Have you ever been in a situation at work where, despite your achievements, you don’t believe you’re good enough to do your job? Or perhaps you’re considering putting yourself forward for promotion or a new role, but something is stopping you from doing so. Objectively speaking, you know you have the qualifications, you probably have a comparatively strong track record and you’re more than capable of learning new skills. But despite all the evidence to your capabilities, you cannot shake this feeling of discomfort. Perhaps you berate your own performance constantly and try to overachieve. If the above sounds familiar, it’s possible that you may be experiencing imposter syndrome. But what is it, exactly?
Imposter syndrome is described as ‘an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be’1 and can be associated with perfectionism. It can make us feel that we don’t really belong in our role, that it’s somehow beyond our competence, and that it’s only a matter of time before someone finds out and we’ll be chided or ridiculed for not living up to expectations.
The trouble with imposter syndrome is that it can niggle away in the back of our subconscious mind. We aren’t fully aware of its presence but it’s influencing our actions, or inaction, every day.
Are women more likely to experience imposter syndrome?
Brian Daniel Norton, a psychotherapist and executive coach, explained during an interview with the BBC how women, and especially women of colour, are more affected. “When you experience systemic oppression or are directly or indirectly told your whole life that you are less-than or underserving of success, and you begin to achieve things in a way that goes against a long-standing narrative in the mind, imposter syndrome will occur.”2
What is interesting about Norton’s quote is that it suggests that the more we achieve, the more likely we are to experience this overwhelming self-doubt; that it is the arrival of success that presents the discord in our mind and leads us to believe that we are successful by chance or luck, rather than our own hard work.
Karen, a head veterinary nurse and practice manager from London, described how her promotions have led to feelings of uncertainty. “Early on in my career, I worked in a small nursing team and felt confident in my role. I was promoted to head nurse and then again to practice manager. At first, I felt ecstatic at my achievement, but every time I had to attend a partners’ meeting, or lead a meeting of my own, I suddenly found I was doubting myself. I had this nervous feeling in the pit in my stomach and felt that everyone would be thinking, ‘she doesn’t know what she’s talking about’. I’ve been offered the opportunity to apply for the role of area manager, but I keep putting it off.”
Is a lack of role models to blame?
Lean In, an American organisation and gender equality campaigner, revealed that women in the workplace remain underrepresented at every level, despite making up the majority of university graduates since the 1990s. The research also concluded that whilst entry level positions consist of fairly equal numbers of men and women, 62 per cent of manager-level positions are filled by men, while women hold just 38 per cent.3
In the veterinary industry, UK survey research in 2019 suggested that women make up 62.2 per cent of the clinical workforce, yet only 18.1 per cent of principal, director or partner roles are held by women (compared with 44 per cent of men).4
“We’re more likely to experience imposter syndrome if we don’t see many examples of people who look like us or share our background who are clearly succeeding in our field,” states Emily Hu, a clinical psychologist.2
Is it a case of: if we can’t see it, we can’t be it?
We don’t have to look very far to see examples of how women are underrepresented at senior level in almost every sector, but the subliminal messaging starts in childhood. Clothing for girls still tends to be cute and princess-like in style, whereas boys’ clothing is marketed in more practical, action-packed themes. Even a quick Google search for ‘NASA T-shirt’ will bring up countless options for boys and men, but few for their female counterpart. Indeed, Rita J. King, a scientist and futurist, famously gave a talk at a NASA event whilst wearing a gold sequined dress after receiving a letter from a young girl who had asked her to “show that scientists could be ‘sparkly’ as well as smart”.5
“I never had a strong female role model growing up,” reflects Karen. “I was the first in my family to go to university and, if I really think about it, I suppose it was always the men around me who put on the suit and were ambitious. Perhaps that’s why I feel like I’m winging it sometimes – it feels like uncharted territory. My performance reviews have always been very good, and I’ve noticed that I overachieve in pretty much everything I do, but it still comes as a great surprise whenever anyone says that I’ve done something well.”
If we grow up believing that more senior roles are for ‘other people’, then it could be considered somewhat logical that we would feel uncomfortable in situations that challenge this mental narrative. But discrimination, after generations of practise, can incorrectly begin to feel like gut instinct. We need to stop, reflect, and ask ourselves: is there any truth to how I am feeling, or have I just been conditioned to react this way?
Breaking the cycle
If you suspect that imposter syndrome may have taken up residence rent-free inside your mind, fear not. This pattern of thinking can be broken as soon as we become aware of its presence. The American Psychological Association6 has the following advice for breaking the cycle of imposter syndrome:
- Challenge your thoughts: The most important step to take in banishing imposter syndrome is to challenge and reframe your thoughts. The negative thinking only fuels the cycle even further, so take a moment to reframe your internal voice and perhaps challenge any urges to overachieve.
- Acknowledge your expertise: Coaching or teaching others who are less experienced can help to reinforce how much you actually know, and how far you have come.
- Remember your strengths: Write down what you are good at and what you have achieved to date. This will help you to identify where you are doing well. If you find that you tend to only focus on the negatives, make a separate list of areas that you can develop. It’s normal, and expected, to have a list of strengths and weaknesses.
- Realise that no one is perfect: We have to grasp the concept of something being ‘good enough’. Focusing on perfectionism is unrealistic and may end up holding us back.
- Learn to celebrate: Make a habit of rewarding your achievements. It’s all too easy to brush off success and to tell yourself that you’re ‘just doing your job’ but, instead, try taking the time to really acknowledge how hard you have worked and how it has paid off.
- Share your feelings: You may have kept how you’re feeling to yourself but sharing your feelings with someone you trust can help you to realise that it’s both normal, and irrational, to have feelings of imposter syndrome. An encouraging supervisor or mentor at work can also help you recognise where you’re doing well, and to refocus any negative thoughts into more realistic and helpful behaviour.
Imposter, be gone
If you are experiencing imposter syndrome, take heart that it most likely means that you have already achieved success. What is wrong is that you are incorrectly assigning this success to luck or some other influence outside of your control. By acknowledging this cognitive distortion – and accepting that this is all it is – we can start breaking the habits that are holding us back.
Remember: success doesn’t require perfection.
You may also be interested in:
Should Women be More Ambitious?