Imposter Syndrome: 5 Approaches to Stop Feelings of Self-Doubt as a Leader
Find out if you have Imposter Syndrome and how to break through to your next level of confidence
In coaching, we have a concept for people who are experts but who feel they aren’t qualified: Imposter Syndrome.
Here are some examples of what Imposter Syndrome feels like:
questioning why you were hired to lead this project
fearing that you won’t be able to meet expectations
feeling like you should know the answer to everything (and if you don’t, you’re a “fraud”)
thinking that the successes you have had were a fluke (or the result of something or someone external to you)
sensing that no matter what you have done, it could always be better
wanting to get more qualifications before you take action
being down about small criticism while overlooking mounds of praise
Those are some examples of the symptoms…but what are the causes of Imposter Syndrome?
Being a perfectionist
Expecting yourself to be the expert
Setting goals that are ambitious without having evaluated your capacity
Being in a new role or environment where you feel you need to prove yourself in order to be respected
How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
Alright, so now that we’ve outlined what Imposter Syndrome looks like and what causes it, what are some ways that you can overcome it?
By the way, what I find funny is that many people who level up often do so because they want to be challenged. So this Imposter Syndrome phase is the challenge that people are craving, but it’s a stressful place to be!
Be well-prepared
This is personally how I like to approach feelings of self-doubt. Whether it’s a training, a presentation, or anything I’m feeling a bit of self-doubt about, I aim to prepare myself as much as possible and practice.
What I like about practicing isn’t so much the repetition but more about the clarity I get from visualizing success. I imagine how people will react to certain parts of my presentations or training and then prepare my own reactions to each possible scenario.
In your case, it could simply be about reviewing your notes before meetings or confirming information with a team member to feel ready.
2. Remember your strengths
I feel like whenever people are in the thick of self-doubt, they struggle to remember what their strengths are! This is a great exercise because the second you ask yourself what your strengths are and remind yourself, you start to remember why you were hired in the first place and what you can bring to the table to move forward or resolve issues or respond to questions.
Remember: you were hired for a reason.
3. Leverage learnings from previous experiences
You’ve been in this place before, time and time again. Think back for example to the early days of when you started your previous role. How did you overcome Imposter Syndrome to get to the point where you could qualify for the role you now have? What learnings would you bring to this current role? What would you do differently this time around? What advice would you have given yourself that would be sound advice right now?
4. Be humble
It’s okay to ask questions and not feel like you have to know everything. It’s more important to get the information you need than not saying anything and having to figure out things on your own. And if you’re in a new role, people don’t expect you to just “get it” straight out the gate (and if they do, well, I have some inappropriate words to say about that >angel face< ).
5. Seek support
I would also ask anyone who has been where you are what advice they might give you on moving forwards. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel and receiving some guidance is always helpful. You could also seek support in the form of furthering your education, building competencies through training, or doing coaching to help you think outside the box and identify what to keep in mind to help you stay positive throughout your approach.