Can We Learn Anything From Imposter Syndrome?
Did you know that an average of about 80% of people experience imposter syndrome at some point in their life? For that 80%, imposter syndrome can feel overwhelming and debilitating.
In career development especially, men and women can feel like they don't belong and don't have the skills necessary to do their job. However, what if imposter syndrome could actually be a good thing?
Continue reading to learn how to transform your imposter syndrome into your success.
What Is Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is a belief that you are not as capable as others perceive you to be. It is the experience of feeling like a phony or a fraud. This feeling is common predominantly among women and minorities, but it can affect anyone regardless of social status, background, skill level, or education.
Psychologists Suzanna Imes and Pauline Rose Clance conceptualised the term in the 1970s after noticing that most high-achieving women were experiencing this phenomenon. Since then, it has been recognised as a feeling more widely shared. There are also different types of imposter syndrome relating to the various roles you place yourself.
Symptoms of Imposter Syndrome
There are many different ways you can feel like an imposter. Some common symptoms can include:
Attributing your success to external factors
Berating your performance
Fear of failure
Self-sabotage
Self-doubt
These symptoms can make you feel like you don't belong in your current role. Imposter syndrome can feel like a cycle. You start by feeling inadequate, so you don't live up to your expectations. When you don't live up to your expectations, you again feel "less". Less worthy, less experienced, less qualified, less confident.
This vicious circle can cause many people to fail in their roles and career. However, what if you could use these symptoms to help you succeed?
The Benefits of Imposter Syndrome
While imposter syndrome might feel like it's inhibiting your career development, it could, in fact, be beneficial in keeping you grounded. It could also help you address your perceived skills gaps.
The defining characteristic of imposter syndrome is how you perceive your competence compared to how competent you are. Understanding this could be the key to using your imposter syndrome as a positive thing. Once you acknowledge how capable you actually are, you won't be so quick to second guess your abilities.
Addressing these skill gaps can give you insight into how you learn while also boosting your development. It can help you build a career development plan and expose your unique strengths.
Embracing Self-Doubt – Yes, we said it!
Self-doubt is common, but what might be a fleeting thought for some can be a debilitating moment for others, especially in the workplace. Whether you're an admin assistant or a c suite executive assistant, the key to turning imposter syndrome around is to embrace those moments of "should I, shouldn't I?". The critical question then is: "Why is there doubt?". This ability to reframe is a powerful tool that will help to motivate you rather than debilitate you.
Using it as your performance barometer, you can leverage Imposter Syndrome to indicate how much higher or further you can or should extend your efforts. But the right mindset is needed. Turning imposter syndrome into the ultimate self-coach to help you fulfil your responsibilities in the workplace and improve your performance could be considered a game-changer.
Doubting yourself is a very normal and common thing humans do. Find a way to use self-doubt as fuel to prove that you are capable. Once you can embrace your self-doubt and prove you are worthy of doing the job at hand, you make room for self-belief.