If it's your first day on the new job and you're in the bathroom vomiting and worrying you'll get 'found out', if you find yourself over-preparing for tasks that used to be no effort, or if you feel like you're lucky to even have this job and that someone else would have done it better than you, you may have imposter syndrome.
Experiencing self-doubt in an area where you usually excel, feeling more nervous than usual in performance situations, and self-talk turned nasty are all potential symptoms of this behavioural phenomenon.
Michelle Obama described Impostor Syndrome as feeling like she didn't belong and Tom Hanks said, “there comes a point where you think, 'How did I get here? When are they going to discover that I am, in fact, a fraud and take everything away from me? '” Howard Schultz, Starbucks former Chairman and CEO, “Very few people, whether you’ve been in that job before or not, get into the seat and believe today that they are now qualified to be the CEO. They’re not going to tell you that, but it’s true.”
If you're feeling under qualified and unable to see your merits, then you're in very good company. People who struggle with Imposter Syndrome often feel like they're not deserving of being held in good esteem. They don't believe they're as capable or as smart as others seem to think, and they'll get found out at any moment.
Around 25 to 30 percent of high achievers may suffer from imposter syndrome. And around 70 percent of adults may experience impostorism at least once in their lifetime, research suggests.
Psychology Today, 2024
Emerging wisdom tells us that what may be lacking for many experiencing impostor syndrome are true role models. Role models, mentors and community help us discover authenticity in others, and through their genuineness, integrity, self-reflection and candour we can embrace those abilities in ourselves.
When you're next confronted by feelings of inadequacy, seek out a connection you deeply trust for feedback on the situation you're worrying about. Most colleagues, mentors or friends will instinctively help you find evidence of your accomplishments and replace your negative thoughts with positive ones.
Find a community you can connect with longer term. Being part of a like-minded community is great for fighting off impostor syndrome as it opens access to clear examples of success and tangible role-models of what good looks like. When you're part of a community, you can more easily find people whose work and outlook you admire. This is important because we all know that everyone of us is fallible.
If people you admire are able to make mistakes and recover from them, then you may find your way clear to not be so hard on yourself for being human too.
Agencia Change is building an online community for change professionals and leaders. Becoming a member of Agencia Change means you gain access to peer networking, interest groups by invitation, our online discussion forum and more.
We also offer mentoring for individuals experiencing change, and coaching for enhancing your change management skills. We're here to help and Agencia Grow's Mentor, Coach and Academy services could be just what you're looking for.
Signing up with Agencia Change means you're well on the way to finding your supportive, professional community, feeling like you do - actually - belong and beating that harrowing, impostor syndrome self-talk.
Or book a free 15 minute discussion on how we can help with any specific concerns.
www.agenciachange.com for more information.