In a recent poll I conducted on LinkedIn, 77% said they had experienced the effects of imposter syndrome! You may have experienced it yourself at some point in your career also. I know I have!
If left to roam free, imposter syndrome can wreak havoc with your mental focus and self-esteem and really limit your ability to thrive and although you may have struggled with it yourself, it’s likely you may not have always admitted to it, which intensifies its impact. Research suggests that accomplished, high achieving professionals are more prone to it and It can worsen as your career develops and become heightened when facing significant challenges that stretch you, such as; ✔promotion ✔tasked to lead key projects ✔recruiting a new team ✔securing your dream job ✔career change ✔presenting to larger groups ✔mergers & takeovers ✔entrusted with greater responsibility You may have experienced one or more of these things... this list is certainly not exhaustive and for many, such events can heighten a sense of insecurity, feeling undeserving of one’s accomplishments, feeling like a fraud and displaying behaviours that are out of character. Before you know it, you have developed an array of bad working habits & frenetic thinking that only serve to reinforce your self-doubt….things like: ♦️Overworking ♦️Hyper managing direct reports ♦️Obsessing over the need to prove yourself ♦️Finding it hard to say ‘no’ ♦️Projecting yourself more submissively ♦️Comparing yourself to your peers ♦️Frantically look for the approval of others ♦️Neglecting your own needs ♦️De-prioritising yourself Learning to curb imposter syndrome is essential if you are to upgrade how you operate, open new doors & reconnect with your value. This is a key focus for many of my clients.
There are several important steps to turning the volume right down on the effects of imposter syndrome, but the first steps are to acknowledge it and identify what’s triggered it.
Acknowledge it and share it with friends or family, people you trust. Just let it out, it has less of a hold on you if you share it. Identify the triggers! Is it a person, a situation, an event, or something else? By exploring this, will help you to uncover the story you have unwittingly attached to it. It’s this story that needs to be challenged.
Exploring this process with my clients and applying additional strategies has enabled them to enjoy significant breakthroughs and upturn in self-belief and a changed approach to how they operate at work.
Louisa O’Donnell, Career Empowerment Coach & NLP Practitioner @ Purple Eclipse Coaching