imposter syndrome

High-achieving employees sometimes find themselves doubting their capabilities even though they are more than qualified. 

Imposter syndrome can be defined as “a behavioral health phenomenon described as self-doubt of intellect, skills, or accomplishments among high-achieving individuals.” Those who possess imposter syndrome cannot internalize their successes and subsequently feel fraudulent despite verifiable evidence that they are successful. 

In order to combat imposter syndrome it can be helpful to identify how the imposter syndrome is presenting itself. 

While attention to detail is important, it can become detrimental when it reaches the point of perfectionism. Individuals who strive to create flawless deliverables at all times may possess imposter syndrome. Since they doubt their intellect, they want to ensure that everything is entirely correct before finalizing anything. These individuals tend to be overly self-critical and hold themselves to higher standards than the standards they set for those around them. This pursuit of unattainable standards cannot be sustained in the long run and may ultimately lead to self-sabotaging.   

2. Super-heroism 

This frequently presents as over-preparing for tasks to appear capable of completing them. Individuals may feel compelled to be the best at everything and that overpreparation will allow them to achieve this. Oftentimes, super-heroism leads people to overwork themselves and can cause serious mental health implications. 

3. Fear of Failure 

Individuals with imposter syndrome may fear being shamed if they fail to properly complete a task. They fear being exposed as an imposter in the event that they were to fail. This can lead to avoidance of certain tasks altogether because it is believed that not trying at all is favorable to underperforming. 

Although fear of failure is commonly perceived to be related to externally imposed tasks, however, it can occur with self-imposed achievement-related tasks as well. Ultimately, avoidance of self-imposed tasks out of fear of failure can prevent progress toward personal career goals.

4. Denial of Capability 

Discounting one's intelligence, experiences, and skills is another manifestation of imposter syndrome. People who have imposter syndrome may attribute their successes to external factors or even random chance. Even if evidence can be provided to validate their contributions, individuals may continue to discredit their influence in their achievements. 

5. Fear of Success 

Although contrary to the previously discussed fear of failure, imposter syndrome may lead to fear of success. This occurs because an individual perceives failure as a positive feedback mechanism. They may have difficulty recognizing their successes as success can lead to high future expectations or additional workloads. 

Multiple of these characteristics of imposter syndrome can appear simultaneously and amplify the negative implications of imposter syndrome. Characteristics may present differently depending on the person and their workplace environment. 

If the previously discussed characteristics of imposter syndrome are present, there are some ways to decrease the fraudulent feelings that arise. 

Imposter syndrome often leads individuals to emphasize their weaknesses. It is imperative that individuals struggling with imposter syndrome focus on their strengths as much as they are considering their weaknesses. If there is a particular area that is difficult, consider exploring a skill that feels more natural. Making a list of individual successes or even analyzing data of successful past initiatives may allow for the recognition of personal accomplishments. 

2. Talk to someone 

Reaching out to peers or mentors is a beneficial way to combat imposter syndrome. Having an open dialogue about doubts and struggles in the workplace can work to diminish the sense of incompetence. Groups such as horizontal mentor groups can serve as a great resource for those struggling with imposter syndrome. Peers within these horizontal groups likely have had similar experiences and can provide strategies they used to overcome their self-doubts. 

3. Counseling

Speaking with a counselor about imposter syndrome can bring awareness to what is contributing to feelings of imposter syndrome. Specifically, compassion-focused therapy can be a helpful tool in combating imposter syndrome. Compassion-focused therapy is designed for patients who are highly self-critical and works to manage those behaviors. 

Most importantly, it is important to recognize that there are others who struggle with imposter syndrome. Taking active steps to counteract feelings of imposter syndrome will provide immense career benefits. 

Combating imposter syndrome can also be influenced by management. Managers must recognize the impact that they can make on imposter syndrome in the workplace and take action to limit it. Although counteracting imposter syndrome is largely a personal journey, external factors may also have implications. Here are some approaches managers can take to improve the workplace experience for individuals who have imposter syndrome. 

What provokes imposter syndrome varies on an individual basis, however, managers can take note of situations or responsibilities that contribute to employees' imposter syndrome. For example, on a team with many experienced employees, a younger team member may feel uncomfortable leading an initiative despite their qualifications. This situation may potentially contribute to imposter syndrome and a manager can help by reassuring the team member of their capabilities. 

Individuals dealing with imposter syndrome may have difficulties recognizing their own achievements. As a manager, it is important to help acknowledge when employees have successes. This helps validate that they are capable and a valuable contributor to the team. 

Managers should foster an environment that celebrates all individuals and that isn’t limited to solely embracing successes. Encourage employees to experiment in the workplace and do things for the sake of learning rather than only for accomplishments. Developing a strong sense of psychological safety will help ensure everyone that it is acceptable to make mistakes. 

Another method to increase psychological safety while reducing feelings of imposter syndrome is to encourage open dialogue between team members. Ensuring that all team members feel comfortable discussing their experiences within the workplace with their manager is a crucial aspect of counteracting imposter syndrome. 

Underrepresented groups may experience amplified effects from imposter syndrome. Recognize that these individuals may need additional support ensuring that there is a sense of belonging within the workplace. It is also important to be conscious of how personal biases may alter the treatment of individuals from underrepresented groups because this can contribute to their imposter syndrome characteristics. 

