go wrong, even in the absence of any supporting evidence, catastrophising?

• When you think about the future, do you focus on pitfalls and problems rather than on opportunities?

• When things go well and you get praise or compliments, do you find it difficult to accept them? Do you think of reasons why it wasn’t as good as people say or why they are mistaken in complimenting you?

I’ve worked with a number of clients who experienced exactly these symptoms.

You’re not alone.

Let me tell you a story about Imposter Syndrome…

Client case study

Geoff (not his real name) had been promoted to a senior leadership role because of his extensive experience, highly developed people skills and pragmatism. Yet he felt at a disadvantage in every meeting with his peers because he didn’t have the engineering experience that they had. He started describing himself as ‘not a proper engineer’, putting himself down before anyone else could. It was a classic case of Imposter Syndrome.

After we worked together for a while, he realised that his different background was exactly what made him so valuable. Being different to his colleagues was where he could make a difference. Instead of apologising for his background, he played to it, accentuating it.

How to deal with Imposter Syndrome

So, if Imposter Syndrome strikes most of us at some time, what can we do when it does?

• Recognise that hearing the Imposter Syndrome voice is entirely natural. It strikes most people at some time in their lives.
• Know that you are hearing it for a reason. It is trying to protect you in some way.
• Spend time trying to understand what is the fear behind it, what is driving it.
• Identify the reality of those fears and how they might be addressed.
• Be patient and gentle with yourself.

When my Imposter Syndrome voice was triggered by recording my digital coaching sessions, this is the process that I followed to get myself unstuck.

I knew that I was trying something different (creating a digital offering to deal with Imposter Syndrome), so wasn’t surprised to hear the voice again.

The simple process I followed

On reflection, I realised that what I was trying was so very different to anything I or my peers had been doing, that there was a real fear of failure.

I took each of the things the Imposter Syndrome voice was saying and worked through them.

“You can’t coach digitally!”, it said – so I asked, ‘Is this true? What assumptions am I making?’

Digital coaching is certainly new and different, and so a new, different approach will be needed, but if my aim as a coach is to build my client’s ability to self-observe and self-correct, maybe this is a faster way of doing so.

“Why would anyone listen to you?” – I asked, ‘Is this true?’

Much to my surprise, I realised that lots of people listen to me. Somehow, without me realising it, I seem to have become something of an expert on certain topics. And, anyway, if no one listens to me, what have I lost?

“You’re wasting your time and money ” – I asked, ‘Is this true? What are the risks?’

I saw a practical reason for the Imposter Syndrome voice saying this, and resolved to keep costs as low as possible. I saw too, though, that I was enjoying what I was doing and that I was learning and growing as a coach.

Even if no one was interested in the digital course on how to take control of Imposter Syndrome, I had gained enormous value from recording them, which I could never count as a waste of time.

This process enabled me to finish the recordings. My Imposter Syndrome voice isn’t silent, but it is under control, at the moment. And when it becomes loud again, I’m confident I have the tools to turn the volume down – to take control.

Take Control of Imposter Syndrome

The digital course, Take Control of Imposter Syndrome (launching this month), covers the process in far more detail, and offers support for you as you follow the process.

Like me, you probably won’t silence Imposter Syndrome forever, but you will be better armed to fight back against it.

If you’d like to get on the waitlist for Taking Control of Imposter Syndrome, send me an email.

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