FAQs
1. Imposter Syndrome
Imposter Syndrome is the experience of self-doubt – sometimes work-related, sometimes not. For some people it comes and goes; for others it’s always there in the background.
It was first identified in 1978 by two psychologists – Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes. They called it ‘The Imposter Phenomenon’. And although they were researching high performing women, the phenomenon soon became recognised something which could affect pretty much anyone – and wasn’t even restricted to the workplace.
In 1981, Vogue magazine wrote an article about it, renaming it Imposter Syndrome (seemingly because they thought it made for a sexier headline). And that was the label which stuck.
This rebranding upsets a lot of clinicians, for whom the word ‘syndrome’ denotes a disorder or disease. But the medical profession cannot ‘own’ the meaning of the word syndrome (any more than it owns the meaning of ‘sick’ which many people now use to mean something really good). This is something you may want to point out if you come across someone who doesn’t like you using the word ‘syndrome’ in a non-medical sense.
Imposter Syndrome in the workplace
Repeated studies have shown 80% of employees saying they experience Imposter Syndrome some of the time. Usually they’re in “Fake it ‘til you make it” mode. And their key questions are “Am I good enough at this part of my job?” and/or “Am I worthy of the rewards I’m receiving?”. But because 80% of people feel like this at least some of the time, it explodes two commonly held (but rarely discussed) myths about Imposter Syndrome:
- That, if you have it, you’re the only one. You’re not. Not even close.
- That it’s your fault. This isn’t true either, although it’s not quite so black and white.
First of all, the word ‘fault’ isn’t appropriate, as it implies someone is to blame. But what if it’s no one’s fault? What if (as is frequently the case) people have Imposter Syndrome because of blind-spots which no one has even realised are there?
But just because it’s no one’s fault doesn’t mean nobody can take responsibility for ending it. You can succeed in outsmarting Imposter Syndrome, but – because it’s not your fault – you almost certainly can’t do it alone. How you go about it will depend to some extent on whether you’re self-employed or an in-house employee.
If you’re an employee, it’ll mean working together with your employer (perhaps your line manager and/or your Head of HR). For some people this can immediately feel a bit stressful, so it’s important that you know how to do it safely, credibly and confidently. We can show you how.
If you’re self-employed, much will depend on the nature of you’re self-employment. If you’re a contractor working within other organisations, your issues are likely to be similar to those of in-house employees, which means you’ll likely need to approach it in a similar way.
If you work directly with smaller customers, are you working in a regulated profession? If so, chances are you may need better support from your professional governing body and/or your regulator. And again we can help you achieve this.
If your occupation isn’t regulated, it’s likely the source of your Imposter Syndrome will be similar to that of people who experience it outside the workplace.
Imposter syndrome outside the workplace
Some people’s Imposter Syndrome has nothing to do with work. It can happen either because they feel like a social outsider – for all sorts of reasons: ethnicity; gender; age; neurodivergence; socio-economic background; physical attributes, and so on.
Or it can happen because they find themselves in a novel personal situation with which isn’t quite as they’d imagined such as becoming a new mother. And it can leave them wondering if they’re living up to their imagined ideal.
If you’re in one of these situations, support groups or even one to one coaching can often help. But they may not always be the only help you need, and not necessarily the best place to start, because Imposter Syndrome can transcend both work and non-work environments.
Overlaps
Many people having to “Fake it ‘til they make it” – just to get the work done – can also feel like outsiders because of their ethnicity, gender, age, etc. So, if that’s your situation, you may have a double-whammy to deal with. And it’s usually a good idea to take care of the task-related source of your Imposter Syndrome first.
Once you’ve done that, you may find the social issues fall away. If you come at it the other way, you may waste a lot of time (and possibly money) making very little headway, because the major source of the problem (lack of support from your employer/governing body to do the work) remains unaddressed.
Follow this link if you want to learn more about how to outsmart Imposter Syndrome in the workplace:
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2. Imposter Syndrome examples
Imposter Syndrome can come in several forms – broadly falling into two categories: professional and social (and these can sometimes overlap).
