Wednesday. 9.30am. You’re sitting in a meeting room with your team discussing strategy/plans/challenges (delete as appropriate), and someone asks you directly, ‘Do you have any thoughts or feedback?’. Your head is filled with ideas, but instead of voicing them, doubt takes over and the words ‘Nope, all sounds good’ come out. Imposter syndrome has struck again.
On the off chance you have somehow managed to not come across this term in the last few years, here’s a quick definition. Imposter syndrome: the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills. The prevalence of imposter syndrome is extremely high, impacting over 50% of the population, and impacting under-represented groups at a significantly higher rate. Many of us ‘imposters’ look for help in solving our syndrome. If there’s any advice on imposter syndrome out there, I’ve consumed it over the past 5 years. There’s not space to mention all the advice I’ve found but here are a few of the high(low)lights:
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Just breathe
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Spread your toes in a meeting when you feel it (yes really)
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Rub your fingers together
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Power stance
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Wear heels or dress confidently
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Write a letter of all the things you are good at to reflect on
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Love yourself
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Accept it
Whilst these are all nice ideas, none of them speak to the real cause and always made me feel like I was the issue. Imposter syndrome isn’t a me problem, or a problem of those experiencing it to solve. We shouldn’t be putting the challenges that under-represented groups experience back onto themselves to fix.
It’s a systemic issue; woven into the fabric of our society that we need to identify and unpick. It’s a sector-wide problem and employers should be taking action to create an environment that works against imposter syndrome, not putting the problem back on the under-represented groups that feel it to solve. Some simple actions workplaces could take are:
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Creating a culture of continuous feedback: consistent, constructive and specific feedback increases effectiveness of employees but also stops any negative spiralling or guesswork in how one is performing and allows them to identify their strengths.
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Mentoring: helps build confidence, provides validation, and shared experiences, encourages growth, and creates a supportive environment. Having someone with similar experiences to you who is a real cheerleader for your success helps you to feel supported to succeed.
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Celebrating the success and hard work of your employees: people who struggle with imposter syndrome struggle to see their success and contribution. External recognition of that success can help them see their value.
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Improve diversity and decrease workplace bias: if someone can’t see many people like them in a company, especially in leadership and executive roles, they will feel like there is no future place for them at your company.
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Listen. Really listen. If employees come to you and mention imposter syndrome or struggling to see a future for themselves in your team or company, don’t invalidate their experiences but listen to how they are feeling and take actions that could help.
It’s time we stop treating imposter syndrome as an individual flaw and start recognizing it as a systemic issue that workplaces must address. This International Women’s Day I encourage you to take action to foster a culture where everyone feels valued and confident in your workplace. Let’s shift the narrative from self-doubt to collective empowerment and build workplaces where imposter syndrome has no place to thrive.