Many of my coaching clients and the leaders I work with in organisations initially speak to me about a presenting problem. It’s usually task-focused, maybe about improving performance, or about not quite being at their best lately and how this is impacting delivery. Beyond that, they can’t quite put their finger on what’s going on.

Yet it doesn’t take long for them to almost whisper that they have lost their confidence, that they don’t think that they have what it takes, that they feel like an imposter. The sense of relief at having shared this ‘dark’ secret is palpable.

First coined in the late 1970s by psychologists Dr Clance and Dr Imes, Imposter Syndrome is now widely known and talked about in leadership circles. Increasingly my clients identify with this unwarranted sense of insecurity, bringing this label into our conversation themselves.

No matter who names it, a sense of relief comes with the label. A sense that this is normal and human. They are understood, seen, heard and crucially, that they are not alone. And as this TedEd video shows us What is imposter syndrome and how can you combat it? from Elizabeth Cox, it doesn’t necessarily go away with success – successful people feel it too.

Those of us experiencing Imposter Syndrome are most definitely not alone. In fact, research suggests that up to 70% of us report having experienced feelings of Imposter Syndrome.

Calling it a syndrome is maybe unhelpful. There’s nothing abnormal or wrong. It’s not about mental health, depression or anxiety. It’s more of a sense, a belief that won’t go away and that keeps growing, a feeling. And it is universal across gender, profession, age, culture, race. In essence, it’s a human ‘self-doubt’ which can be triggered by a variety of factors, situations and environments.

The good news is, it can be overcome. You don’t need to live with the feelings of inadequacy and paralysing self-doubt. Here are some of the ways that I work with my clients in this space, ways that you can use to turn Imposter Syndrome around if you’re experiencing it yourself.

Overcoming the Imposter

Acknowledging how you feel
Some of my clients fear others will confirm their imposter feelings and this often keeps people from sharing their feelings. Unfortunately, this keeps them locked into the sense of not being good enough.

To get to a place where I can start to help my clients back to a more positive inner voice and feeling, they’ve had to open up. The first step is to acknowledge the thoughts and feelings, the self-doubt and the fear. By speaking it out loud, in a safe, trusting and judgement-free relationship, we’ve been able to explore this ‘inner critic’.

It’s important to then identify how, why and when it is present, what role it is playing in their lives. We’ll also look at when it’s not there, and what we can learn from this.

Using your strengths to create a shift in perspective
I work from a strengths-based approach. This is a sure-fire way to help my clients start to create a shift in thinking and perspective. We spend time highlighting the positive experiences, the moments of joy, the strengths and positive achievements. Focusing on the positives, we acknowledge their successes and wins, who they are as a person, their unique gifts, talents and contribution to the world.

The simple act of saying ‘thank you’ when you are given credit or positive feedback is a simple, immediate and powerful early action you can take in changing your response. It creates a real ‘felt’ sense of that feedback and accolade.

Responding in a new and more useful way
This ‘felt’ sense is crucially important here too. As well as the nagging voice, the ‘inner critic’ is often also experienced unpleasantly in the body, and these sensations reinforce our internal dialogue that we just can’t cut it.

As well as having qualified in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), I’m fascinated by how we, as coaches, can use neuroscience (the science of the brain) and neurobiology (the biology of the nervous system). I often work with my clients to find new, more useful responses in their minds and in their bodies.

Always tailored to my individual client and their unique needs, embodying new responses brings sure-fire, repeatable habits and behavioural alternatives to the imposter habits that have formed, creating further shift to more useful and positive states.

Asking for help
Taking the pressure off and reframing also help. Perfectionism and Imposter Syndrome are often best friends. It’s important to recognise that no-one is perfect, that it’s not just ok to ask for help but that, in fact, others are usually flattered and want to be asked to help. Knowing there are many ways to look at an issue or topic and that many minds can bring new, simpler or more innovative ideas to a project, can all help in creating a positive shift.

Trying out some relatively low-risk experiments that test out or bust assumptions and using these to reframe your thinking are gentle ways to trying out some new behaviours. Shifting those ‘voices’ can help with reframing.

“You are inadequate” and “you don’t know anything” becomes

“I’m still learning.”
“I don’t know everything … yet.”
“I wonder what else I can find out.”
“who else might have a different view on this?”
“what can I learn from others’ experiences?”

Speaking openly
When my clients discuss their experiences of feeling like they don’t belong, it brings relief to know that they are not alone. Cox suggests that having open conversations about challenges is another way to address these unwelcome feelings.

You may find speaking with a coach, a mentor or a therapist would really help you. Some of my clients have shared with a trusted friend who has been through the same thing. Others have instigated open conversations in their teams or organisations and found that many others have, or are, experiencing the same thing. This realisation that we are not alone in the insecurities we feel is liberating and has enabled them to tackle and shift this together.

Whatever is right for you, recognising you are not alone is hugely valuable to moving forwards positively. Remember, feeling that you need to tackle this alone is a trait of Imposter Syndrome. You really don’t.

Going to the cause
Lastly, consider what ‘issues’ or ‘problems’ may be going on in your workplace or wider world – start to look for the real root causes. Quite often you will find mistakes from equipment or process failure, rather than competence. Working together to address root cause, rather than blaming yourself, is another way to boost your confidence and move into effective action.

It may take some time, it may take some effort, yet the rewards are absolutely worth it. Imagine how you will feel when you have shifted your Imposter out of the way and made space to be at your absolute best.

If you would like to know more about how I work with individuals, teams and organisations to create healthy, high performance, read about my services or get in touch.