Anyone else have imposter syndrome? – Good thing or bad thing? Either way – confession – guilty as charged!
Many of you will know what this is, that sense of thinking that people have an exaggerated view of our abilities; a bit of fear of being exposed as a fraud; and a continuous tendency to downplay our achievements. This sense can also be heightened at times of change. This article You’re Not an Imposter. You’re Actually Pretty Amazing. (hbr.org) talks about how overcoming imposter syndrome can feel impossible during times of change, with the usual techniques we deploy not quite cutting it. It is important that we all acknowledge when we are feeling it and seek to tackle it as if we don’t it can actually have a detrimental impact on our performance and lead to burnout in the longer term. The article shares some tips; namely:
- Keep a positive mindset
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- Stay in the moment – don’t catastrophise about the future, think about best next step.
- Reframe situations to have a positive lens.
- Celebrate wins
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- Even if small – get the dopamine working!
- Make a plan!
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- Finding small elements of certainty reduces anxiety.
- Learn from experience positively.
With that in mind, take time to think:
- How loud is the negative voice inside your head? What is it saying?
- How can you reframe anything that you might be worried about positively?
- What is your best next step to making that happen?
- What have you achieved recently from both a what and a how perspective that you are proud of?
As leaders, we can all show our people that we are role modelling the changes that all of us want to see. Let’s be better and be the change. Contact [email protected] if you would like help to do so.