Cotswolds Community Group: Recognising imposter syndrome

Coacto was thrilled to host and sponsor the Cotswolds Salesforce Community Group last month in Cheltenham for the second in person event since 2020. It was great to have many members of the Salesforce community join us for some excellent sessions, networking and not forgetting the awesome Indian street food, which was kindly provided by Provar Testing.

Wonderful Women in Tech Leader, Amy Oplinger Singh

It was a huge treat to have Amy Oplinger Singh dial into the Cotswolds Salesforce Community all the way from the United States. Amy is an insights and results driven Sr Client Director for RafterOne. She also has a good collection of Salesforce certifications, not to mention a Salesforce MVP title too!?

Recognising imposter syndrome

I’m successful because I got lucky. I was just in the right place at the right time. I’ve fooled them about my knowledge and skills. Do these phrases sound familiar? Around 70% of us, at one point or another, have been guilty of negatively questioning our own abilities. AND, that is exactly what imposter syndrome is. By definition imposter syndrome is a ‘collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist even in the face of information that indicates that the opposite is true’ based on research by the CalTech Counselling Center.

Recognising behaviours and impacts

During Amy’s session, the common behaviours were identified as over preparing, holding back talents and opinions as well as maintaining a low profile, procrastination and self-sabotage. It was clear that these behaviours can also have a negative impact on others around you, particularly when in a professional setting. These can manifest throughout a team with negativity felt by others (it’s contagious you know), pressure to mimic perfectionism and loss of confidence too.

What can you do to overcome imposter syndrome?

Don’t worry! There are tools and techniques to acknowledge and overcome imposter syndrome. Amy shared her top four tips on how to overcome these imposing thoughts to become a better, more positive version of yourself. They include:

• Acknowledge your feelings
• Share your feelings
• Focus on the FACTS
• Challenge your limiting beliefs

See you in December 2022!

We hope to see you all again for the final Cotswolds Community Group of 2022. Taking place on Thursday 1st December, the event will once again be a hybrid occasion at The Workplace in Cheltenham.