5 best strategies to overcome imposter syndrome at work and own your greatness<br/>

Imposter Syndrome be gone! Own Your Greatness. What is imposter syndrome? Work-Life Transformation Coach. Self-Confidence. Mindset Mentor. Work-Life Balance.

“Geez, I don’t think I belong here! Look at what great work all the others are doing! They are going to find out I am incompetent and fire me!”

“It’s luck; I don’t deserve this role. I don’t know how they gave it to me.”

“I don’t think I have the experience to lead this project effectively.”

Sound familiar?

It’s common to feel inadequate from time to time BUT when you work hard, make an effort, achieve success, and still feel like you are not at the top of your game … then that is a problem, and you are likely suffering from imposter syndrome.

WHAT IS IMPOSTER SYNDROME

Imposter syndrome is like a really close second cousin of lack of self-confidence.

It is essentially when hardworking and successful people doubt their competence at work.

It’s like when everyone keeps saying you’re smart, talented, and successful — but you don’t feel like it all! Does that happen to you?

I remember like it was yesterday when I was promoted to a managerial role, something that I was aspiring for and ready to undertake, and it meant that I had direct reports. Even though I had tons of successful experience managing unofficial direct reports in the past, having an official direct report made me nervous. My inside voice kept shouting that you are not ready. I was sh**ing my pants, and I doubted my capabilities and second-guessed all my decisions. Yet, on the outside, I made it seem like I was absolutely prepared for this responsibility.

I was thinking like an imposter. Like I had tricked the management team into believing that I was qualified and I was about to get exposed. I FELT LIKE A FRAUD. And it was horrible. It added unnecessary stress and pressure for me at work and snatched my chance to enjoy and celebrate the success I was creating in my career.

So if you feel like you don’t deserve your promotion, lead a team, and work on high-priority projects, you have to stop underestimating your worth and start embracing your success.

I’ll share some of the signs of imposter syndrome to help you raise awareness if you are losing sight of who you are and what you are capable of.

And then I’ll give you powerful tools to help you to stop thinking like an imposter and enjoy your successes with confidence and a dose of healthy pride.

Sounds like a good plan?

Here goes …

7 SIGNS OF IMPOSTER SYNDROME AT WORK

Here are some typical signs of imposter syndrome behavior with examples of what it might sound like in your mind:

1. YOU DOWNPLAY YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

“Oh, it’s no big deal, it wasn’t really all me, or it wasn’t hard at all” (when in fact, you broke your back trying to get it done)

2. YOU DON’T LIKE TO ASK FOR HELP

“I can’t ask for help because that will make me look incompetent, and they will find out that I am not a fit for this role.”

3. YOU SECOND-GUESS YOUR DECISIONS

“Am I making the right call? I hope this does not blow up in my face and make me look bad in front of everyone. Maybe I should put in more work to get this right!”

4. YOU TEND TO OVERWORK AND BURN OUT JUST TO PROVE THAT YOU ARE CAPABLE AND FIT FOR THE ROLE

“There are so many talented people on my team; I gotta work twice as hard to make sure I stay on top of the game and perfect at my job. “

5. YOU BEAT YOURSELF UP FOR THE SMALLEST MISTAKES

“Mistakes are unacceptable. It’s making me look weak and destroying my image at work. How could I let this happen?”

6. FEAR OF FAILURE PARALYZES YOU

“I can’t think straight; I am so stressed that I will do a poor job, and everyone will see that colleague X is better suited for this role.”

7. YOU ARE FIXATED ON THE NEGATIVES

“Oh, I did not do that presentation as well as that other co-worker.” “Oh, I hit the target, but I did not over-deliver.” “Oh, that project is moving too slowly.”.... Completely forgetting and ignoring all the other wins and accomplishments that did happen.

HOW TO STOP THINKING LIKE AN IMPOSTER!

Here are five great ways to kick that imposter syndrome out the door and out of your life.

1. GIVE YOUR IMPOSTER SYNDROME A NAME

Yes, you heard me right! Give it a name, call it Lucy, Mimi, Dino … whatever you like, this helps take away its power.

