10 Tips to Overcome Imposter Syndrome at Workplace

Introduction

Have you ever achieved something remarkable in your life, but still felt deep down in your heart like you didn’t deserve it? Do you feel like you are just pretending to be good at your job? 

All these thoughts might be a sign that you are dealing with imposter syndrome. This feeling of fraudulence can hold you back in your career and prevent you from reaching your full potential. This phenomenon affects many high-achieving individuals in the workplace. Imposter syndrome can lead to self-doubt, anxiety, and burnout. 

Imposter syndrome, also known as perceived fraudulence, is considered the feeling of anxiety and not experiencing success internally, in spite of being a high performer. This condition often compels a person to feel like a “fraud” and doubt their abilities and skills. Regardless of skills, expertise, or experience, high-achievers are affected by this syndrome. It manifests in various ways such as procrastination, perfectionism, self-doubt, anxiety, and self-sabotage. Sometimes it may lead to burnout, low self-esteem, and a negative impact on mental health.

Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Meta, talked about her struggles with imposter syndrome. In one of her books, “Lean in”, she writes, “Every time I was called on in class, I was sure that I was about to embarrass myself. Every time I took a test, I was sure that it had gone badly. And every time I didn’t embarrass myself or do badly, I believed that I had fooled everyone yet again.” So, in Sheryl’s case, you can contemplate that every person, at least once in their lifetime, tends to experience imposter syndrome. Once you learn to overcome this syndrome there are no more obstacles your mind can throw at you. 

In this blog, you will learn about imposter syndrome at the workplace and how it can affect your career. You will get to know about the history, characteristics, causes, and types of imposter syndrome. You will also find some questions in this blog to determine whether you are also suffering from this syndrome or not. Tips and strategies are also given to deal with imposter syndrome.

History of Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome was revealed in a research study by two psychologists, Dr. Pauline Clance and Dr. Suzanne Ament Imes, in 1978. Although, this research study was observed in professional women. But research also shows that men and women are equally prone to suffering from imposter syndrome. The signs of imposter syndrome were lack of self-confidence, anxiety, frustration, and depression correlated with a situation where a person’s needs and defined criteria for achievement were not met. 

Characteristics of Imposter Syndrome

Everyone in their lifetime doubts themselves sometimes. It is easy to determine whether you are suffering from imposter syndrome by simply understanding the characteristics of imposter syndrome. Some of the characteristics of this syndrome are given below:

• Self-doubt arises because of low self-worth and self-efficacy.  
• Feeling of anxiety about the ability to succeed in a career. 
• Criticizing your performance
• Fear of not living up to the expectations of others
• Setting unrealistic and challenging goals and feeling disappointed when not able to complete them.
• People who experience imposter syndrome undervalue their achievements. They think they are incapable of achieving their goals. 
• People who attribute their success to external factors like good luck, chance, coincidence, or contributions of their coworkers 
• Lack of self-worth reinforces the fear of success. It compels people to believe that no matter how hard they work, success is not made for them. They often sabotage their success.
• Lack of passion for what they do. As a consequence, their work becomes more of a chore than a source of purpose.

What Causes Imposter Syndrome?

Individuals who experience imposter syndrome doubt their abilities. It is a psychological phenomenon where a person feels like a fraud despite evidence of competence and success. The causes of imposter syndrome are:

Family environment: Growing up in an environment where high expectations are imposed on a person, they are more likely to feel like they are not living up to their potential and have a consistent fear of failure. 

For instance, Amit got 98 marks on a math test. He studied for 1 week for this test. He is very happy and proud of himself. Amit went to his parents to inform them about this and his parents replied, “What happened? You could have scored more on this test.” Here you can see that his parents have unrealistic expectations for Amit and he is more likely to experience imposter syndrome as he was not getting appreciated as needed.

Personality: There are certain personality types that are prone to imposter syndrome. Some traits in your personality like introversion, shyness, or high sensitivity to criticism are all linked to a higher risk of experiencing imposter syndrome.

For instance, Sam is an introvert. Due to his introvertedness, he never talked or had the courage to talk to anybody. Now he lacks communication skills and is not able to talk confidently with anybody. As a consequence of this, he thinks he is incapable of experiencing success.

