They’re going to find you out! – Tackling Imposter Syndrome

When Jen Brown pivoted away from her career as a Corporate Lawyer to become an Endurance Sports Coach, she made a curious discovery about the athletes she was training. Jen found that although physical prowess is a necessity for a triathlon triumph or running the miles in a marathon, what holds people back most is their mindset.

‘I am not good enough. ‘I don’t belong here’. ‘What if I fail!’

Such negative-self talk is the manifestation of a phenomenon of which Jen now boasts expertise. The Imposter Syndrome (or the Imposter Complex, as she prefers to describe it), is when your self-doubt or lack of belonging leaves you feeling like a fraud.  

Imposter Syndrome often begins when your comfort zone ends. It sneaks up on you when you are undertaking a new role (such as fatherhood for me) or sitting in a room full of impressive people. It can rear its ugly head when you are discussing a project with an intimidating client, or when you receive a job promotion that you feel you don’t deserve. These seemingly positive experiences are undermined by one’s inner narrative that loudly asserts ‘you don’t deserve this’ or ‘you are not good enough’.

The implications of Imposter Syndrome are as detrimental to a team or business as they are to the individual.

“You can’t fully utilise the potential talent in your team because they are doubting themselves,” Jen says. A person who is experiencing Imposter Syndrome may be apprehensive to share their ideas or take charge of projects. 

A domineering stakeholder or an overly demanding environment may contribute to a person’s feelings of self-doubt. In turn, members of your team may suffer as a consequence of their environment.

If you think this may be the case for your workplace, the key may be a shift in organisational culture which will provide your team with the foundation to combat self-doubt.

In the Platform Owner’s Guidebook, I explore psychological safety among high performing work teams. Knowing you won’t be punished for a mistake or celebrating creativity (and not necessarily success) may help employees and teams minimise feelings of self-doubt and lead to greater success. Proven to boost motivation, levels of engagement and problem solving – it appears this approach to organisational culture also does much more than overcoming Imposter Syndrome.

On a smaller scale, reminding your team that this experience is perfectly normal and natural may also allow your workmates to develop a sense of awareness of their feelings. Ensuring them they are not alone and providing strategies to deal with their feelings of dissonance is an easy way to begin a discussion in your workplace.

Although Imposter Syndrome is a widely experienced phenomenon that impacts men and women in many aspects of life, a positive shift in organisational culture may shed light upon the skills and talents of your team that were once blind spots. 

It may be worthwhile reflecting upon the individuals within your team and pondering who is capable of more. Could insecurity be holding them back?