Overcoming self-doubt and imposter syndrome at work

An issue that seems to affect a number of Financial Services professionals is Imposter Syndrome. It comes up frequently in conversations with coaching clients. With that in mind, let’s look at what it is, how it manifests itself, why it can adversely affect your career, and what you can do about it.

One formal definition of imposter syndrome is “a psychological phenomenon where individuals doubt their abilities and have a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud, despite evidence of their competence”.

Imposter Syndrome and self-doubt

It seems that at its core, imposter syndrome hinges on self doubt. Doubt that you’re up to the role that you’re in now or are being promoted into. Doubts that you don’t have the skills, experiences or background to be successful or even survive in the role. There may also be the feeling that you don’t deserve the role, the title and the rewards that go along with the position. You are not worthy of it. Part of this doubt might stem from negative self-talk in which you continually ask yourself disempowering questions, the answers to which deepen the sense of doubt. If that cycle weren’t enough, you’ll then look for evidence to confirm those thoughts, such as past poor performance and/or mistakes. Then, of course, you might go one step further and start comparing yourself to others. You might know that ‘to compare is to despair’, but do so nonetheless. All of this amounts to a high level of self-doubt and the ‘imposter syndrome’ that this blog is about. 

It seems pretty obvious that someone who is racked with self-doubt of imposter syndrome is not going to be able to fully maximise their career potential. It’s not dissimilar to peak performance athletes not being able to perform their best when doubtful of their abilities.

Overcoming self-doubt

Finding ways to overcome and maybe even eradicate imposter syndrome in the moment and perhaps forever is worth considering. Here are some ideas.

1. Physiology

The way you use your body is key. We all know when a football player is about to miss a penalty. We can see it by the way they are using their body and holding themselves: the vexed facial expression, the hesitancy in the way they walk, looking around for inspiration and encouragement. We also recognise the strong, centred and super focussed body language that winners have. This is not fanciful pop science - see Amy Cuddy’s paper published in Psychological Science for more on this.

So, if you’re having an episode of imposter syndrome the place to start is with your physiology. Stand, move, adopt the tone of voice and the facial expressions of someone who means business and feels strong and certain. Do this both in the moment and condition yourself so that it becomes your default setting. I’ve been lucky enough to meet a couple of world class athletes and I was struck by the level of certainty that they projected in the way they carried themselves.

2. Beliefs

If someone is having an imposter syndrome moment, it’s likely because they have forgotten about all their triumphs, capabilities and experiences. Instead, as they’re feeling high levels of self-doubt, they’re more associated to the feeling that they don’t have what it takes.

The second antidote, therefore, is to remind yourself of all that you’ve experienced and accomplished. The triumphs and wins, how you overcame ‘failure’ which turned out to be a temporary thing, the qualifications that you have, the feedback that you’ve received from both others and from the results that you have achieved.

This is a key part of our Career Coaching Programme. We spend a good deal of time working with our clients on their Value Proposition. We start with an audit of all their capabilities and then mould them into a clear and compelling value proposition designed to appeal to their chosen audience. This process also serves to remind our clients of the extraordinary ability they have to add value. You can do the same by keeping a victory and lessons journal. This is not to give yourself an inflated sense of ability or importance, but it’s to remind yourself of the great things that you can do. It’s not a one off thing. This journal should be reviewed and added to on a regular - perhaps weekly - basis. The final point here is that the person with imposter syndrome can learn to become reassured of their value both from others and an internal locus. The journaling will help with that.

3. Self-talk

Alongside this, it’s important to interrupt and overwrite any negative self-talk. Asking questions that lead to doubt or making statements that are clearly negative will perpetuate the sense of Imposter Syndrome. The answer is simple and easily applied. If you catch yourself asking doubt-inducing questions, first congratulate yourself sincerely for having caught it. Second, construct questions that will empower you, such as:

• What similar challenge have I had in the past and how did I overcome it?

• What skills and resources did I call on to achieve that?

You get the point. Equally, we can work on turning around negative statement self-talk. If you find yourself saying or thinking: “I’m not sure I can do this” or “I’m overwhelmed”, counter this with statements that are the equal and opposite: “I’ve got this” and “I will break this down into actionable chunks and start one step at a time”. Each of these three things will be effective and together, the impact compounds.

4. Reality Check

The final idea to add is that of the reality check. In the classic, ‘The C Zone: Peak Performance Under Pressure’, psychologists Dr Robert Kriegel and Dr Marilyn Harris Kriegel discuss the concept of the Reality Check. If someone is feeling a sense of imposter syndrome about being promoted, taking on a new and bigger job or being handed a demanding new task, it’s normal and natural to feel a little uncomfortable because they’re being asked to step beyond their comfort zone. Using the metaphor of skiing, they suggest measuring the difficulty for the task (it’s probably not as steep as you think it is) and rating the difficulty. Using a scale of 1 - 10 will help you break through the distortions created by fear and apprehension. Finally, they suggest, searching for references from the past where you’ve successfully achieved something that’s the same or similar - back to shaping your beliefs. These three techniques will help you get real about what lies ahead and get started with a sense of certainty and confidence i.e. the opposite of imposter syndrome.

I really hope this helps you. Of course, I’m not a psychologist but it’s an area I’ve read into widely given its relevance for my coaching clients. If you have any questions about this, or would benefit from a conversation about self-doubt in your current role, let’s talk.