Social anxiety: Imposter syndrome and social anxiety are the two terms that may overlap. It is not necessary that a person with imposter syndrome also have social anxiety or vice versa. A person with social anxiety experiences intense fear and discomfort in social situations which leads to feelings that they do not belong anywhere or are not good enough.

Types of Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome can manifest itself in many different forms. People may find themselves fitting in more than one type. There are mainly five types of imposter syndrome. By recognizing your type of imposter syndrome, you can overcome this easily. 

The Perfectionist

Perfectionists are the individuals who have to be sure every time that everything gets done with perfection. Finishing a task and achieving opportunities is never enough for perfectionists, they always want more. The idea of losing control is a haunting nightmare for perfectionists. 

Example- Yash is a manager. As a manager, he always strives for excellence. Every time his team members submit reports for updates on the status of the project, he always tells them how to improve their work and always dictates how work should be done. He is always striving to achieve perfection in every work.

The Superperson

This personality type of imposter has a fear of having free time and taking time off work to pursue personal goals. The superperson enjoys showing their accomplishments in their work in a short period. They like to win the approval of their managers and coworkers and they are always prepared to put in extra time and effort at work for this.

Example- A parent who feels like they have to be best in all areas of their life and tries to balance a full-time job, and taking care of their family.

The Natural Genius

The underlying emotion of the natural genius is the fear of failure. Natural geniuses thrive on delivering tasks instantly and skillfully. They have a belief that they get things right the first time. Feedback, criticism, or rework means failure to them if they don’t get it right the first time. They put minimal effort into their work and yet they succeed. The moment when the situation gets different anxiety kicks in and they fall short of completing their task.

Example- A student who breezes through his course with little effort and becomes extremely anxious when a subject that requires more study and effort is encountered by them.

The Soloist

Just like a natural genius, soloists are not interested in receiving assistance from others to complete their work. They feel shame in asking for help. Asking for help makes them feel vulnerable and reveals their limitations. Soloists resent everyone and hate to ask for help at any cost or in any situation.

Example- An entrepreneur who feels like they have to handle every aspect of their business themselves, even if it means working for long hours and sacrificing their personal life for the sake of work. They feel shame in asking for help.

The Expert

These types of imposters aim for more knowledge, more experience, and more accolades. They stick to the belief that they do not have enough knowledge despite their success and achievements in their area of expertise. They experience a constant need of pleasing others. They feel like an imposter as there is always someone better out there. Experts may be critical to the people who take aspiration roles. There is always a comparison going on in the mind of experts.

Example- A doctor who feels like they are not as knowledgeable and experienced as compared to other doctors. Even after completing the training and having experience in medical practice for years, they are feeling like an imposter.

Imposter Syndrome at Workplace

Imposter syndrome is a psychological condition where a person feels incompetent and like a fraud in spite of external evidence of their abilities. It is common among high-achieving individuals in the workplace. Even when an individual has the required skills and qualifications, people with imposter syndrome constantly feel unqualified for their jobs. 

Employees might think that they are falling short of standards and expectations. It is a frequent occurrence in the workplace where competition is very high and everybody wants to get to the top. Imposters are compelled to fight with their negative thoughts alone. This may result in anxiety, low self-esteem, and fear of failing. Imposter syndrome at the workplace can be exhausting and may have an effect on one’s ability to perform at work. As a consequence, the general well-being of an individual can also be affected. 

Imposter syndrome at the workplace can manifest itself in various ways such as struggling to accept praise for one’s accomplishments, feeling of not deserving one’s job, avoiding taking on new challenges or responsibilities due to the fear of failure and being exposed as a fraud, overworking themselves to compensate for perceived shortcomings, comparing themselves with others, feeling incapable as compared to their colleagues, procrastinating, and feeling a need to be absolutely sure before making a decision or taking an action.

