Do you ever dream about your work?  Maybe you have a big event coming up, or, have to do a formal presentation to your peers?  In imagining these encounters, do you play the role of the conquering hero, supremely confident, carrying out your duties with finesse? Or perhaps you envisage stumbling through your words or facing an unruly crowd? You may even begin to wonder whether or not you can actually do whatever it is you are expected to do!  Being exposed as a ‘fraud’ is a common feeling amongst professionals – an inherent fear that you will somehow be ‘found out’ and others will realise that you don’t have all the answers.  Clance and Imes (1978) described this experience as imposter syndrome  (IS) and the irony is, that it is often highly accomplished individuals who experience this the most.  

Imposter syndrome affects how you feel about your work… and yourself. It can negatively impact the way you approach projects, relationships, or potential promotions and in doing so, create a self-fulfilling prophecy… you don’t think you will get the job, or be able to complete that much-coveted project, so you don’t put your hat in the ring – and guess what? The job and the project go to someone else! 😊

Valerie Young suggests that IS takes on five personas:

• The perfectionist, who believes that unless they are perfect, they are not quite good enough.
• The expert – understands enough about a subject to recognise knowledge gaps and because there is more for them to learn, they don’t consider themselves to be ‘expert’!
• The natural genius who may not get something right first time which allows them to provide a convincing argument that shows they are not naturally intelligent or competent.
• The soloist who feels that they should achieve what they achieve on their own… and because they may have had to ask for help to reach a certain point, question their ability.
• The superperson who subscribes to the idea that a person must be the hardest worker to reach the highest levels and if they haven’t put the work in, they must be an imposter! 

Valerie Young – Impostor Syndrome Institute

I know I experience at least three of those personas regularly and I honestly can’t count the number of times that feeling like an imposter has had a negative impact.  However, as the title of this post suggests, I can also see how there might be some value in this experience.

There is something reassuring in the knowledge that IS isn’t unusual and being aware of this helps us to recognise that we are not alone in being ‘less than perfect’. How great is that?  We now know that no-one else has all the answers either, even if they look like they do, therefore, working closely with those ‘seemingly perfect’ individuals immediately feels less intimidating.  I can sense a rumbling of more effective collaboration already!

Another advantage to IS is that it provides confidence in humility.  We recognise that everyone has knowledge gaps which makes it much easier to ask the questions we need answers to… the phrase ‘there is no such thing as a silly question’ suddenly becomes much more believable.  Questions of course, have an additional benefit in that they provide the foundation for the development of curiosity and mental flexibility – the simple act of raising questions is a powerful tool in finding resolutions to problems as well as in generating new ideas.

IS also has a part to play in decision-making. Imposter thoughts tend to lead to questions and the seeking of confirmation.  This means that before we make a decision, we will seek some level of reassurance in our thinking and are more likely to do additional research which allows us to make more informed choices.

A final but perhaps more important element of IS, is that recognition of it can be beneficial in shifting focus from ourselves to others. This provides the opportunity to reflect on social interactions and the role we play within them.  For this reason, people who experience IS are often more skilled in interpersonal relationships.

Recognising the benefits of IS certainly helps us to manage it positively and here are a few suggestions to help with that:

• Acknowledge that imposter syndrome is real.
• Stop comparing yourself to others – you are not perfect and neither are they!
• Celebrate success – yours and others.  This helps build a general sense of confidence.
• And… last but not least…..Embrace the imperfection!