Next, you have to befriend your imposter syndrome that now has a name. (I promise this works and does not make you sound crazy! Lol).

Next, have a conversation with, let’s say, Lucy (you can journal this as well). Ask Lucy what her purpose is? Is Lucy trying to protect you from something and trying to warn you? What are the 2-3 positive intentions that Lucy has and is trying to convince you that you are not ready or good enough.

Next, tell Lucy that you don’t really need her for the role she is currently playing, and you have a better-suited job for her. The job to encourage, motivate, inspire you to do your best.

This is how you turn that difficult part of you to take a role that helps and supports you in your life.

So next time ‘old’ Lucy pops up in your mind with the negative chatter, you can be like Lucy, my friend: your job description has changed, so change up that dialogue that you are presenting.

And voila - with practice, your imposter syndrome friend will turn into your biggest cheerleader.

2. SEPARATE FEELINGS FROM FACTS

You need to start looking at the facts as facts and feelings as feelings.

For example, you may feel that you are not doing a great job, but you have to remember that is just a feeling because the fact is that you always end up doing a great job when you confidently put in the work.

So acknowledge your feelings, but then verify your feelings with actual facts. Ask yourself do I have substantial facts that justify this feeling?

Sometimes it’s hard to get rid of feelings, but what is doable is to stop the feeling from hindering your success at work.

3. DEVELOP A NEW SCRIPT

At the core of imposter syndrome is the negative chatter in our minds on auto-repeat. And if this self-talk is not monitored and controlled, the outcome is a whole lot of stress and anxiety. So the only lasting way to end imposter syndrome is to be kind to yourself. And the strongest and the most impactful way to do that is by changing the way you talk to yourself (in your mind).

The best way to start building a healthy internal dialogue is to practice reading affirmations twice a day. And also when you realize the negative chatter is creeping back in your head.

Here are a couple of examples of positive affirmations to help you get started. I highly recommend creating your own with your own powerful words.

I love who I am inside and out. And I love myself more and more each passing day because I keep learning and growing and becoming a better version, a more confident version of myself.
I trust myself to do my best, and I am not afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes help me to learn and grow to be even stronger.

I guarantee you that regular practice of affirmations will make it feel truer and eventually become your reality.

4. TAKE BACK THE CONTROL

Many successful people that suffer from imposter syndrome tend to associate successes with external factors and failures with internal faults.

The best way to break this pattern is to sit down and list out your successes, accomplishments, small wins, big wins, and milestones. Then, reflect on everything you have achieved and all the hard work you have put in. And honestly, ask yourself - did I fake it all, or was it because of my hard work, dedication, and commitment.

This list will be your go-to “proof list” when you start thinking that you are a fraud or not good enough at work. This proof list will help remind you that you have earned and deserve all your successes.

5. TALK ABOUT IT

When we feel our confidence dwindling, it is a good idea to talk about it with someone you trust, someone outside of the workplace, and someone who sees your true potential. When we act out of fear and focus solely on our shortcomings, a trusted friend or family member, or mentor can remind us of our strengths and capabilities. Sometimes we just need to hear from another person about how incredibly talented we are - and that’s okay.

FINAL THOUGHTS

You need to know that imposter syndrome is more common in workplaces that have 1) a lot of competition, 2) poor communication, especially when it comes to performance reviews and they are not done diligently; and 3) a lack of diversity, reinforcing the feeling of feeling like an outsider. So if you work under any of these circumstances, stay extra vigilant of imposter syndrome feelings.

And to sum up, imposter syndrome is normal. It is normal to experience feelings of doubt and inadequacy from time to time. But if that starts creating pressure and stress for you, holding you back, then you have to step back, step up and take action to ensure your mind fully understands and acknowledges your value. The best way to do this is to watch your internal dialogue and make sure it’s grounded in reality - the reality of your success, achievements, and accomplishments.

So can you do this? Yes! You absolutely can!

You go this!