Also Read: Corporate Grooming Etiquette- A Profound Tool to Boost Confidence | DT Evolve

8 Questions to Help You Determine if you are an Imposter?

Experiencing imposter syndrome can be hard for an individual. Constant doses of anxiety can take a toll on an individual’s mental health as well as physical well-being. Ask yourself these questions to process your emotions so that you can overcome them. Some of the questions are mentioned here to help you find out if you are experiencing imposter syndrome:

1. Do I reject work that I am not good at? Why?
2. What core beliefs do I hold about myself?
3. Do I believe that I am worthy of success?
4. Reflect on your relationships with others in your field. Do you feel like you belong and are accepted? Or do you feel like an outsider or imposter?
5. Describe a time when you made a mistake or experienced a failure. How did you react to the situation? Did you see it as a learning opportunity or did it reinforce your feelings of inadequacy?
6. Write about a time when you received positive feedback or validation for your work. How did you feel about the feedback? Did it make you feel more confident in your abilities or did you attribute it to your luck?
7. Think about the standards and expectations you have for yourself. Are they realistic and achievable? Or are they so high that they leave you feeling inadequate for success?
8. Describe what is success for you? Reflect on a recent achievement or success you have had? How did you feel about it at the time? Did you feel like you deserved the success or was it due to luck?

How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome

“As long as you try your best, that is all that matters. You don’t have to be the fastest runner or top of the class.”

Overcoming negative feelings caused by imposter syndrome can be hard but there is nothing that you cannot achieve by just trying. Someone said that right, try try but don’t cry. Even if trying is exhausting you are still making progress. Firstly, acknowledge that an imposter syndrome is a form of sabotaging. Secondly, accept that you are experiencing imposter syndrome and it is not a bad thing. To overcome these negative feelings, you need to become comfortable with them. There are some tips given to help you confront this situation. 

Also Read: Mastering LSRW Skills: The Key to Effective Communication

Tips to Deal with Imposter Syndrome

Here are some tips that can help you in coping with imposter syndrome. You can use these tips when struggling with any kind of imposter syndrome.

• Practice mindfulness: There is a mindful technique known as the SBNRR technique. You can use this technique whenever negative thoughts overwhelm your mind. This technique includes Stop, Breath, Notice, Reflect, and Respond. It helps you slow down and reconsider the situation.

• Stop fighting your feelings: Fighting your feelings will only make things worse for you instead of fighting and learning to accept those feelings. Acknowledge these feelings, and accept them, but do not let them stop you. By doing this, you will slowly get to the core beliefs that are holding you back and start to solve the cluster of your thoughts.

• Avoid comparing yourself with others: Everyone in this world is unique and has unique abilities. You may not know the behind-the-scenes of another person’s success story. Everyone in their life has some flaws, you are not alone in this.

• Be kind to yourself: Humans are meant to make mistakes. Do not beat yourself up when making mistakes and experiencing failures. You cannot succeed in your life without making any mistakes. Learn to see your mistakes as a learning opportunities instead of seeing them as a failure.

• Learn to accept your mistakes: Take time to write down your fears and all the outcomes that can happen when you fail. In this way, your mind will get prepared for the upcoming situation and will not get anxious when something will not happen according to your wish.

• Take small steps: Focus on doing things instead of doing things with perfection. Taking small steps consistently can help you get to your destination point. 

• Don’t believe your every thought: Question the thoughts that enter your mind. You cannot believe every thought that comes into your mind. When we see notifications on our phones and click on only those notifications that are useful for us, just like this, rethink only those thoughts that can take you further in your life.

Also Read: What is Visual Communication and how useful it in business and beyond?

Conclusion

To sum up, imposter syndrome at the workplace is a common experience that has a significant effect on one’s well-being and work performance. It is important to identify the characteristics of imposter syndrome and take steps to overcome it, such as practicing mindfulness, stop fighting your feelings, learning to accept your mistakes, taking small steps, and many more. Always remember that you are not alone on this battlefield and it is absolutely possible to overcome these negative feelings and thrive in your workplace.

Learn With DT Evolve

Do you want to overcome negative feelings caused by imposter syndrome? Every person at some point in their career doubt themselves and their skills but with time, if ignored, it starts to overwhelm the person. With DT Evolve, you can learn these skills to solve your problems be it professional or personal. You will learn emotional intelligence and how you can lead your team with emotional intelligence. This course focuses on your ability to be creative, which is an important skill in any field. It emphasizes divergent thinking, or the ability to generate a variety of ideas and concepts in order to solve problems. Here’s the link to the course Problem Solving- A fundamental skill to success.