Examples of social IS can include someone from a poor background making it into a posh university. Or someone from an ethic minority finding themselves in group made up exclusively of the indigenous population. It can also be more isolated, such as can happen to a new mother who doesn’t feel she’s coping as well as the believes she should.
Examples of professional IS usually involve one or both of the following:
- people being unsure if they have the ability to do parts of their job as well as they feel they should. This can often happen when they receive a promotion, but can also occur when they simply have a new responsibility given to them in the current job.
- people being unsure if they’re worthy of the rewards they’re receiving for the work they’re doing.
These two scenarios can often overlap. And even though they may be more likely among employees, some self-employed people can also feel like imposters too.
Examples of the overlap between social and professional forms of IS can include women who find themselves as, say, the only female member of a board of directors, or someone from an ethnic minority who finds themselves in that position. In such situations, their self-doubt may have less to do with their faith in their own abilities, and more to do with the extent to which they feel those around them will respect and trust them.
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3. What causes Imposter Syndrome
If you have (or suspect you may have) Imposter Syndrome it will probably be because you find yourself in a situation where you’re unable to confidently answer one or both of the following questions:
“Am I good enough?”
“Do I belong here?”
They may seem like the same question expressed in two different ways, but there can often be a subtle difference between them.
“Am I good enough?” can often relate to tasks you may have been given to perform. So this question is most likely to come up at work.
“Do I belong?” is often more about a person’s sense of identity. So someone may be asking that question thanks to any one or more factors such as their ethnicity, gender, neuro divergence, socio-economic background etc.
However, some people may question whether they belong in a particular group if they’re unsure they’re good enough. So someone who’s just been promoted into a management role at work may find themselves asking both questions. And even outside work some people can ask themselves if they’re good enough. For example, a new mother may find herself doubting whether she’s doing a good enough job of being a mum.
The “Am I good enough?” question is most likely to come up in situations where “Good enough” hasn’t been defined for the individuals in question (or, in the case of those young mothers, where it isn’t even define-able). In the workplace, defining “Good enough” is the responsibility either of the employer or (in regulated professions) the professional governing body or regulatory authority.
This means that, if you have “Am I good enough” Imposter Syndrome at work, it’s not your fault. And it’s all but inconceivable that you would be the only one, because your employer/client/professional governing body/industry regulator (or a combination of these) that are falling down on the job.
Get them to be crystal clear about what ‘Good enough’ looks like for them, and you’ll then be able to have justifiable confidence in that benchmark – and assess whether or not you’ve got what it takes to meet it. And if you then find you don’t yet have what it takes, the likely cause of your Imposter Syndrome at that point will almost certainly be that these key players aren’t providing you with the support you need to meet the standards they’re setting for you. So, again, it’s not your fault. But if you want to know how you can safely, credibly and confidently start discussing this with your key decision-makers, you can follow this link:
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4. How to beat Imposter Syndrome
The best way to overcome Imposter Syndrome is to get to a place where you have justifiable confidence in yourself. And oftentimes, it will help even more if those around you share that justifiable confidence in you. How you get there will almost always depend on the cause of your Imposter Syndrome. Is that cause work-related or not?
If it’s purely social in its origin (perhaps because of your ethnicity, gender, social class or anything else that makes you feel like a bit of an outsider) it may help to find:
- appropriate support groups (which can also help if you’re a new mother who’s struggling)
- a counsellor or coach with whom you can have one-to-one sessions.
But if it’s work-related (even if only partially so) the primary cause almost certainly won’t be within you, so working on yourself is unlikely to help. Instead, if you’re an employee, you have to identify and secure the support you need from your employer (and possibly your professional governing body if you have one) which you’re not currently getting. Our online course ‘How to outsmart Imposter Syndrome is seven steps’ will show you to do this safely, credibly and confidently.
It’s possible that this may be all you need. But some people may need to go further, and seek additional one-to-one help. Crucially, though, that counselling or coaching should always come second, otherwise you risk wasting time and money trying to fix the wrong problem. Only when you’re justifiably confident your employer/governing body is giving you all the support you need will you be able to tell if there’s more to work on. It’s a bit like ensuring you’ve got fuel in the tank before calling out an engineer to fix the engine.
You can learn more about the course, and even watch some of the lectures for free by following this link:
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