Imposter Syndrome

Many people tend to have a great deal of self-doubt. When the person is also a recognized expert in a field, the combination of this self-doubt and the accolades they receive from others creates a phenomenon known as “imposter syndrome”.

This is where the person secretly does not believe that they are the expert that others believe them to be.

Imposter syndrome goes hand in hand with another psychological phenomenon. Generally, the more competent a person is, the less competent they feel, or at least the more they question what they know. Less competent people, conversely, tend to overstate their abilities.

The latter situation, when an under-qualified person thinks they are more skilled than they are, it is never a good thing. But some self-doubt for high performers is a good thing.

Questioning one’s own abilities is helpful. It prevents people from becoming complacent. It drives innovation and self-improvement. It encourages people to check their work and be more deliberate in decision making. All of these are good things. They drive progress.

Imposter syndrome, however, takes this questioning to a higher level, possibly to the point where it becomes troublesome. It can lead to internal turmoil, as well as to external reluctance to take action for fear of being found out as a fraud.

• While imposter syndrome is not generally an unmanageable problem in and of itself, left unchecked, it can contribute to anxiety, stress, and depression, which can be serious.
• Articles like this one are good for building knowledge, but there is no substitute for treatment by a professional. If any psychological condition is impacting your ability to function effectively, in your job or in life in general, seek help. Unfortunately, mental health treatment still carries a negative stigma. People are much more likely to share that they were born with a heart condition than that they suffer from anxiety or depression. Don’t let yourself suffer in silence or without treatment.

One of the challenges you will face in a frontline role in a continuous improvement-oriented company is that you will be asked to do more with your brain. Instead of just being told to do your job, you will be asked how to make your job better and easier to do.

For people who are not used to that, they can struggle, at least initially. It is hard to know for sure if the successes they have are real or not. In the case of a person with limited power over their domain, imposter syndrome can be amplified. The self-doubt they feel bounces up against…

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You get the double dose of imposter syndrome as a leader.

All of the comments in the frontline notes apply to you, but you also are under a lot more scrutiny. You have your whole team watching your every move, and you have still have a boss monitoring you. Plus, the stakes are generally higher. You have greater responsibilities, so the fear of being found out as a fake are amplified.

You also, as a leader, likely have higher aspirations. That can sometimes mean you are moved up into greater roles with more responsibilities before you…

Extended Content for this Section is available at academy.Velaction.com

• While there is a common belief that imposter syndrome is more prevalent in women, in actuality, it is spread across people evenly.
• Most people suffer from imposter syndrome at some point in their lives. The more important the role is to them, the more likely they are to feel like they are not good at it.