“You don’t belong here.”
Maybe no one ever said that to you, but that doesn’t matter. If you have impostor syndrome, it already feels like someone has.
Whether you're a seller, coach, starting a business, or a seasoned business owner, you may have worked your way up the ladder and earned accolades. But when you feel overwhelmed because you’re trying something new, those doubts manifest themselves as feelings of inadequacy.
Impostor syndrome is more common than you think. Around 30 percent of “high achievers may suffer from impostor syndrome,” according to Psychology Today. “And around 70 percent of adults may experience impostorism at least once in their lifetime, research suggests.”
Why? You know how hard you worked to get where you are. You know you belong. So why is impostor syndrome the default for so many?
And why is impostor syndrome so prevalent when we all feel this way at some point?
The solution isn’t to grin and bear it. It’s to build a foundational understanding of what it is, why it occurs, and what chronic “impostors” do to make themselves feel like they belong. And as it turns out, there’s no single answer.
Defining the “Impostor Syndrome” Problem
The funny thing about impostor syndrome? It may not be remotely related to objective reality. You may completely belong where you are. But this quote by organizational psychologist Adam Grant sums it up nicely:
Impostor syndrome is a paradox. Others believe in you. You don’t believe in yourself. Yet you believe yourself instead of them.
It seems like a straightforward definition. But impostor syndrome has a nasty habit of manifesting in different ways:
- Doubting your own accomplishments, believing you got “lucky,” or that some other extenuating circumstances landed you where you are.
- Over-preparing for simple tasks because you don’t trust yourself to get it right as a matter of skill, experience, and/or talent.
- Avoiding new responsibilities because you feel safer at your current level of success—a major psychological hurdle if there ever was one.
- The fear of being “found out” as unqualified, which can make it harder to advocate for yourself.
- Downplaying your achievements around colleagues because you feel unworthy in some sense of the word.
We all experience doubts from time to time. But how you deal with those doubts will be central to how you experience this “syndrome.” One scientific journal labeled five different personality types:
- The “perfectionist.” You don’t believe you’re competent until you achieve 100% perfection. An “A-” grade, to you, is not competent—it’s a failure. You always focus on how something could have been done better rather than how well you already did.
- The “natural genius.” You measure competence by how easily the achievement came. In this case, you interpret your hard work as a negative trait! It makes you feel like you’ve had to scratch and claw your way to success because you lack the natural talent.
- The “superwoman/man” or “superstudent.” In this case, you perceive competence as your ability to handle multiple roles at the same time. If you fail in one role (parent, researcher, professional), you feel it represents your total failure.
- The “expert.” This person measures competence by the sum volume of knowledge and skill. If you want to be an “expert” but someone exposes the tiniest crack where you don’t have any knowledge, you feel like a fraud.
- The “soloist.” Did you get here on your own, or did you have help from others? If you’re a “soloist,” you probably feel like the only valid way to move up the ranks is to get here on your own.
These might sound silly when you read them in plain language. But many people think this way. I’ve thought this way. At some point, you probably have, too.
When 78 percent of business leaders experience impostor syndrome, you could even argue that some form of impostor syndrome is the rule, not the exception.
Impostor syndrome can affect us all differently. More than half of women (54 percent) feel they’ve experienced it. Only 38 percent of men report the same. So clearly, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. You need to sift through different perspectives until you find the one best suited to your thinking style.
Adopt the Always-Learning Mindset to Overcome Impostor Syndrome
“I have a lot to learn.”
Ever notice how freeing that mindset can be?
If a little bit of self-doubt helps you lean into an always-learning mindset, it can propel you forward.
I’ve noticed this seems especially true in sales. Pretty much anyone can become better at sales if they have the right approach. The number one factor I’ve noticed—what determines how successful you’ll be—is how much you’re willing to learn every day.
The always-learning mindset—or lack thereof—is also why you see a lot of miserable salespeople. They might do well initially, but their careers plateau after 5-10 years.
The problem for these folks isn’t that they’ve reached the ceiling of their abilities.
It’s that they stopped learning.
If you suffer from the “Expert” brand of impostor syndrome, consider this antidote: an always-learning mindset is healthy. It’s necessary. And if you find something you didn’t know before, you shouldn’t think of it as a chink in the armor. Think of it as a lightbulb turning on.
