Have you ever dreaded a meeting where you know you’ll need to speak up? Have you ever been promoted to a new position and wondered if there was some mistake in hiring? Have you ever felt like you’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop, for someone to “find out” what you’re really like? Maybe you’ve had this feeling when you started a new role or were given a major project.
If so, you’re not alone. In fact, you’re not even flawed or broken or special. About 70% of people experience this feeling at some point in their careers, and it’s most often the skilled and the accomplished who experience it.
Why do so many people who are clearly capable and who have clearly achieved a lot still feel like they’re frauds?
The Real Meaning of Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome is a pervasive feeling of being a fraud, despite evidence to the contrary. People with imposter syndrome feel that their success comes from being in the right place at the right time, or from fooling people into thinking they’re competent, and they feel a persistent anxiety that they’ll be “found out” or exposed.
Imposter syndrome was first described by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in their 1978 paper “The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women”. In the paper, they studied over 150 women who were successful in their academic or professional lives, and found that many of them had this pervasive sense of being a fraud.
Clance and Imes originally called this the imposter phenomenon, not the imposter syndrome. Later studies have found that men and people of all genders experience imposter syndrome as well.
Using the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale, first published in 1985, to measure imposter syndrome, a 2020 review by Bravata et al. found that the prevalence of imposter syndrome is estimated to be anywhere from 9% to 82% of the population.
It’s worth noting that imposter syndrome is not a medical diagnosis, and it’s not included in the DSM-5. While it’s natural to feel a little nervous or anxious about your job or your performance, those feelings should diminish over time as you gain more experience and positive feedback. People with imposter syndrome, meanwhile, feel like a fraud even when they’re promoted, praised, and have a track record of success.
There’s a difference between imposter syndrome and humility. Humility is a realistic understanding of your strengths, while imposter syndrome is a pervasive feeling that ignores the evidence.
So, how can you tell if your self-doubt is a healthy, realistic assessment of your skills, or if it’s imposter syndrome holding you back?
Why Do the Best People Feel Like Frauds?
Here’s a curious thing about imposter syndrome.
This is in contrast to a 1999 study by Cornell’s Kruger and Dunning, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The study gave people a series of tests, including logical reasoning, grammar, and humor. People who scored in the bottom quartile of these tests tended to overestimate their performance, thinking they were above average when they were actually around the 12th percentile in logic (but estimated the 62nd percentile).
The researchers ascribed this to the fact that the skills required to succeed in the tests are the same skills necessary to accurately judge one’s own performance.
Conversely, people who scored in the top quartile of the tests tended to underestimate their performance. They estimated that they were in the 68th percentile in logic, when they were actually in the 86th.
The researchers attributed this to the false-consensus effect. High-performing people tend to assume that the tasks they’re given are easy for everyone, so they underestimate how much better they are than their peers.
In other words, skilled people tend to be accurate in their estimation of their own performance. But inaccurate in their estimation of the performance of their peers. So, why does imposter syndrome happen to high performers?
Possible Reasons High Performers Doubt Themselves
One possible explanation is that the more you know, the more you realize how much you don’t know. Expertise brings with it the knowledge of the limits of that expertise, and the realization of how much there is to know.
Another possibility is that we’re comparing our own internal thoughts and insecurities to the external polished presentation of other people.
Perfectionism can play a role as well. If you have a mindset where anything short of perfection is failure, you’re bound to feel like you’re not good enough.
Clance’s imposter cycle also contributes to these feelings. You over – prepare or procrastinate, and when you succeed, you attribute it to that behavior or to luck rather than to your own skills.
Being the “only” one can also contribute. When you’re a token, you’re more visible, more scrutinized, and more likely to feel like you’re constantly being judged. Rosabeth Moss Kanter wrote about this in 1977, and Kevin Cokley has also found that the stress of being in a minority group can contribute to imposter syndrome.
There can also be family roots to imposter syndrome. Clance and Imes, in their 1978 paper, noted that it can stem from childhood experiences.
