Imposter Syndrome Is a Valid Concern

It was one of the most poignant examples of impostor syndrome I had ever seen.

A highly accomplished, technically skilled executive sat before one of my clients, interviewing for a sought-after role.  After doing my due diligence, I found the candidate was poised, articulate, and had a demonstrated track record of success. 

Surprisingly, the candidate I had come to know didn’t show up for the interview. Gone, was the confident and well-established professional I was accustomed to; in their place was a person exuding self-doubt.

Needless to say, they were not the selected candidate.

That experience gave me cause to explore the whole area of impostor syndrome – the persistent sense that you’re a phony and don’t deserve career success, often despite evidence to the contrary.

However, the more I read about impostor syndrome and considered anecdotes like the one above, the more I began to wonder if we are addressing the problem in the right way.

The cottage industry that has sprung up around the impostor syndrome has a default point of view: this is an issue that is first and foremost about the individual and how they see themselves. This puts the topic squarely into the world of self-help advice and counselling.

The end result is countless books, thousands of LinkedIn posts and articles in scholarly journals from a broad array of consultants, counsellors and even institutes - all promising to help individuals overcome nagging self-doubt.

However, if you dig deeper into the issue, you start to see a more evolved perspective. Impostor syndrome may be more of an institutional or organizational issue, rather than just an individual affliction.

Impostor Syndrome Is a Huge and Valid Concern

Impostor syndrome and its consequences are very real. Numerous academic studies have found a direct link between the syndrome and psychological conditions like anxiety and depression.

However, despite general acceptance that it’s real and dangerous, there is no consensus around how big the problem is or how it should be addressed.

This area of concern was first identified in the late 1970s by Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes, clinical psychologists at the Georgia State University. In a groundbreaking study, they coined the term “imposter phenomenon” to describe “the experience of intellectual phoniness” exhibited by high-achieving women.

Although Clance and Imes did not try to define the prevalence of "imposter phenomenon", many others have since tried. An often cited 2020 study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine found that up to 82% of surveyed college students, nurses, and medical students experience feelings that “they haven’t earned what they’ve achieved and are a fraud.”

However, one of the points made in the original Clance and Imes study is that quantifying "imposter phenomenon" or syndrome is very difficult because it is not a clinical diagnosis and thus it’s unclear how it should be treated. That’s an important point to consider when trying to broaden our understanding of this problem and how it should be addressed.

It Might Not be You. It Might be Your Employer.

In the first two decades following the identification of impostor syndrome, prescriptive advice focused almost solely on the individual. Self-appointed experts portrayed the struggle with impostor syndrome as an internal battle of will. Or, as one of these gurus put it, “The only way to stop feeling like an impostor is to stop thinking like an impostor.”

However, around the turn of the last century, the narrative around impostor syndrome changed profoundly. Suddenly, researchers and psychologists began suggesting that perhaps the culture and environment of work itself, and not a grab bag of deep-seated psychological issues, was the driving force behind impostor syndrome.

A study by European researchers, published in Frontiers in Psychology in late 2020, argued that context was as important, if not more important, than self-generated and possibly erroneous feelings of inadequacy. “Instead of framing the insecurities of individuals belonging to marginalized groups solely as a problem that arises within these individuals, we argue that it is critical for future research to consider the important role of the environment in eliciting their impostor feelings.”

That article opened the door to other informed voices who had doubts that impostor syndrome was being framed in the right way. Increased attention was directed to the impacts of organizational culture, leadership culture, and racial or cultural bias, particularly on groups within our society that are historically more vulnerable to all these forces.

In other words, you may be feeling inadequate or unsure of your abilities because the people you work with and for are making you feel that way. As the old saying goes, it’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you.

A New Context for Responses to Impostor Syndrome

If someone feels like an impostor, they have to put in some hard work to deal with those feelings and come to a more balanced view of their contributions. However, self-discovery won’t get the job done on its own. Organizations need to address areas that may be contributing to feelings of inadequacy.

Individual Responses

·       If you are suffering from a lack of self-confidence about your work, you need to talk with your leader and get a clear picture of what you do well and where you can improve. Don’t try to read your manager’s mind and don’t interpret every gesture or glance as proof of your inadequacy. Meet fears head on.

·       See if your organization will let you work with a coach, mentor or counsellor. Regular contact with an executive coach can go a long way to provide clarity and context about your greatest work-related fears. 

·       Don’t assume that your feelings are just “all in your head.” The journey of discovery necessary to deal with impostor syndrome requires you to reflect on whether you are really doing the best job possible. Either way, always be looking for ways to elevate your performance.

·       Try to build a sense of community with peers and other colleagues to share common experiences. If you know you’re not the only one who feels like an impostor, it can go a long way to building more self-confidence.

Organizational Responses

·       Making a concerted effort to improve psychological safety in your workplace can help mitigate the impact of impostor syndrome. If someone feels safe and valued at work and receives regular constructive feedback, they are less likely to fall prey to feelings that they are faking their way through their careers.

·       Consider updating your performance review model. Many organizations revisited the whole methodology of performance reviews during and after the onset of COVID-19. A positive, effective performance review should counteract impostor syndrome; a badly managed review can amplify feelings of inadequacy.

·       Don’t tolerate a toxic leadership culture. Leaders who diminish, disparage, isolate, and undermine the people they lead will obviously cultivate more impostor syndrome. A toxic leader can make even the most competent and successful employee feel like a failure.

·       Coaching is not only good for helping people overcome impostor syndrome; it can help leaders and managers avoid behaviour that might trigger feelings of inadequacy among the people they lead. 

Reviewing the literature on impostor syndrome reveals that it’s a real and pressing concern, with many people experiencing it at one time or another. That realization should foster greater empathy and prompt organizations to identify the triggers and deal with them as soon as possible.