Is it really the person in the mirror??
Nandita Pandey
Executive Presence & Leadership Transformation Coach | Personal Branding Coach | Author | Professional Speaker| Founder: Prismatic Consulting
When you are overly anxious about a new role or responsibility; when you experience dread instead of enthusiasm and start feeling that there's something wrong with you - that you are the problem - you are an imposter - but then are you really?
Carrying forward last week's topic on Imposter Syndrome, I'd like to delve into why so many of us feel the inadequacy of not measuring up. There’s a mix of reasons why this fear grips us.
* You have just started out- you are fairly inexperienced and new at your job. You require time to understand, learn and practice the skills required to do the job at hand. But neither are you accorded the time or the possibility of making a mistake and learning from it. When only the bottom-line matters. Where spending excessive time at work is rewarded. And that acknowledgement becomes a validation to seek. This lack of support can be unnerving.
* When the criticism gets personal and not constructive. Maybe you aren’t the expected size, color, gender or don’t speak in the accent that everybody does. Your beliefs are varied from the societal expectations and standards, then sometimes a public perception of you gets created which is in complete dissonance with the real you and your values- this negative labelling/stereotyping and comparisons just make matters worse.
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* When success has come fast and easy - you start attributing it to sheer luck, discrediting your efforts completely.
* When you are only remembered while something is broken or malfunctioning but never get the acknowledgement when things work out smoothly, not a good situation to build confidence as what you get is more of negative feedback.
* Social media can also instill the fear of missing out.
Individual traits (as mentioned in the previous post) along with a variety of external factors can trigger the feeling of impostorism. Some common ones are listed, but some may be unique according to personal experiences, beliefs and perceptions. What has been your experience - do share in the comments section.