So, if you’re struggling with imposter syndrome, remember that one possible explanation is that you’re just good at what you do, and that’s why you have these doubts.
Common Signs That You Have Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome is a feeling. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have tangible effects on your life and work.
Some of the most common signs include:
- Deflecting praise. “Oh, I’m sure anyone could have done it.” “It was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.” “My team did all the work, I just helped out.”
- Over – preparing. You spend hours rewriting a simple email five times. You spend hours rehearsing a simple status update.
- Being afraid to ask questions. Even if you know the answer is just a Google search away, or you could ask a coworker, you’re afraid to look like you don’t know what you’re doing.
- Avoiding opportunities. You avoid stretch tasks, you avoid new projects, you avoid talking about promotions.
As Maya Angelou said in her eleventh book, “they’re going to find out now. “It’s a great illustration of how imposter syndrome can feel, even after you’ve succeeded.
How Can Imposter Syndrome Hurt Your Career?
If you let your feelings of imposterism run wild, they can have a significant impact on your career. They’re tied to burnout, anxiety, and missed opportunities.
“A systematic review of the literature by Bravata et al. (2020) included 62 studies, which reported prevalence rates ranging from 9% to 82%. The studies found associations between impostorism and depression, anxiety, burnout, and impaired job performance.” – Bravata et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2020
If you’re qualified for a promotion but you don’t apply for it because you feel like you don’t deserve it, you’ve missed an opportunity. If you keep quiet when a big project comes up, you miss out. What have you turned down or kept quiet about because you’re afraid of being “found out” as an imposter?
Moreover, the cycle of imposter syndrome can lead to overworking to prove you aren’t an imposter. This can seem like a good thing.
Fortunately, there are ways to combat imposterism. Let’s talk about them.
Push Back on Your Inner Critic
First, be aware of your imposter thoughts. Recognize them for what they are – thoughts, not facts. You tell yourself you don’t belong, you’re going to be found out, and so on. But would you say those things to a coworker?
Another aspect of self-compassion that Kristin Neff talks about is treating yourself the way you would treat a friend. So, instead of “I just got lucky,” try “I prepared really well for this.” Acknowledge your skills, your effort, and your preparation that led to a successful result.
This is a technique from cognitive behavioral therapy called cognitive restructuring, and it can be powerful.
You can also practice accepting that mistakes are part of life, especially when you’re stepping into a new role. When you make a mistake, instead of wallowing in it, ask yourself what you learned from it.
Similarly, when you receive feedback, treat it as feedback, not as a final judgment on your abilities. Separate the criticism of your work from criticism of yourself.
Finally, don’t wait until you feel confident to take action. Often, confidence comes from taking action, not the other way around. You might feel like you don’t belong in a presentation. But you can still volunteer to give it.
Start a File of Your Wins
- Kind emails, thank-you notes, or praise over Slack or Teams
- Every project you finish, along with the date and your role in it
- Anything you did that improved a result
Keep this file somewhere accessible, whether it’s a folder in your email, a document, or a notes app. When you’re about to have a performance review, a salary discussion, or a difficult meeting, read through it. It’s easy for doubt to warp your recollection and focus on mistakes (this is known as negativity bias). But it’s a lot harder to look at tangible proof of your success and write it off.
Be careful not to fall into the trap of only recording big wins, though. Helping out a colleague, fixing a persistent issue-these are all wins worth recording, even if they’re just the small, steady wins that keep you on top of your game.
Talk to Someone You Can Trust
In addition to building a win file, it can be very helpful to talk about what you’re going through. Often, the evidence you compile isn’t enough to convince the little voice in your head that you’re good enough, and that’s where talking about it can help.
Imposter feelings are, in a sense, a creature of secrecy and isolation. Recall how Clance and Imes originally described the phenomenon –
“High – achieving women who, despite evidence of their competence, persist in the belief that they are really not bright, that they do not deserve the success they have achieved, and that others will discover that they are a fraud.”