Remind Yourself of Your Wins
At a fundamental level, impostor syndrome results from a lack of mindfulness.
So says author Tiwalola Ogunlesi, founder of Confident and Killing It, according to the Harvard Business Review.
The article argues that overcoming impostor syndrome requires setting aside your feelings of overwhelm and reminding yourself why you’re in this position in the first place.
Easier said than done. But Ogunlesi recommends offers a solution: a “monthly wins tracker” to chronicle your progress. All you need are two columns: Type of wins (big or small) and descriptions of what you achieved.
The idea derives inspiration from psychologist Martin Seligman’s Theory of Wellbeing. That’s the idea that you’ll feel more hopeful about your future when you can look back on your achievements.
“Impostor syndrome is just temporary memory loss,” says Ogunlesi, “where you have forgotten all the amazing things about you.”
If you want to stop forgetting, you may have to write down the good stuff.
Find the Hero Within to Fight the Impostor Mindset
Author Lou Solomon recommends sharing your vulnerabilities and doubts with the world. You may just find that other people feel the same way. And when you do, you won’t feel like such an impostor anymore.
Solomon is the author of “Freeing Your Radical Hero: Fighting the Impostor Mindset,” and her Tedx talk “The Surprising Solution to the Impostor Syndrome” is a must-watch for anyone struggling.
Solomon says you need a reframe. Are you telling yourself things like, “I only got here because I knew the right people”?
It may even be true to a degree. But if it becomes your dominant thinking pattern, you might be overlooking the high-quality traits that also helped you land your position.
Look at your internal dialogue and evaluate it dispassionately. Is there any evidence that the success you’ve obtained comes from internal factors? If you had gotten to where you are by sheer luck and happenstance, would you really be here?
How a Founder Overcame Self-Doubt: Don’t Expect Success to Fix It
A quick tip: stop expecting success to treat your impostor syndrome.
If anything, fast success is what makes the syndrome flare up.
“I realized [impostor syndrome] doesn’t go away with…success,” said Mike Cannon-Brookes, co-founder of Atlassian, who has also given a Tedx talk on the subject.
Cannon-Brookes experienced impostor syndrome when winning Entrepreneur of the Year. He started the night already feeling like he didn’t belong. Then the CEO of Ernst and Young looked at the winning envelope, read it, and even said: “Oh, my God.”
Not a good recipe for anyone already feeling like they’re an impostor.
But Cannon-Brookes kept at it and began speaking to other successful entrepreneurs. One Portuguese businessman even said he often felt like an impostor, too.
His advice? Obviously, Atlassian was doing something right. And they should simply keep going.
Don’t expect success to “fix” you. For impostor syndrome, success may just add more fuel to the fire. Instead, realize just how common the syndrome is—and keep moving forward.
What if You Still Don’t Feel Like You Belong?
There’s no pill for impostor syndrome. It’s something we learn ourselves into. And the best way out is to teach ourselves the new information we need.
Just remember a few of these tips:
- Adopt the always-learning mindset so you never feel like you have to know everything. You’ll stop feeling the need to be the “expert” and can embrace new ideas as they come.
- Maintain a list of big wins and review it each month, as Tiwalola Ogunlesi recommends. You’ll start to compile all sorts of evidence of your well-deserved success.
- Reframe your internal communication to find evidence for the success you’ve achieved that came from internally-guided reasons. Yes, you might have luck in some cases. But everyone has both good and bad luck. If you spot the reasons you made it this far, you’ll get a boost in confidence.
- Connect with other successful people and share your feelings. Other successful people have gone through what you’re experiencing. If you’ve built a $10 million business, don’t expect someone who’s built a $100 million business to feel 10x better. You may be surprised to learn that many of us feel like impostors to some degree.
As Long as You’re Continually Learning, You’re Not a Fraud
Think about what a real impostor would look like for a second.
They’d probably be too eager to tell you about their greatness, expertise, and utter worthiness.
If anything, your humility in saying, “I have a lot to learn,” indicates that you may be the perfect person for your role. Anyone who’s willing to learn and adapt to their new position is not an impostor. They’re just new.
But I’m the first to admit that it’s not always easy to think this way. You do need a little help to avoid thinking and feeling like a fraud.
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