How High Achieving Women Thrive In Spite of Imposter Syndrome

“I still have a little impostor syndrome… We all have doubts in our abilities, about our power, and what that power is.” – Michelle Obama

As I discussed with my Women in Leadership group, the topics they would like to table this year, I was amazed that the matter of impostor syndrome kept coming up. Here I was, in a room of brilliant women all well-achieved in their professional and personal lives who wanted to know how they could once and for all get over their impostor syndrome.

Of course, they are not alone. Famous figures who have openly discussed their experiences with impostor syndrome include Michelle Obama, Maya Angelou, Sheryl Sandberg and Emma Watson. Even Albert Einstein reportedly confided in a friend of doubts he had about his significant accomplishments and talents, fearing that others would ultimately realize he was a fraud.

The fact is that the experience of impostor syndrome is more common than most of us admit to ourselves or our peers. In this article, we will explore what triggers impostor syndrome, and how we can learn to thrive in our careers in spite of it.

Is It Impostor Syndrome?

In her article on Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, Gill Corkindale describes impostor syndrome as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist, despite evident success. She goes on to say that “Impostors suffer from chronic self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that override any feelings of success or external proof of competence.” (Corkindale, 2008)

The key thing to note is that this is chronic self-doubt. Dr Valerie Young underscores this point when she highlights that impostor syndrome goes beyond just a mere lack of self-confidence. She says, “…everyone experiences bouts of self-doubt from time to time – especially when attempting something new. But because “impostors” have insanely high self-expectations, the self-doubt is chronic (Young, 2011).

So why does this happen? It goes back to what she calls the Rule Book. A set of rules we have created in our head that defines what competence should look like. According to Young, there are five types of impostors. Let’s look at each in turn.

Five Types of Impostors

1. The Superhuman
   The person who constantly pushes themselves harder to “measure up”. Falling short in any role - as a manager, team member, parent, partner, friend, or volunteer – evokes shame because they feel that should be able to handle it all - perfectly and easily. The constant push to be able to manage it all without failure often results in exhaustion, and ultimately burnout.

2. The Natural Genius
   They believe they have to be a “genius” at everything and get things right the very first time they try it. The fact that they have to struggle to master a subject or skill, or that they’re not able to bang out their masterpiece on the first try equals failure, which evokes shame.

3. The Expert
   They feel that they never know enough and constantly feel the need to know everything about a topic before they work/speak about it. But they often feel like they are not good enough.

4. The Soloist
   They believe that asking for help reveals their insufficiency to the outside world. Because they think they need to figure out everything on their own, needing help is a sign of failure that evokes shame. This can often lead to feelings of isolation.

5. The Perfectionist
   They set high goals for themselves and when they fail to reach a goal, they feel intense self-doubt and worry about not achieving that goal, and appearing foolish to others. This can lead to feelings of failure and inadequacy.

But this does not tell the whole story. Too often in the workplace, feelings of impostor syndrome are only heightened by negative workplace experiences. In the next section, we look at a few aspects of work culture to look out for.

Company Culture and Impostor Syndrome

Dr Richard Orbe-Austin in his article, “How Company Culture Perpetuates Impostor Syndrome and Tips to Changing It”, highlights aspects of work cultures that help to feed into any feelings of impostor syndrome that individuals may already have. These include:

• Praise is never given, only criticism, so you are constantly trying to find ways to please managers & senior leaders. This may not always be absolute. In some cases it may be that praise is rarely given.
• Overwork and being “on” 24/7 is rewarded & seen as the gold standard for performance.
• Favorites are clearly identified, and if you are not part of the in-group, you are made to feel like an impostor.
• Perfectionism is the expectation and employees are punished if they don’t meet this unrealistic expectation.
• Employees constantly feel they need to prove themselves, no matter what level they reach in a company.
• Priorities and performance objectives are never established, so you work nonstop to feel like you are meeting your unspoken goals.
• You are constantly told you should be grateful for the job you have – this is my personal favourite. I once had a manager tell me that I could not get that salary outside the industry for the job I was doing. I should be grateful.

The list is not exhaustive. Underrepresentation whether by gender, race, or otherwise also plays a role in limiting the appreciation of diverse perspectives, which can often leave people in those circumstances feeling that their opinion does not matter, or is not important enough to be shared. In other words, they do not belong.

Tips For Thriving In Spite of Impostor Syndrome

So, how do high-achieving women continue to thrive despite impostor syndrome? There are a few things we can implement in our lives. The Center for Creative Leadership lists 4 tactics for overcoming impostor syndrome:

1. Focus on the facts:
   List your achievements and objectively assess the skills, capabilities, and qualities that helped you succeed thus far. Allow yourself to take credit for your accomplishments.

2. Challenge limiting beliefs:
   Examine your deep-seated beliefs about the criteria for success. Then look for facts or examples to test whether these criteria are actually valid, and how they might hold you back. Recognize the valuable perspective you’ve gained from personal hardships. This ties into Dr. Valerie Young’s point about rewriting your “Rulebook” of what competence means.

3. Claim your strength
   Instead of focusing on your weakness, embrace your assets and reflect on how to leverage them more fully. Advocate for yourself and own your strengths.

4. Talk about it
   Share your feelings with trusted friends, colleagues, or a coach to put things into perspective, and help you reinforce the positive changes you are making.

   I’m adding three more to that list:

5. Record your achievements
   Whether through journaling on paper, online, or on some electronic device, keep a record of your achievements that you can look back on from time to time. It’s easy to forget what you have achieved in the last few weeks, let alone the last few years. Write it down. You’ve done the work! Don’t forget that.

6. Recognize that everyone makes mistakes
   Perfection is unattainable, and making mistakes is a natural part of the learning process

7. Challenge the status quo at work
   If you are a team member and recognize any of the elements of how your workplace perpetuates impostor syndrome, then respectfully challenge the status quo with your manager. Start with one specific aspect of the workplace culture, explain the impact it is having on you, and what change you would like to see.

If you are a manager or leader, the role you play in combating impostor syndrome is critical. Provide timely constructive feedback, recognize and celebrate achievements, and most of all, create a safe space for open communication and vulnerability.

Conclusion

It’s important to remember that you are not alone in experiencing feelings of impostor syndrome. We have talked about five types of impostor syndrome which may be the internal driving force for feelings of inadequacy. However, these internal drivers often do not happen in isolation and are often exacerbated by aspects of work culture that perpetuate rather than stem, feelings of impostor syndrome.

Don’t keep it to yourself. Speak to a trusted friend, colleague, or coach and surround yourself with a community of people who will help to reinforce a more balanced view of your competencies, share experiences of coping with impostor syndrome, and challenge any limiting beliefs you might have.

Feature image by YURI_ARCURS From Getty Images Signature

Kai-Nneka Townsend, is an author, and a Career Burnout Recovery and Prevention Coach for women.