Handling Imposter Syndrome

Thanks for taking some time to read our latest blog. This one written by our founder James, who understands the signs of imposter syndrome and how being self aware and emotionally intelligent can really help.

Our view is that Imposter Syndrome never goes away, no matter how experienced we might be – what’s important is to learn how to manage it quickly and effectively when it happens, and not let it consume another second of your time or emotion.

Firstly, it’s good to recognise the signs. Feelings such as anxiety, self-doubt, depression and worry. Feeling like a fake. Sometimes a reaction can be to spend additional time over-preparing, ignoring or procrastinating over tasks, or ignoring any positive feedback that comes our way.

So, what can you do when you’ve seen and felt the signs?

Step back and evaluate

What caused this sense of imposter syndrome? We encourage our clients to step back and question the trigger that created the situation they’re in.

Some common reasons we hear include:

• It’s been a long time since they last did a particular task or activity and they’ve forgotten what is needed, and/or their knowledge is out of date – but they’re now committed to something and are worried they’ll fail or let someone down.
• Somebody has said something to them unexpectedly that has created uncertainty and impacted their confidence – all the positive feedback and recognition they’ve received from elsewhere is now completely forgotten about.
• They’re about to do something they’re great at, experienced at and recognised for, but this time it’s for a more lucrative client or has a greater outcome resting on it – a glass ceiling has been formed in their mind which they don’t feel they’ve got the right to break through.

When stepping back and evaluating, make sure you REALLY get to the cause. It may feel like one thing on the surface when in fact it’s a more significant underlying experience or emotion that’s at play.

Create a strategy and plan

As Gandalf says in ‘Lord of the Rings’, “You shall not pass”! Do not let that imposter syndrome take one more step further into your mind, it’s already stepped too far.

To help ensure you’ve evaluated everything AND to help you move forward, we recommend that you share your concerns with someone you trust. That could be someone personally, or professionally such as a coach. Not only will they help you come to recognise the cause of this feeling, but they’ll also help you start to form coping strategies and a plan for how to move forward.

If it’s relevant, ask other people for some feedback to give you more context about your performance against the activity or task in question and also about you in particular.

Look back at things which can remind and re-affirm to you that you have the competence, knowledge, skills and experience to be successful. These might include:

• Preview examples of when you’ve accomplished the same/similar activity/task.
• Reviews, testimonials and feedback received from other people.
• Your CV or LinkedIn profile which clarify your previous experience and successes.

Once you’ve reminded yourself that you CAN be and ARE brilliant, plan and block out the time to map out your route to accomplishing the thing that has triggered this imposter syndrome.

Take small steps forward

You’ll ultimately make faster and further progress by identifying and committing to small achievable actions.

Take what you know needs to be done and break it down into those small steps. Don’t’ worry if some feel really small! A step such as “Find 3 websites with the content I need” seems small, but a) achieving that step will give you a small sense of accomplishment which is good for you mentally, and b) you can’t tackle the said content until you’ve found it!

Put a commitment to each of those steps, e.g, that day or week. Don’t commit to too much though as once you start failing to achieve everything, the feelings of anxiety, doubt and uncertainty will creep back in – remember, “they shall not pass!”.

Create some accountability and support so that there is someone you can celebrate those small wins with and who will help keep you on track. Maybe use the same person you shared those initial concerns with or enlist the help of an experienced coach.

Finally, reward yourself as and when you achieve some of those small steps and DEFINITELY when you have accomplished the main activity/task! Earn that extra Netflix episode, that extra 20 minutes in the park with your family or friends, the cheeky take-out dinner or glass of wine…whatever reward will make you think “I deserve this”.

Thanks for reading, and if we can support you with your personal or professional growth, get in touch and we’ll take it from there.