Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

I’m afraid I’m not good enough to be here.

This was the response from more than half of participants in a leadership program we had developed years ago. It was eye opening and it changed the way I looked at my team.

I had the pleasure of working with an HR team years ago to build a voluntary training program for emerging leaders. As an organization, we had incredible management training, but for anyone up and coming, there weren’t many resources. So we put our heads together and created a weekly program for group learning and role playing.

When we launched the program, we weren’t sure how many people would sign up. Within days, more than half the department signed up. A bit more participants than we expected, but we were thrilled that so many people were genuinely interested in personal development.

In our first class, we asked people to write down responses to a handful of questions, then we’d discuss our answers together.

• Why are you here?

• What do you hope to get out of this program?

• What is your biggest concern?

It was this last question that stunned us. So many people simply said they didn’t feel they were good enough. They were afraid they would fail. That’s when I learned about imposter syndrome, and how common it can be in the workplace. I admit that I’ve felt that way too.

How do we overcome this?

• Find great mentors that you can speak openly with

• Network with other professionals who will share their experience

• Keep learning and improving yourself

• Be humble, but don’t be passive -  find your voice and use it!

What I know now, and what I tell my team, is that you need to embrace being uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable means growth. 

I believe it is important to seek out roles and opportunities that push you. Practically every professional role I’ve had has been a stretch for me at first. You shouldn’t try to find a job you’re already perfect at, you should try to find one that pushes you into new things.

Seek out being uncomfortable, and don’t let imposter syndrome hold you back from getting to the place you want to be.

Is this something you’ve felt? I would be interested in hearing stories of how people overcame this.