Imposter Syndrome: Never be shocked that you’ve made it as far as you have.

Imposter syndrome. It’s a phrase that has been getting a lot of buzz recently. It describes individual feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt as they relate to our professional lives and seems to be a phenomenon observed across the board, from employees to CEOs. Hamza Khan, a global keynote speaker, entrepreneur and author of The Burnout Gamble and Leadership, Reinvented, has had his fair share of such feelings.

I spoke to Khan near the end of 2020 about the widespread effects of imposter syndrome on the incoming generation of employees and business leaders. By our conversation, it was clear to see that no one is immune to the feeling. “For most of my life, I had the worst self-talk,” he told me. “I’m shocked that I’ve made it as far as I have given the lack of faith I had in myself early-on.”

According to Khan, much of this chronic self-doubt stems from a grand narrative that we are fed and that we feed to ourselves. 

“Society and the culture industry are teaching us that we’re not perfect enough,” continued Khan, “not efficient enough, not progressive enough, not innovative enough. But so much of this is, in a way, in our heads. Your inner imposter wants you to stay the same, because the same is comfortable. But comfortable, especially in a time like this where everything is volatile, uncertain, and ambiguous, means stagnation. And today, stagnation almost always leads to failure.”

Imposter syndrome can flare up when you enter a new professional setting, where the work is unfamiliar and the environment is confusing. Such experiences occur throughout life, and to people from all age brackets, but breaking through those uncomfortable feelings is fundamental to success, creativity and innovation.

Your inner imposter can convince you that you’re a fraud, that you’re undeserving of your achievements or that you lack the proper skills to do well. It can be difficult to defeat such negative thinking when it overwhelms you, but much has been written about how to deal with imposter syndrome. 

Khan’s advice: Do the opposite of whatever your inner imposter is telling you to do. “If your inner imposter is telling you to keep quiet during a meeting, speak up and share your ideas and insights” said Khan.

As an entrepreneur in a leadership position, I believe a workplace and its leaders should inspire, empower and provide employees the opportunity to develop all of their potential. This should be done by prompting conversations with employees about their concerns and ideas, and truly listening to what they have to say. There is so much untapped potential just waiting to be given the space to flourish, and the process begins when a leader responds to their employees with a “yes, and…”

If leadership is ineffective, Khan says, employees should try to get to the heart of the issue and help the leader commit to change by talking about the problems they’re facing during meetings. “If they’re stubborn and refuse to change, then consider managing up by oversaturating them with questions and requests that get you what you need to be able to move forward.”

On the topic of strong leadership, Khan said that “managers keep you focused on outputs, whereas leaders get you excited about outcomes. Can you inspire people to do things voluntarily? Can you empower them to be more than they are? As a manager, you can coerce someone to do what you want. But as a leader, you don’t need to coerce anyone to do anything, because they’re already intrinsically motivated.” 

Khan suggests that to lead effectively, especially from home, company leadership should double down on the tactics that are simple, and more human-focused. “Have regular check-ins and ask people how they are doing. Be patient, show compassion for individual situations and model good behaviour by setting boundaries with your time and encouraging your firm to delineate between work and life.”

Khan’s ideas about leadership are potent. A leader has a wide breadth of knowledge and experience that has led them to love what they do. If management is open about their love for the work, eventually, it will lead others down the same path. A leader acts as a bridge between their vision and the employee’s essential drive to work, ultimately forming a path of learning and growing that sustains itself. 

This type of leadership can be an antidote to imposter syndrome, one that will bring out the best in what your team has to offer.

Reach out to me at [email protected] if you’d like to talk more about imposter syndrome or the art of being an open and effective leader.