Imposter syndrome can be very prevalent among individuals who have achieved great success. Recognize that some characteristics of imposter syndrome such as self-doubt are natural and occur among everyone on occasion. If characteristics of imposter syndrome persist for extended periods of time, it should be explored since it can limit one's ability to succeed. 

Everyone experiences times of nervousness and anxiety. It's human nature and, it's contagious. Many struggle to manage these feelings on their own and unmanaged anxiety can lead to rash and spontaneous decision making. Impulsive communication and decision-making will foster an internal feeling of urgency that others mirror which may spread across groups and offices creating immense stress and anxiety for all levels. 

Anxiety can stem from a variety of sources. Specifically in the workplace, anxiety can stem from: poor workplace culture, unclear expectations, too heavy of a workload, conflict with superiors, organizational changes, job insecurity, lack of control, or imposter syndrome. Additionally, managers' words and actions have a higher impact on creating or mitigating anxiety due to their hierarchical position and perceived power within an organization. Similar to the effect of stress or anxiety in an individual's personal life, workplace anxiety can cause a variety of problems such as sleep deprivation, poor work performance, body aches, or physical ailments. Within teams, managers may have a hard time identifying causes of anxiety, or worse, managers may be the cause of anxiety within a team. 

Leaders “venting,” gossiping, or complaining to their team members creates a different culture that fosters anxiety and worry for team members, usually leading to a counterproductive work environment. Once a team leader begins complaining to their teams about executive management, timelines, the work environment, or other team members, their direct reports become uncomfortable in the workplace and anxious about their performance. 

Similar to anxiety, gossip is a detriment to the work environment and is certainly contagious within the workplace. Both productive and counterproductive work cultures can foster and spread gossip across a team or office. Many feel the need to gossip to be “in the know” or to protect themselves from any potential conflicts within a group. Gossip encourages judgment, cliques, and toxic work behavior that may undermine the success, camaraderie, or expansion of teams. Moving into a psychologically safe and comfortable work environment, managers must reduce any occurrences of gossip and spreading of misinformation to create an environment that values every individual team member. 

To better understand the ripple effect of gossip and anxiety, consider Trish who is a partner at a large accounting firm. Trish has been facing struggles with the corporate office creating unreasonable timelines for completing projects and, Trish is becoming frustrated with a professional on her team, John who submits unfinished and unpolished reports. Trish is feeling anxious due to a heavy workload and a lack of support from her team. Trish decides to vent about her challenges with the corporate office to Leo, a manager in her team. Now, Leo is self-conscious about his performance and focuses on overworking and taking on extra responsibilities, eventually leading to burnout. Also after their conversation, Leo begins to lose faith in their company and has decreased organizational commitment to their firm. Throughout the next week, Leo discusses his feelings with other team members, leading to a spread of stress and anxiety in the workplace. 

As in the above example, venting and crucial conversations can lead to a spread of anxiety team-wide which exponentially grows, creating an unproductive work environment and negatively impacting the mental health, work-life balance, and personal lives of team members. If managers are feeling anxious or overworked, they should consider finding a new channel. Potential outlets may be horizontal mentorship, executive mastermind groups, or coaching opportunities that provide a safe space to share challenges. 

Horizontal mentorship enables leaders in similar positions to share issues they are facing in the workplace and creates an open environment to learn from peers in lateral workplace roles. Opening new opportunities to grow and learn in a dynamic environment catered to the specific problems faced in the workplace makes horizontal mentorship a great tool to reduce anxiety and gossip in the office. 

Executive mastermind groups serve as a peer advisory service that allows leaders to share a problem they are facing and receive feedback and advice from executive-level professionals. Through Ambition In Motions Executive Mastermind groups, leaders can find horizontal mentorship, peer advisory resources, and experiences that support individual and team learning which in turn, helps to reduce managers' stress and anxiety. 

Finally, managers may consider executive coaching opportunities to improve their team environment and mitigate causes of anxiety. Ambition In Motion offers both team and individual coaching to improve communication and productivity team-wide. In an executive coaching program, individuals are paired with an experienced coach who aids in setting SMART goals and, creating a process for collecting and analyzing measures of success for these goals. 

In working to reduce overall workplace anxiety, managers should concentrate on reducing gossip within the workplace. Gossip fosters cliques, damages professionals' reputations, erodes trust, and spreads misinformation which will eventually detriment workplace morale. Gossip in the workplace may also lead to unnecessary conflict and a decline in productivity. 

Even with understanding the implications of workplace gossip, it is still challenging for a manager to control or decrease gossip in the workplace. Managers working on decreasing gossip in the workplace should focus on leading by example. Building a cohesive team that promotes collaboration and communication will work to decrease gossip throughout a team. In having a more collaborative team, misinformation will be challenging to spread because direct reports will build a community and embrace camaraderie within the team.

Other steps to reduce gossip in the workplace may be to set clear expectations about professional behavior or to host a seminar explaining the negative effects of gossip. With clear communication, individuals will be less likely to spread misinformation. However, if a manager feels that their team needs additional guidance, they should always communicate with human resources and find out about other tools or resources available to leaders and team members for the betterment of the team.