How You As A Leader Can Counter Imposter Syndrome

What is the Imposter Syndrome?

This is a question many people who are suffering from low self-esteem want to know the answer to. There is no specific definition for this condition, however, it is generally agreed upon that those who suffer from it have a very distorted view of themselves and often see other people as being more successful than they are. While the Imposter Syndrome is not the most serious type of self-confidence issue, it can be extremely damaging to a person's sense of self-worth.

Early warning signs of Imposter Syndrome

Someone who is suffering from imposter syndrome can have the following symptoms:

·???????A sense of being fraudulent

·???????Fear of being discovered

·???????Difficulty internalizing their success

Having a sense of doubt can be used to assess your achievements and ability, however, access to self-doubt can negatively impact your self-image. This might lead to symptoms of distress that are commonly known as imposter syndrome.

Types of Imposter Syndrome

The Expert

A person suffering from this type of imposter syndrome will never feel satisfied when finishing any task unless they feel that they know every single thing about the specific subject. They spend a lot of time searching for information that can make it difficult to complete the project.

The Perfectionist

The perfectionist suffers from high levels of worrisome thoughts, anxiety, and doubt particularly when they set extreme goals for themselves which they are eventually unable to achieve. As a perfectionist, the person focuses on areas where he/she could have done better rather than celebrating their achievements. ?

Superheroes

They often excel because of extreme efforts, for instance, workaholism. This may lead to burnout affecting physical and mental wellbeing and relationships with others.

Natural Geniuses

These people can master several new skills quickly, but they might feel ashamed when they are faced with a goal that is too difficult for them to achieve.

The Soloist

Also knows as the rugged individualist, they prefer to work alone and fear that asking for help will reveal incompetence. They might often turn down help attempting to prove their self-worth. ?

What Can Leaders Do To Counter Imposter Syndrome?

Foster A Sense of Psychological Safety

Ending the silence around imposter syndrome begins with you. It is important to have open discussions about how it is natural for self-doubt to arise alongside success. This normalizes the fact that fears accompany taking risks and innovating, and creates psychological safety. CEO of FreshBooks, Mr. Mike McDerment believes that strong leaders use imposter syndrome to their advantage. He states that admitting you do not have all the answers do make you deceitful. Rather, it lets you define and solve issues more effectively and collaboratively.

Recognize Accomplishments

Rather than praising your team member’s talent, you should reinforce the processes they use. Carol Dwek, a celebrated psychologist demonstrated that praising efforts instead of solely focusing on achievements is one of the best ways to stroke a strong sense of self-esteem. Celebrating incremental progress helps keep the morale amongst employees high and also helps them internalize their success.

Humanize The Working Environment ?????????

As discussed earlier, imposter syndrome is often associated with behaviours such as perfectionism and workaholism. Even though it is great to set high standards, no one wins when your employees face burnout. Good leaders realize that proper mental and physical health are the keys to better performance and they tend to empower their teams by making empathy their biggest trait. Teams thrive when employees feel understood and validated. This drives innovation, employee engagement as well as business results. ???

Use Feedback for Development

You must use tools such as 360 assessments and retrospectives to uncover various opportunities for the learning and development of employees in a growth-oriented manner. Empowering your team by using feedback ensures all expectations are clearly understood, helping reduce needless self-doubt amongst employees. Susan Tardanico, executive-in-residence at the Center For Creative Leadership says “It takes emotional honesty, introspection, and feedback from others to achieve the self-awareness and self-acceptance needed to combat Impostor Syndrome.”

Develop A Culture of Inclusion

You must create a space that can be used for candid conversations where people feel comfortable speaking up without any fear of being labelled as incompetent. In order to foster a culture of inclusion, begin by setting some communication ground rules for instance:

·???????No interruptions

·???????Acknowledging not just mistakes but also accomplishments and avenues to build upon

·???????Giving everyone the equal opportunity and time to speak

With some effort, it is possible to keep the imposter syndrome from hurting your employees’ self-confidence, particularly if you want to lead from a position of vulnerability and model resilience. ?