Episode Details

Summary

Chances are that you will suffer from impostor syndrome at some point in your life. In this episode we explore what impostor syndrome is, why it occurs, and nine ways we can avoid feeling like a fraud.

Transcript

Welcome to episode 57 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today's biggest leadership challenges. This week we're looking at impostor syndrome - what it is, why it occurs, and nine ways we can avoid feeling like a fraud.

What is impostor syndrome?

Put simply, impostor syndrome is the fear of being exposed as a fraud - that we lack the capability necessary for the challenges we face, and are only avoiding being found out through hard work and luck.

Bryan Stewart says "The root of impostorism is thinking that people don't see you as you really are. We think people like us for something that isn't real and that they won't like us if they find out who we really are." We'll look at Stewart's research later.

Importantly, it's not a disorder. No psychologist is ever going to give you a mental diagnosis of impostor syndrome. Rather it's a reaction or response that falls in the normal range of human experience.

Studies vary, however impostor syndrome is thought to impact 70% of people across their life. That is, the majority of people at some point feel like a fraud. In Stewart's study 20% of university students felt very strong feelings of impostorism at any one point in time.

How does impostor syndrome work?

The researcher Clance outlines what she calls an impostor cycle. The cycle starts with an achievement-based task. It might be a project, assignment or new responsibility. This is followed by feelings of anxiety, worry and doubt. The individual with impostor syndrome then typically takes one of two possible paths. The first is the 'hard work' path - this is a period of over-preparation and frantic work. The second potential path is a period of procrastination and avoidance. There's a sense of relief once the challenge is completed. Those who took the hard work path will then put any positive outcome down to over-preparation rather than ability. Those who took the procrastination path will put any positive outcome is down to luck. In both cases, even a positive outcome and feedback is seen as further evidence of a lack of personal ability, and so the cycle continues.

What's the impact on the person and performance of impostor syndrome?

Well, there's the anxiety, fear and self-doubt that accompany new challenges and opportunities. And there's often a reluctance to put your hand up for even greater challenges and opportunities. After all, those challenges heighten the risk of being discovered as a fraud.

So what can you do to avoid impostor syndrome?

Here are 9 ideas:

1. Reframe challenges as opportunities to learn and grow rather than as chances to be tested and 'found out'. Bringing a growth mindset to challenges will help reduce anxiety and increase motivation.

2. Establish an appropriate standard for your work. Perfectionism and impostor syndrome often co-exist. If your work is never good enough in your own eyes, then no wonder you feel like a fraud.

3. Reach outside of the group where you feel a fraud. Research by Bryan Stewart and colleagues has demonstrated that seeking support from within the group where you feel like a fraud is generally negative and reinforces the sense of being a fraud, while reaching outside the group to family, friends and others is generally positive. Reaching outside where you feel like a fraud recalibrates your abili