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Don’t let the ‘Imposter Syndrome’ sabotage your accomplishments
Executive Development
By Wayne Outlaw
Not long ago at a workshop with CEOs, one high performing individual admitted that he had purposely gotten himself fired from the top job at his previous company not long after successfully engineering its sale to a Fortune 500 company.
After more probing and discussion, he realized he had engineered his own demise in this and several other jobs because he was afraid that people would discover he was not as “good” as they thought he was. He was viewed by others as an innovative thinker, a person who got the job done and a driving force behind the success of his company.
The individual admitted that to him what he did appeared to be easy, and he was afraid that some day people would realize how easy it was and discover he was not as good as they thought. He said he felt like an impostor because his feelings did not match their perceptions.
This admission by a top performer sparked a great deal of conversation, resulting in almost every CEO present realizing that in some way they felt others’ opinions of their competence was much higher than their own.
This started me thinking about why high performers tend to not credit themselves with the positive attributes with which others credit them. The more I researched this question, the more I realized that this “Impostor Syndrome” kept individuals feeling like they had to continually prove themselves and could be one of the keys to their high achievement.
Competence, self-esteem and the ability to take risks are keys to success in any endeavor. It is important to realize the difference between the unhealthy drive to continually prove oneself and the healthy need to produce future results.
The success of the positive aspects of this strategy is outlined in the book Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Groves, CEO of Intel Corp. He understood competition is intense and we cannot become complacent if we are to survive, much less thrive.
In If I am so Successful, Why do I Feel Like a Fake: The Impostor Syndrome by Joan Flarvey and Cynthia Katz, the authors address this drive for success and feelings of self-worth on an individual level. They also show how, if taken too far, the drive can be detrimental. It can lead to a feeling of never being satisfied and not enjoying the fruits of success.
My experience is, when people perform well with what they perceive as little or no effort or even advance quickly in the organization, they may not realize their true competence. As a result, they have doubts about their true ability, and this creates a gap between how they see themselves and how others see them.
While the world sees them as talented, they see themselves as ordinary. While everyone makes mistakes, they may see their mistakes as evidence of inadequacy rather than an opportunity to learn and grow.
Feelings of self-doubt are normal and may be what is needed to keep us from becoming arrogant and even fuel greater motivation for performance. They help us stay focused on the task at hand and drive us to higher levels of accomplishments. As long as these feelings don’t sabotage us by causing us to do irrational things or make ineffective decisions to remove ourselves from the heights of achievement, they can be helpful.
Use the need to re-prove yourself as motivation. Don’t be afraid of the heights of achievement.
When you experience pangs of self-doubt, remember those feelings tell you to be careful. It is not saying avoid risk. It certainly is not saying your achievement is not real or deserved. Humbly give yourself as much credit as others do.
While a little self-doubt and a healthy dose of humility are not harmful, don’t let it hold you back from attempting to reach greater heights or responding to bigger challenges.
If I ever stop becoming anxious before a speaking engagement, I know I am getting complacent. Complacency is a killer of the peak performer.
Keep your perspective. Don’t let an erroneous feeling that your success is not earned or deserved stop you from enjoying it. Savor a success much longer than you focus on a failure.
Wayne Outlaw is a speaker and consultant. E-mail him at wayne@outlawgroup.com.
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