Five Steps to Overcome the Imposter

I had a great conversation this week with an amazing female leader that had recently made a career change and stepped out of her comfort zone to follow her passion and do what truly motivates her. She had left a well-paid corporate job to make a difference in the world on her own terms. This was a truly authentic leader and I was inspired to speak with her.

However, on the other side of that decision and some months into the new career path she was finding that something was bothering her. Out of the comfort zone of her historic expertise and in this new world she found that she was frequently doubting her ability and just waiting to be found out as a bit of a fraud. Failure was on her mind and whilst she mentioned that she could go back to that old world, it didn’t give her any comfort. After a moment she asked me if I had any personal experience with imposter phenomenon.

I know imposter phenomenon all too well and I still experience it from time to time but over time have developed a different relationship with it. It is known as a phenomenon as it really is an experience that occurs in an individual from time to time (rather than a mental illness) and occurs in many settings including the workplace, social settings and, as in this case, new and unfamiliar environments. It’s estimated that 70% of people experience imposter phenomenon at some point in their life and yet we don’t really talk about it too often in the workplace.

A recent study investigating imposter phenomenon in the workplace showed no difference between men and women in terms of its prevalence with leaders effected by it reporting a concern with mistakes, doubting themselves and a fear of losing the respect of their social network should they be seen to fail. Imposter phenomenon was shown to be associated with both over-doing work (perfectionism) and also under-doing work (procrastination) the effects of which leading to significant stress and strain for leaders in the workplace.

‍So what can we do to limit the impact of Imposter Phenomenon?

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1.    Notice when the feelings arise

First things first, we need to understand in what contexts are you experiencing imposter phenomenon. If it is a new environment as in the case with the female leader then how can we reframe the situation to explain that this is a normal experience and one that will shift with time. We need to find our feet and initially it may feel like we are the outsider as we build our new networks and knowledge.

2.    Open up to people about your feelings

Opening up to others and sharing your experiences can help to alleviate some of the stress that is associated with imposter phenomenon. As the statistics suggest this is a very common occurrence and so the more we are able to normalise these experiences, then the better we will equip leaders to learn and perform at their best.

3.    Be mindful what you attend to

Given that perfectionism is correlated with imposter phenomenon be conscious what you attend to during periods in which you are experiencing it. The natural tendency of a perfectionist is to focus on deficit rather than what’s right and so during these times it is worth being extra attentive to spend time focusing on what is right. If people give you positive feedback, work hard not to discount this as this reinforces the imposter cycle.

4.    Savour the experience

This may sound odd and I guess this is a part of developing a different relationship with imposter phenomenon but working on savouring each moment of the process is a well-practiced way of working through imposter phenomenon. I think of it as moving towards more of a growth mindset as in Carol Dweck’s research.

5.    Practice healthy soothing practices

Imposter phenomenon is related to an achievement drive and feeling like we may fail and lose the approval of others. During these experiences it is beneficial that we establish healthy soothing practices to support ourselves. Ultimately we need to be more compassionate with ourselves during these times and a glass of red wine isn’t always the best answer … sometimes it is :)

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