The Imposter Syndrome and How It Affects Your Career Growth
Read time: 2 min 55 sec
You got this great opportunity to step up, out or know you’ve got something else in you but doubt you are ready? Whilst you know you have the big goals and also the capability, you still want to get ‘more experience’, ‘more education’ or ‘more confident’ first before going for it? Well- then welcome to the rest who is suffering from imposter syndrome (spoiler alert: it happens to all of us, in different stages and in different levels)
Imposter syndrome is the feeling of being a fraud despite a lack of objective evidence and in the presence of achievement or success. In research, it is found as the tendency of a highly competent individual to underestimate his or her abilities.
Harvard Business Review calls this the fear of being unworthy, thinking one cannot possibly be qualified to do what they are doing.
The imposter syndrome is common in many high performing individuals in the corporate world. The way we have seen t iimpacting the majority of our C-suite clients is by them letting it become a roadblock to any endeavor they have or want to have. A part of our coaching program has been designed to address this syndrome, seeing as how prevalent it is in executives and seniors.
58% of tech employees suffer from imposter syndrome
Researchers initially theorized that only women are highly affected by the syndrome, but now some studies claim it is not gender-limited, and men are just as exposed to it as women. It is prevalent in the tech industry, with 58% of employees from Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and Google and other top tech companies feeling like they are not deserving of their jobs, based on research by Blind.
Notable figures who have had their own experience with the syndrome include actress Natalie Portman, former Director-General of WHO Dr. Margaret Chan, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, Academy-award winner Tom Hanks, and comedian Tina Fey.
How It Affects your Career Growth
The imposter syndrome stems from an inability to recognize one's capabilities, it triggers a series of negative thoughts that put the brain into stress mode. It then brings in feelings such as self-doubt, distress, and the fear of failure that never goes away.
The syndrome negatively impacts a career in several different ways.
Overproducing at work to prove the individual's capabilities
Fatigue and burnout
Decrease productivity and increased procrastination due to lack of trust in one's skills and ideas
An incessant feeling of pressure, to be perfect or to always win
Aversion to taking risks or taking on challenges because of the feeling of inadequacy, despite being skilled and competent
In this state, your brain develops coping mechanisms that are either unhealthy in one area in your life such as personal relationships or are destructive to your career or your physical being. Or worst, to all those aspects.
What you can do
The imposter syndrome may be what's keeping you from reaching the next level in your career. If you are part of the population experiencing the syndrome, how can you work your way around it?
Be aware
Recognizing the presence of the syndrome and when you are acting on it is the first step to change. Practice self-awareness, noting when the signs emerge and the series of actions you take to address it.
Awareness also comes in the form of realizing that you are not alone with these concerns and that others in similar situations as yours have felt the same.
Be objective and make a list
Make an inventory of your strengths and achievements. Be introspective and acknowledge the reasons why the syndrome shouldn't be a case, and how to tackle it. This includes having clarity. Start by taking notes of all that you've done and go back to it whenever you start feeling or acting like you need to be doing more than you can, or when you start worrying excessively about negative feedback or failing.
Seek to be heard
It is no doubt difficult to be facing the syndrome and being open about it without the fear of being judged, so finding support through personal relationships or professional coaching is something that we highly recommend. Talking to individuals who share the same success as you and being around like-minded professionals is helpful and will expose one to new perspectives. Coaching offers accountability and a strategic approach to tackling not just the symptoms, but also the causes.
Failing as another word for learning
Fear of failure contributes highly to the feelings that build-up to the negative actions, so reframe your mindset and be firm on the belief that failure is just another word for learning. When you begin to see it as an opportunity rather than a step back, it gives you a chance to take control and take action to make changes and improvements.
If you think you are experiencing the imposter syndrome or have similar symptoms, don't hesitate to talk about it and seek support.