Is Imposter Syndrome Holding You Back?

Over the last eighteen months, many coaching clients have told me they are suffering from 'Imposter Syndrome'. I have also run lots of corporate workshops on this - as part of Diversity & Inclusion Strategies - because the syndrome is seen by some as holding back female advancement in organisations.

What is Imposter Syndrome?

Imposter Syndrome generally affects high achievers. It is described as a feeling of not being qualified to do the work that you are doing, or that you are about to be found out as an 'intellectual phoney'. These kinds of self-beliefs can have a negative impact on performance, leading to a lack of self-confidence, anxiety or even depression. In order to 'cover up' these feelings sufferers tend to work extra hard or avoid situations where they may be 'found out'. It can mean that they choose easier tasks or lower-level jobs or avoid speaking up and sharing their ideas in meetings. Clearly, if high achievers are limiting themselves in this way, business is not getting the most from these employees.

How does it affect people?

The phrase 'Imposter Syndrome' was coined by two psychologists, Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes, who in 1978 studied 150 high-achieving women. The argument for studying women only, was that Imposter Syndrome is less prevalent in men and where it does exist has less intensity. However, more recent research shows that 70% of all people suffer from Imposter Syndrome, with early family dynamics cited as a major contributing factor: children who are told they are intelligent or special in some way can spend their adult lives trying to live up to this ideal. Other contributing factors can include public criticism of work, comparisons with others, and belonging to a minority group within an organisational context. This last factor is why we see Imposter Syndrome linked to women more often than men.

Sheryl Sandberg often talks about her own experience: "Every time I was called on in class, I was sure I was about to embarrass myself. Every time I took a test, I was sure it had gone badly. Every time I didn't embarrass myself or even excelled, I believed I had fooled everyone yet again. One day soon the gig would be up..."

Limiting beliefs

However, the existence of Imposter Syndrome may not be a matter of gender; rather, it's that limiting beliefs are more likely to be triggered in those who are not part of a dominant 'in-group'. Where an individual does not fit easily into the company cultural norms there is more opportunity for limiting thoughts to thrive. Cultural norms are driven by the dominant group in any organisation; people may be excluded from this in-group due to their gender, race, and sexuality and even where they went to university.

What I have learnt from coaching high-achieving business leaders is that most have some form of limiting belief that can stop them operating at full potential. Beliefs such as: 'I should succeed at everything I do'; 'I should automatically get it'; I should be able to anticipate problems before they occur'; 'I should be able to do everything myself'. These thoughts are particularly heightened at times when one is in an unfamiliar role such as a promotion or on return from maternity leave.

Overcoming the syndrome

The good news is that neuroscience has discovered that we can rewire our brains to help overcome Imposter Syndrome.

The writer L. V Anderson says "Feeling like an impostor is not a syndrome, it's a totally normal part of experiencing success." And in fact, Pauline Rose Clance, who carried out the original study, recently stated: "If I could do it all over again, I would call it the impostor experience, because it's not a syndrome or a complex or a mental illness, it's something almost everyone experiences."

Let's take the situation of presenting to the board as an example of how this works. In such a situation your automatic response might be, 'I don't know enough about the topic, I will be asked questions that I haven't prepared for, I am going to look unprofessional '. Once you are aware of what triggers these thoughts you have an opportunity to respond differently and set an intention to succeed. New attitudes can be adopted, such as 'I know as much as I need to know, if I can't answer questions immediately I will get back to them, I am professional and have a lot of experience in my field'.

New attitudes lead to new behaviours which, when repeated often enough, stimulate a response from the brain. Our brain can grow and change throughout life due to neuroplasticity. Nerve cells in the brain adjust their activities in response to new behaviours which results in the forming of new neural pathways. In other words, if we practice something often enough it will soon become our habitual response.

Organisational implications

So, does raising awareness of Imposter Syndrome contribute to better diversity or more inclusion in organisations?

In my experience - having discussed this topic with groups who are diverse in terms of status, gender and generation - it is revealed that in fact, we are all very much the same. Understanding that even the most successful leaders can suffer from self-doubt leads to a sense of inclusion. In addition, a manager skilled at identifying others limiting beliefs can provide challenges with enough support and fire-cover to allow employees to discover new, more productive behaviours.