Overcoming imposter syndrome

In the first 86 episodes of cord’s Best Work podcast, imposter syndrome came up at least once in 15 of the conversations - more than one in six guests actively chose to speak about it in their conversation around finding our best work.

That said, it can be a notoriously difficult subject even to identify in ourselves, let alone talk about. It is estimated that more than 70% of people will experience imposter syndrome at some point during their lives.

This article is intended as a supportive and informative resource for anyone who may be, consciously or otherwise, struggling with imposter syndrome. It includes some second-hand suggestions for overcoming the feeling, but it should be noted that the intention is to pool advice from others, rather than offering our own.

What is imposter syndrome?

In some respects the inverse of the Dunning-Kruger effect, wherein people overestimate their own competence, imposter syndrome is a common phenomenon that sees people underestimate their own competence or ability to perform certain types of work.

The term “Imposter phenomenon” was coined in a 1978 study by Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes entitled The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention to describe "an internal experience of intellectual phonies, which appears to be particularly prevalent and intense among a select sample of high achieving women.” The experience persisted “despite outstanding academic and professional accomplishments.” It has since been shown (in research conducted by one of the original authors) that men experience imposter syndrome in similar proportions to women.

Anecdotally, however, it appears to be the case that men find it easier to overcome imposter syndrome than women. This can manifest itself in differing attitudes towards job applications, as in the experience of Viviana, a Project Manager who spoke on the Best Work podcast about the impact it had on her career:

Hear more of Viviana’s story here.

Countering the narrative

Clance and Imes’s original paper recommended group therapy as a possible means of countering imposter syndrome. Group settings make it clearer that people are not alone in feeling imposter syndrome, and external perspectives can help reassure those struggling that their achievements are deserved. The paper also advocates shifting the mindset with which certain tasks are approached: rather than prepare for an exam with the attitude of “I might fail,” reframing the goal as “I will do well in this exam” helps to legitimise the resulting success, rather than attributing it to luck or fraudulence.

Besides opening up to others, both in order to compare similar feelings in other people and to build confidence by helping others through their own similar concerns, verywellmind.com recommends the following steps to countering feelings of imposter syndrome:

• Objectively assessing your abilities by writing down accomplishments and strengths, then comparing these with your own self-assessment

• Taking small steps to improve areas in which you feel you’re lacking, without aiming for perfection

• Questioning doubtful thoughts, recognising that they are not facts

• Avoiding comparisons with others, and limiting time spent on social media

• Accepting, rather than fighting, feelings of not belonging and using this to help unravel damaging core beliefs

• Pursuing your goals, regardless of feeling like a fraud or not belonging.

Recreating success

Alternatively, we can consciously try to replicate a success we’ve already achieved, in a new situation where the imagined “advantages” that helped us bluff our way through the first time around no longer apply. This is how David, a CTO, managed to move beyond his own imposter syndrome when joining a new company:

Hear more of David’s story here.

Overcoming imposter syndrome

Imposter syndrome affects nearly three quarters of all people at some point during their lives. Those experiencing it are far from alone: they are, indeed, among the majority.

As with any psychological impediment to doing our best work, talking to others about the feeling can be one of the best steps towards overcoming the feeling. Hearing the advice and experience of others who have had their careers impacted by imposter syndrome, or who have overcome it themselves, can help us to move beyond it in pursuit of our best work.

References and further reading

• Clance, P. R. and Imes, S. 1978 - The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention https://www.paulineroseclance.com/pdf/ip_high_achieving_women.pdf

• https://paulineroseclance.com/pdf/-Langford.pdf

• https://www.verywellmind.com/imposter-syndrome-and-social-anxiety-disorder-4156469