According to the International Journal of Behavioral Science 70% of us think we’re not as good as others believe we are, it’s called Imposter Syndrome. Imposter syndrome is a concept describing high-achieving individuals who are marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud.” It’s that voice of self-doubt that, despite our successes, keeps us feeling like we might fail, we might not be good enough, and we might get found out.
Those with imposter syndrome have a tendency to attribute their success to external factors—like luck, or the work of the team. It takes courage to take on challenges and pursue dreams that leave you open to the risk of failure, falling short, losing face, and being “found out.”
It can feel like we’re the only ones experiencing this as it’s not much talked about, particularly in the workplace, we therefore assume it’s a character flaw in us and a weakness we must overcome – further evidencing these feelings of Imposterism.
However, we’re not alone, many people experience Imposter syndrome, especially high achievers and even those we look up to and aspire to be. Whilst it’s more prevalent in women there are plenty of men who admit to experiencing this too.
It can come from many places, particularly our culture and upbringing. Think Tall Poppy in NZ and the impact this has on us claiming our successes or talking about the things we’re good at.
It can lead to us playing it safe to avoid failure and having to work twice as hard to prove ourselves wrong and not get ‘found out’. Perfectionism can often be driven from a place of Imposterism and it can impact our brand and credibility if we’re constantly downplaying our achievements and not owning our successes.
In fact perfectionism is one of the most common categories within Imposter Syndrome I come across in the women I work with and it makes sense that if we fear being found out we’re going to want to perform at the other end of the extreme to prove ourselves but it also leads to overwhelm and burnout and ultimately sets us up to fail because perfect isn’t always achievable.
There are other categories that exist within Imposter syndrome and often this can come with perfectionism or manifest as a category on its own. Imposter Syndrome is not a one size fits all so check below and see which category you most relate to:
Imposter Syndrome Competencies (From Dr Valerie Young, The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women)
It’s why Imposterism can be linked to overwork – needing to prove ourselves and not wanting to delegate. Setting ourselves up to fail in the form of wanting everything to be perfect and holding ourselves to excessively high standards and self sabotage by playing it safe or pulling out before we get found out.
Sadly, it’s not something we can easily overcome—but we can learn to navigate it and succeed anyway.
We are all capable of more than we know, and we can do amazing things if we’re not busy doubting our abilities. Next time that negative voice in your head starts to speak, turn down the volume.
What matters most is not whether we fear failing, looking foolish, or not being enough; it’s whether we give those fears the power to keep us from taking the actions needed to achieve our goals.
Find out more and get your place on this special one day workshop designed to help you tame the inner critic and build confidence and resilience. Book now to explore which category you fit in and how to overcome these feelings of self doubt.