Imposter syndrome affects many people in their working lives. For some, its presence is felt continually throughout their career. Despite being so widespread, imposter syndrome is too often hidden. But that doesn’t solve the problem. It simply allows the anxieties to build up. In this blog, we hope to explain to you what imposter syndrome is, how to identify it in yourself and others, and we’ll offer strategies you can implement today that can allow you to reframe your thinking to better manage imposter syndrome in the workplace.
I’ve heard of it before, but what exactly is imposter syndrome?
Firstly, before we delve into managing imposter syndrome, it’s important to offer an overview of what it is. Imposter syndrome is the manifestation of persistent doubts about your skills and accomplishments, despite evidence pointing to your success. Imposter syndrome can impact any area of your life, but it can be especially troubling if it impacts you at work because it means you can’t ignore it. It can lead to professional problems if not discussed as it can create such strong doubt that you may not apply for a promotion you rightly deserve.
Effectively, imposter syndrome is the persistent feeling that the credit you receive for your achievement is not deserved or exaggerated. It ultimately impacts a worker’s self-confidence as they will be unable to properly discuss their successes and achievements without feeling like they are lying or about to be caught off guard and exposed as a fraud. For some, it can feel easier to not discuss it, with the (unjustified) fear of being told that they aren’t good enough to experience imposter syndrome! It’s a constant cycle of anxiety, but it can be broken.
Who experiences imposter syndrome at work?
Imposter syndrome can impact anyone throughout their career. The reason for this is that we spend a lot of time at work, and we often perform different tasks. Some people may experience a global feeling or imposter syndrome where they worry their entire skill set is lacking. For others, it may be specific areas they have doubts about. Imposter syndrome is therefore quite difficult to identify, because the doubts and anxieties it creates feel justified. For example, if a project manager is worried about their spreadsheet knowledge, they may avoid discussing the topic with their colleagues and managers out of fear of being exposed. But the project manager is perfectly able to manage their spreadsheets on their own! If they talked about their concerns to others, they would likely receive feedback that could help them see their strengths under a different light. While anybody can be affected by imposter syndrome, it’s important to note that certain environments can make its development more likely. Being aware of this can help workers and their managers better identify it.
What are common triggers for imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome can follow workers throughout their lives. That being said, there are events or workplace environments that can make people especially prone to it. It’s especially common for individuals to feel strong self-doubt if they are working in hyper-competitive industries, where little time is awarded to celebrate wins. This can lead workers to always feel like someone else is doing better than them and that they are simply not able to put in the amount of work required to be successful. Hyper-competitiveness can either be well-established in the company or industry, or it can be a temporary aspect of the job, such as during a major restructuring.
Imposter syndrome is also common for workers who feel like an outsider at work, leading them to constantly feel pressure to perform more than everyone else just to receive the same level of recognition. These feelings are typically felt by individuals working in an industry where they are typically underrepresented. It’s also possible for a worker to feel strong feelings of self-doubt if they have recently changed career. In this situation, they may feel they do not have the experience required for the job they’ve been hired to do, despite having a large pool of transferable skills. If you find yourself in this position we recommend you read our blog ‘A new job or new industry? Here’s how to change careers’.
How to identify imposter syndrome in yourself and others?
Though imposter syndrome is easy to understand, it’s not always evident to us when we’ve experiencing it. This is because even if we feel we’ve found one skill or achievement we feel truly proud about, there can always be a new wave of self-doubt entering our minds. A great way to identify and manage imposter syndrome is to do a skill audit to really try and understand how these skills were gained and developed. If you start off by looking at your CV, attempt to see just how much of your experience can truly be done to luck. Perhaps when you start this exercise you will still want to assign everything to luck. But the more
you think about it, the more impossible it becomes. Have you really managed to fake your degree, fake your experience (that you know you really did), and fake your way through a new round of interviews to get your new role? While it’s probably true there’s plenty still to learn, there will already be a lot you know and can apply!
Identifying imposter syndrome in others can be difficult because we don’t offer talk about it. Blogs like these as well as regular chats and formal presentations about imposter syndrome can help people raise their concerns. But there are still ways to identify whether someone at your work is experiencing imposter syndrome. One of the most common signs is a clear desire to downplay all achievements. This can either take the form of suggesting it was all down to luck, or that the accomplishments aren’t really that impressive to begin with. You might also see others at your workplace reluctantly take on large projects you know they are capable of. This is because they are worried they aren’t able to manage, or that they feel someone else is better suited for the job. When assigning a staff member a new project, it can be helpful to give them a quick briefing as to why you feel they will do an excellent job.
How to reframe self-doubting thoughts?
To truly manage imposter syndrome, it’s important to acknowledge that nobody is immune to it and it can strike at any time, even if you have never experienced it before. Refusing to accept it can happen is not helpful either. Rather, it is more helpful to accept the feelings as genuine, but not necessarily to be true representations of your professional life. Labelling your worries as doubts enables you to put yourself in a position that there could be another answer: you are capable, but you are just experiencing imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome is a challenging part of a professional experience. But you don’t have to let it define you. You can spend time celebrating your wins and keep focusing on self-growth. While it’s vital to learn from mistakes, it’s also crucial to learn from your successes!
Discover more on how overcome imposter syndrome when job searching or for more career advice tips, visit our career advice section. Looking for a job? Browse our current vacancies!
This article was written by Lucy Hulton.
Last updated on 14 August 2024
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