Dealing with Impostor Syndrome in Your Team

Other than a person generally having a poor work/life balance and refusing to seek feedback, if you, or anyone you know, has thought things like:

• I don’t deserve to be here!
• I’m not as good as other people!

the chances are you’re affected by impostor syndrome. Welcome to the majority!

Reports have actually shown that 55 - 75% of ALL people working today have an impostor. The question any leader must therefore ask themselves (unless they’re an absolute monster) is “How can I help them?”

And this is something that most people will probably want to know, because the truth is most of us - in fact, around two thirds of us - have experienced it.

What effect does this have on the person’s life?

As a result of feeling that they may not ‘belong’, people are likely to work themselves to exhaustion every week, or shy away from any promotion or career growth. They are people who are constantly hard on themselves, over-analyse any situation they see as “negative”, and struggle to have a healthy work-life balance.

So, what can you do to help?

STEP 1: UNDERSTAND AND IDENTIFY

As there are so many different symptoms of the syndrome, there are different categories people can fall into. These groups can help you identify and resolve issues of impostor syndrome in your team, but also in yourself. As always with things like this, it's never as simple as I’ve made it seem and there are actually many groups that people with an impostor may recognise, but these three cover the most common things.

The Perfectionist:

Like most perfectionists, they are a person who has really high goals, they’re striving to show their colleagues that they're the best. However, what also comes with this particular strain of impostor is a tendency to micromanage, difficulty delegating and never quite feeling their work is good enough. Consequently, the perfectionist will often try to do all the work themselves to make sure it’s done “correctly”, i.e. their way.

The Genius:

This person wants to be seen as indispensable at things. As such, they will stick to what they know they can do well, avoid challenges, and are generally uninterested in doing anything new where they wouldn't be considered "an expert". They may be reluctant to document or share knowledge, and they may dislike being mentored, wanting you to think they already know everything there is to learn.

The Superhero:

Similarly to the Perfectionist, they want to do work on their own, but the Superhero is looking for quantity over quality. They want to take EVERYTHING on: support requests, proof-reading, making a birthday cake - you name it, they'll jump to do it. They get validation by showing others they're working harder and any time away from work is frustrating.

There are also some things common to all groups - working long hours, anxiety around feedback, and self-deprecating language or jokes that cut a little too close to home.

Personally, I fit into the superhero category, with a pinch of perfectionist (I’ve re-written this article three times now, for example ??). I decided my impostor was a separate person who lives in my head (called Karl), and now I can argue with him when he tells me stuff, and it really helps! You can give this a shot too – just don’t argue out loud ??

So, if you think you've identified someone that could be affected by impostor syndrome, you need to know how to begin to help them.

STEP 2: EDUCATE

Talk to the person about impostor syndrome. Only around 25% of people with an impostor realise they're affected, so be ready to explain what it is and how it can be a problem. There are some excellent online resources, this flowchart from resume.io is a great place to start.

STEP 3: REASSURE

Make sure the person knows they're not alone, and that there are plenty of things they can try to start pushing back against their impostor. Give that person things to focus on that show they deserve a place in the company; this could be as simple as reminding them of what they’ve done well, or why you hired them if they're newer. And USE DATA! This will back up your feedback and help the person in question believe that what you’re saying is true!

STEP 4: RECOGNISE

It’s one thing to identify who has impostor syndrome, but the important part is actually taking action. For a person who feels unworthy of their position, something needs to change.

Start by setting some work targets that are realistic and achievable (as all targets should be). For a genius it may involve new things, for a superhero it may involve setting them less work to do, but if a problem of theirs is overworking themselves till exhaustion, they need to lose that habit. This is going to take them out of their comfort zone (even if they have less to do), so make sure they're coping, and continually reassure them when they're on track, and help them adjust if they're not. They may fail at first, and that's okay. Assure them that this is part of their personal development, and there won't be any professional ramifications from not hitting their goals (this sounds obvious, but to as affected by impostor syndrome trust me when I say it isn't!).

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Now this may seem counterintuitive as a boss to encourage someone to do LESS work, but I can assure you it’s not. Supporting your team’s wellbeing at work (a) is the right thing to do; and (b) will be beneficial in the long run.

Think about it: if you can recognise these signs and extinguish them as soon as possible, your team’s work ethic and drive will be more sustainable, they won’t burn themselves out, they won't be anxious for a week after some constructive feedback, and timings will be more reliable.

Everyone logs on late at night sometimes, and if it happens every now and then that's just business as usual. But if it happens often, maybe it's time to sit up and take notice.

Every company needs to ensure that they provide a work environment that allows its teams to work to the best of their ability without jeopardising their mental health. If your company isn’t doing this, then work with me at iTech Media! We’re creating the best place anyone’s ever worked, and this is just one small part of that. Come and find out what else we've done, and help us see what we've missed ??