Written by: Suki Collins, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
In 2004 I was headhunted to set up a medical school in the UK. My background was in HR management, and this was a more senior role. I felt excited, and yet, as my first day in post drew near, questions ran through my mind. Do I belong here? How am I going to cope? Do I have the skills for this role? Who do I think I am?
This last question – ‘who do I think I am?’ – is the crux of imposter syndrome. We fail to perceive our true worth. Back in 2004, I knew that most of us suffer from self-doubts, but I was not aware of the sources of imposter syndrome, its chronic impact on our lives, or the potential solutions.
Imposter syndrome can be a genuine challenge in or out of the workplace because it can prevent people from aiming high, even when they have the right skills and competencies to grow and progress. It is a faulty belief system where one chronically doubts his or her abilities despite exhibiting competence or external success.
What Is Imposter Syndrome?
In 1978, Georgia State University psychologists Suzanne Imes and Pauline Clance published an article entitled, ‘The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention.’ They defined this imposter phenomenon as ‘an internal experience of intellectual phoniness.’ Though their work was based on a survey of more than one hundred women, later research showed that the condition affects men, too.
Imposter syndrome is a combination of false beliefs, self-doubt, low confidence, and feelings of inadequacy. Imes and Clance referred to an internal experience – that sense of ‘who do I think I am?’ On some level, you feel that you are a fraud. At any moment, someone might question whether you have the right skills for the role you are playing in life or work. And, if they do ask the question, you figure that the answer could well be ‘no.’
Herein lies a paradox of the imposter syndrome: it typically affects high-achieving individuals. Examples include Sheryl Sandberg, Tina Fey, Serena Williams, and Sonia Sotomayor – even Albert Einstein. Shortly before his death, Einstein told a friend that, ‘the exaggerated esteem in which my lifework is held makes me extremely ill at ease.’ He thought of himself as an ‘involuntary swindler.’
Imposter syndrome tends to result in chronic rather than acute repercussions. One becomes trapped in an ‘imposter cycle,’ overestimating the influence of external factors. For example, if you win a large business contract, you may attribute your success to the efforts you made to get it rather than your skillset, your ideas, or your trustworthiness.
A positive reinforcement loop can result from a belief that overpreparing determines success. And this can have two effects. First, it can lead to anxiety when sufficient over-preparation is not possible. Second, it can reinforce your personal conviction that you lack the ability and so must compensate with extra arduous work.
How Common Is Imposter Syndrome?
It is now believed that imposter syndrome affects seven out of ten people, people of all ages, experiences, and levels of seniority. However, many of us are oblivious to its impact. For example, when I am coaching clients in the C-suite, they are often shocked to realise that they have been affected by it for many years.
Imposter syndrome can create significant social anxiety that can impact relationships, social skills, and day-to-day tasks. It can also lead to parents doubting their child-rearing skills and second-guessing the decisions they are making on behalf of their children. And we can pass these anxieties to the youngsters in our charge.
How Do You Know If You Have Imposter Syndrome?
Self-questioning is normal and highly valuable. Humility and self-awareness are critical to prevent overconfidence and, in extreme cases, arrogance. However, imposter syndrome goes beyond this healthy level of keeping one’s feet on the ground. It can prevent us from reaching for the sky.
Do you have extensive social anxiety? According to research, those affected by imposter syndrome tend to feel extremely uncomfortable when surrounded by others.
Does self-doubt plague you? Do you struggle to attribute any successes to your talent or professional capabilities? In my experience, this is common with most clients who have imposter syndrome.
Do you require constant validation from other people? Do you feel the need for other people to tell you that you are good at what you do?
Are you afraid that you will fall short of expectations from other people around you?
Do you put everything down to external factors, luck, or even a fluke? If you avoid admitting that any success results from your talent and your skills, you could be exhibiting signs of imposter syndrome.
Do you ever sabotage yourself? I find this with high-achieving men. Once they become successful, they set unachievable goals as a way of justifying some sense of disappointment in themselves. It is as though the fun was in the chase rather than getting to the CEO.
In Conclusion
One of the reasons why imposter syndrome is so potent is that it lurks in the background of our minds. We feel compelled by an urge to put in more hours, obtain extra qualifications, and look for every greater certainty and validation before we launch ourselves forward. And, all the while, we may discount the value that others see in us today. The person we are at this moment.
I know that self-doubt is part of being a human being. It stops us from becoming overconfident and leaves room for the humility and empathy which beget authenticity. But, to overcome imposter syndrome, we need to be able to recognise when our negative thoughts and feelings have gone way beyond the healthy parameters of self-evaluation.
Happily, I have helped many successful people to overcome imposter syndrome so they have gone to fulfill even better versions of themselves. These days, my overbearing self-doubts have disappeared, too. I can accept that I have built up a successful medical school and that, though good fortune may have helped along the way, some of the success is down to who I am.
In future articles, I will be looking in more detail at how the imposter syndrome can play out in our lives and what we can do to overcome it.
The author would like to thank copywriter Stuart Warner for his valuable comments on a draft of this article.
Suki Collins, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Suki Collins is a leading Business Coach and an accredited Executive Coach. She has over 20 years of experience at the senior HR management level. She practices a coaching style of management and has seen the difference coaching can make to an individual, a team, and the organization. On an organizational level, she was responsible for establishing a Medical School in the United Kingdom. Currently, the School is in the top 5 Medical Schools in the UK. She coached senior leadership to utilize HR tools to ensure performance and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity (EDI), and belonging are at the heart of everything Suki does.
Suki is the Founder/Director of Pebbles Coaching and Wellbeing Consultancy, established in 2020. Her company aims to provide coaching to individuals, teams, and organizations, leveraging the insight of over two decades of senior management experience within two top Universities and extensive executive coaching experience.
Suki is passionate about new challenges, has a positive outlook on life, and this is carried through everything she does. She strongly believes that a positive mindset can take her through any challenges she faces in life.
Suki’s mission: spread the word about the positive impact of coaching.
