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Have you ever felt unworthy of your success or accolades? Have you ever wondered whether or not a job offer or promotion at work was somehow a mistake or oversight and that it might be rescinded when the offerer discovered their mistake? If you answered yes to either of the previous questions, it’s quite possible that you, like many other women in the workforce, suffer from imposter syndrome. As laid out in the Harvard Business Review, “imposter syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success.”
“Internally, many of us are picking ourselves apart and hoping that we’re not being found out,” Kishshana Palmer, a Leadership Strategist and the owner of Kishshana Co. told MadameNoire. “People have assigned to us a particular level of confidence to our competence and I think that it can become like a prison to us.”
One of the more common ways that imposter syndrome manifests is an overwhelming fear of failure.
“You are immediately more risk-averse,” added Palmer. “Your desire to win the first time is heightened, which increases the amount of pressure you put on yourself, which makes you feel more like you really don’t have what it takes, but you’re gonna fake it until you make it, which then can begin to mess with your health.”
It can also manifest as work avoidance.
“You know that you are in a heightened state of war with yourself, particularly as it relates to imposter syndrome, when you are avoiding the work that you actually really enjoy,” Palmer went on. “Not procrastinating, but truly avoiding the things that you know you’re gifted at.”
Imposter syndrome is not just a form of self-torment. It can also result in personal and professional consequences if left unchecked. Here are a few ways to bring it under subjection.
Surround yourself with the right people
“Having a personal advisory board, really having a crew that’s a cross-section of folks who you trust and admire who may not always think the way you do [can help],” Palmer advised. “Having folks around who have a high degree of self-awareness about how they approach the world and the length at which they’re giving you advice I think has been really helpful when you need someone to just give you the real.”
Seek mentorship and coaching
Make a habit of giving yourself credit
Know your lane and own it
Palmer emphasized the importance of recognizing exactly what you bring to the table and being okay with that.
