Topic: Confidence; Imposter Syndrome
QUESTION:
I’ve just been promoted to a new role. It’s in an area that is new to me and the team below me are much more experienced than me technically. It’s causing me a lot of anxiety and I’m starting to worry about whether I can really succeed in the role. I’ve had this feeling in the past which I assume is some form of imposter syndrome. What advice would you give me if I were a coaching client?
New Director, Investment Bank
ANSWER:
I imagine that we will be revisiting this topic regularly as imposter syndrome and confidence are issues that come up regularly with my coaching clients. In some ways it is not helpful to give this feeling a label of “imposter syndrome” which makes it feel like some sort of illness. In fact “imposter syndrome” or feeling anxious about new experiences is completely normal. It’s the way we’ve evolved so successfully as a species – to be cautious about trying new things that could have potential dangers attached.
The name was actually first coined in the 1970s by two female clinical psychologists who were reviewing a group of female students and noticed their tendency to discount their successes and fear their ability to succeed in the future.
Imposter syndrome tends to be exacerbated in times of change, but also if the group around you feels very different to who you are in terms of identity and experience. It’s not surprising that you are feeling this way when stepping into a new role, particularly where you are going to be managing people who are potentially more experienced than yourself.
Key characteristics of imposter syndrome are:
- Continual discounting of successes
- Continual raising of the bar
- Exaggeration of mistakes i.e. the opposite to discounting success
- Overwork and over-preparation – both things that Angela Merkel and Christine Lagarde somewhat unbelievably admit to as a result of imposter syndrome
- Procrastination and avoidance or leaving things to the last minute (as a way of avoiding potential failure)
- Feelings of anxiety
If we were working together in a coaching environment, I would spend more time discussing experiences that may potentially be exacerbating your feelings of anxiety and lack of confidence.
Inevitably much of this goes back to our childhood and how we were labelled in the family or what early life experiences we went through. Our identity and sense of self established during childhood is pretty firmly embedded but with first awareness, and then practice, our responses can be shifted.
In terms of specific advice for approaching your new role my advice would be as follows:
- Remember – it is completely normal to feel anxious when taking on a new role. Usually the anticipation is worse than the actuality so try not to dwell or ruminate on the anxiety. Distract yourself by doing or thinking about something else. Once you get going this feeling will lessen
- Remember that your feelings are not facts – any doubts or concerns that you have are just your interpretation of the situation, not reality.
- No one else can see how you are feeling. Display outward confidence. Projecting outward confidence physically and in the way you act will have an effect on your thinking and how you feel i.e. fake it till you feel it
- Colleagues do not expect new employees to hit the ground running, even when they are the boss. In fact, a display of vulnerability and requests for help and education may go down well with your team
- Focus on achievements and strengths
- Make a list of all of your past achievements however great or small, highlight three that you are particularly proud of
- Make a list of all of your strengths and highlight your top three
- Keep a note of your top achievements and strengths nearby and have a quick look at them – perhaps each morning – to give yourself a confidence boost
- Keep an eye on whether you are either over-preparing or putting things off. Both of these will actually tend to increase anxiety rather than reduce it
- Work to internalise your successes – at the end of every day think about one thing that you have done that you would give yourself credit for or that you feel you did well. Make this a regular practice eg on the journey home or just before you fall asleep
- Be kind to yourself! Keep a check on the voice in your head, what is it saying, what tone and words is it using? Speak to yourself like you would to a friend you want to provide support and encouragement to
- Reframe how you are thinking about this new opportunity – instead of “how am I going to do this, what if I’m not good enough, what if the team know more than me” say to yourself “this is a great opportunity, I’m so lucky to have the chance to learn from and manage a new team, this will be a fantastic developmental opportunity”.
Good luck with your new role and do your best to enjoy the amazing opportunity. I am sure you will be great!