Impostor syndrome.

As a coach, I face completely different requests from clients. A separate topic is the fear of showing oneself not to be a professional in the field of work. That is, a person is proactive, executive, ready for new achievements, he likes what he does, but at the same time feels out of place, as if he takes someone's place, does not meet the expectations or requests of his colleagues and management, He constantly sets overestimated goals, shortens deadlines, not always investing in them because of himself. So what's going on? Professional or not? Does it correspond to the position you hold?

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Impostor syndrome.

Impostor syndrome is a human condition in which he does not believe in his achievements and constantly doubts his competence, not paying attention to his successes, the recognition of colleagues and other positive manifestations in his address.

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People who suffer from this syndrome may feel like cheaters, do not show their successes, and are afraid of being caught in incompetence. This condition can lead to stress, anxiety and deterioration of general self-esteem, which eventually leads to a deterioration in morale and psychosomatic manifestations.

According to my observations, this syndrome is more common in people of non-technical specialties, because in many professions the line between the levels of, say, middle and senior is not clearly marked, which means it is difficult to make a clear comparison of two people, because they are unlikely to perform the same tasks due to the difference in conditions.

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Burnout.

I have already referred to this term many times before and will return more than once, because this is a very broad problem that needs to be addressed.

What stages of burnout would I identify with impostor syndrome?

• Expert – believes that a real expert should immediately answer all questions within his competence and fully know all the nuances of his specialty. He is afraid to apply for any position without filling in all the blanks.
• A perfectionist is a person who constantly strives to improve his results. He does not notice his successes, taking them for a routine and is sincerely surprised when he receives approval or gratitude from others. It is not uncommon for him to consider the customer's requests insufficiently rigid or detailed, or that the work he has done does not deserve praise.
• Superman is a person who seeks praise and recognition from others. He strives to take on all the tasks available to him without exception. He believes that this is the only way he can achieve his goals.

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What to do and whether to do it?

What does a person do when there is a question in front of him? He's trying to find an answer. But there are many situations in life when a person does not understand his true resources and capabilities or has a fear of the future, because he cannot fully understand himself. In such cases, it is worth contacting a professional coach. A coach will help you figure yourself out and adjust your life.

In the case of impostor syndrome, it is definitely worth contacting, while the sooner the better. Some companies take a systematic approach to this issue and are ready to help their employees by hiring a coach not only for specific employees, but also for entire teams if necessary. This approach allows you to find the internal resources of a person or team and go beyond the possibilities that they see in front of them.

At the same time, it is worth considering the advantages and disadvantages that an employer faces when hiring an employee with impostor syndrome.

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One of the advantages of hiring can be noted:

• High performance;
• High self - motivation;
• High level of self - criticism;
• Excessive demands on the quality of their work;
• Low salary and motivational demands to the company due to a lack of self-worth and doubts about their skills.

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Of the disadvantages:

?Breaking deadlines and accelerated burnout due to the attitude to the level of their professionalism and the desire to show others that they are actually better;

?When making a mistake, perhaps even a minor one, an internal perfectionist may turn on, and trying to find the perfect way to fix the error can significantly delay deadlines and lead to the entire team falling out of the work cycle;

?Refusing to acknowledge the results of your work and accepting praise can lead to stress and accelerated professional burnout, which can eventually lead to the loss of an employee.

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Of course, it is worth seeking help from a specialist already at the early stages, because there is enough stress in life, why aggravate it?)

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How can an employer identify employees with impostor syndrome in order to help them?

• To carry out an initial assessment when applying for a job;
• Regularly conduct an NPS assessment, which can help track the emotional state of employees;
• Conduct a 360 assessment in order to find out how an employee evaluates himself, as well as the assessment of his colleagues and supervisors from the outside.

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P.S. I wish you to burn, but not burn out and always find answers to your questions in a timely manner.