Naming a feeling and talking about it can be a powerful way to make it seem less intense. In fact, psychologists Lieberman et al. at UCLA published a study in 2007 in Psychological Science that showed how “the process of putting feelings into words” is a powerful way to reduce activity in the amygdala (the brain’s fear center) in fMRIs. They call it “affect labeling,” and it has a tangible calming effect.
Talking about your thoughts and feelings, putting them into words, makes them something that can be evaluated, rather than just a nebulous sense of dread. Talking about your imposter syndrome with someone you trust can also help because they can offer their own perspective on your actual performance.
“You’re not alone.” In fact, one of the most common reactions to opening up about your imposter syndrome is to have the other person say, “I feel that way too!”
Studies have shown that imposter syndrome is common.
This is a common example of “pluralistic ignorance”, where everyone thinks they’re the only one with a certain set of feelings, when in reality everyone else has them too. You may feel like you’re the only one secretly struggling. But the people you work with who seem confident and assured are probably just as likely to be feeling the same way.
How to Bring It Up
How do you bring up imposter syndrome with someone you trust? You might start with something like: “Can I be honest with you about something?” “Do you ever feel like you’re kind of winging it?” “I’ve been struggling with self-doubt over this project.”
Start small – you don’t need to lay everything on the line in one conversation.
Choosing the Right Person to Tell
It’s also important to pick the right person to talk to. A mentor who has watched you grow and knows what the field is like can be a great option. A coworker you trust, who knows what your role is and what the team is like, can also be very good.
Try to avoid people who might have their own competitive feelings towards you, or who are known for gossip. You might also want to avoid your direct manager if you don’t have a very solid relationship of trust with them.
You also want to pick someone who can listen to your problems without necessarily trying to solve them.
Having a one-off conversation about your imposter syndrome can be helpful. But it can be even more helpful if you make it a regular thing. Maybe you have a monthly coffee with your mentor, and it’s a standing item on the agenda to talk about how you’re feeling. Or, maybe you have a peer accountability relationship where you can talk about the wins in your win file.
Think about it. If you decided to talk about your imposter syndrome with someone, what would you fear? That you’d look bad? That they’d judge you? That they wouldn’t respect you?
Usually, the opposite is true. Opening up and being vulnerable is a great way to build trust and closeness with someone else.
When to See a Therapist
If your imposter syndrome feelings don’t seem to go away, even with supportive people in your corner, it might be time to talk to a therapist. If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, burnout, or other symptoms that are affecting your sleep or work, it’s very possible you could benefit from talking to a professional.
A cognitive behavioral therapist can work with you to identify and overcome the distorted self-evaluations that cause imposter syndrome.
Many companies also have an Employee Assistance Program that can help you find and talk to a therapist, often for free and confidentially. While friends can provide comfort, a therapist can help you build tangible tools to overcome your imposter syndrome.
Your Track Record Speaks for Itself
To wrap up, let’s recap. You can fight imposter syndrome by recognizing that your thoughts are just thoughts, not facts. You have a track record that is far more compelling evidence of your worth than your feelings of fraudulence. You can loosen the grip of self-doubt with self-compassion and by turning to trusted individuals.
You may not be able to eliminate self-doubt entirely. But you can reduce the volume of your inner critic. If you find that the feelings come back, perhaps when you change jobs, earn a promotion, or take on a large project, don’t worry. It’s natural, and it’s a sign of stretching yourself, not of failure. You can use the same tools to overcome it again.
One thing you can do this week is start a win file. Fill it with emails of praise, thank-you notes, completed projects, specific metrics you hit, problems you solved, and feedback you’ve received. It’s a great way to remind yourself of your track record.
The question is – if you knew your track record, and trusted in your ability to succeed, what would you try?
Self-awareness, stress management, and maintaining composure through change are all skills that can be learned and improved, and they make you a better member of a team. As an HR and L&D leader, if you’re looking for a way to help your people navigate new roles and promotions, our Emotional Intelligence Customizable Courseware is a great place to start. It’s a ready-to-teach program designed to help you build more resilient, connected teams.
Watch for signs of a relapse. Add to your win file monthly, so you don’t forget the little wins along the way.
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