Imposter Syndrome

Imposter Syndrome comes up quite often in groups of people that depend on social equity as part of their value proposition. For example, when we ask people to collaborate on a solution or someone is managing other people. It is natural for people to compare themselves with those around them. It is troublesome, however, when we sense a less-than-projected difference in how we think of ourselves and the people around us. In other words, we think less of ourselves than others.

Much like anxiety, Imposter Syndrome is an emotional signal that we can use as a tool to guide our growth. The first realization when sensing Imposter Syndrome is that what we are feeling is a tremendous sense of respect and admiration for those that portray skills or behaviors we hold in high regard. Admired skills and behaviors are information for someone with a Growth Mindset because now the Imposter sense will identify a mentor or a collaborator.

Additionally, the Imposter Syndrome sense can lead us to introspective queries such as “What are the skills that I notice that this person or these people have that I want to work on?.” We can take this information into our one on ones with our managers or professional coaching sessions to seek guidance on how to develop these skills in particular.

Managers and Coaches working with other professionals can use Imposter Syndrome conversations to identify areas of growth and opportunity. Imposter Syndrome can be used as a sense to identify areas of growth and development.

Our sense of belonging is a fundamental component of our sense of survival. We focus on identifying and developing the skills and behaviors we admire; it allows us to concentrate on driving in the direction we want to go and not on the gaps we are perceiving.

Lean into our Imposter Self. Let them show us what we need.