‘I feel like fraud’
‘I don’t think I deserve to be so successful’
‘Everyone else in the meeting seems so confident and clever, I have feel so inferior”.
Does this sound like you and the voices in your head? This dreaded feeling does have a name and is experienced by many.
You may be experiencing ‘imposter syndrome’. Do you need to know more about it? Read on, to know the symptoms of imposter syndrome better and how you can fix it.
At a recent panel discussion for corporate women, we discussed Imposter Syndrome and how this can have a potentially limiting impact on our careers, and particularly the careers of women. Imposter Syndrome was first discovered in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes and stems from the idea that you’ve only succeeded due to luck, and not because of your talent or qualifications.
Take the imposter syndrome test. Ask yourself – Do you believe that you have feelings associated with inadequacy, chronic self-doubt and the idea that you have only succeeded due to chance, as opposed to evident success? Did you answer yes?
In my work helping people nurture their true voice and build their personal brand, I see many professionals, including some very successful high achievers struggling with impostor syndrome symptoms from time to time. Imposter syndrome impacts even those who have attained professional accomplishment, but have huge doubts about their own abilities.
People at all career levels can become victims. An estimated 70% of people experience these impostor feelings at some point in their lives, according to a review article published in the International Journal of Behavioral Science. Even Sheryl Sandberg said “There are still days when I wake up feeling like a fraud, not sure I should be where I am.”
Developing your own strong, consistent and unique personal brand can be the biggest step you can take to overcome imposter syndrome. If you own your brand, you have defined who you are and how others see you. If you own who you are, you can then own your achievements and successes.
Here are 4 practical ways in which personal branding can help overcome imposter syndrome.
- Do some self-reflective journaling: First of all define your brand. Who are you? What do you want your stakeholders to think of when they think of you? Create a list of personal strengths and weaknesses, identify what motivates you, what annoys you, your key values in life, etc. Being self-aware is the key to personal branding.
- Create a roadmap of where you want to go: Establish where you are now, where you want to go and what you want to be known for.
- Focus on the positive: it is a good idea to focus on your strengths, while simply managing your weaknesses. Shine the spotlight on your unique gifts and capabilities and speak about these. The impostor monster also loves when you undermine your achievements and discount praise
- The 3C’s: Be committed to growing and deepening your expertise with the 3 C’S – clarity, consistency and continuity. Only then will you be able to develop a sustaining feeling of self-worth instead of feeling like a short term success story.
Your true voice is your ally when it comes to beating impostor syndrome. Putting up a facade or fake persona will add to you feeling like a fraud. When you focus on your purpose, you can tell your real story and allow yourself to be vulnerable. And that includes all of you. So when that voice in your head whispers to you ‘you are not good enough’, reply firmly ‘yes I am and I know it”