Analyzing Imposter Syndrome
One of the most frequent topics that comes up in coaching sessions is leaders experiencing imposter feelings. I’ve never discovered easy answers, but when the topic arises, I usually say something like: Imposter feelings are the price of doing something different today than we did yesterday. Only those who lack ambition and those who are complete narcissists avoid them.
That perspective came to me because most of the literature in this space seems to normalize the experience with the counsel that “lots of people have imposter syndrome.” But it still comes across with a negative lens. It’s like telling someone that “lots of people crash their cars.”
When talking to people about imposter feelings, I’ve come to believe that it’s a totally reasonable human response to growth. It’s like when your muscles hurt after a workout—unavoidable if you’re really pushing yourself.
On the other hand, if you’re taking on new responsibilities, and operating in new spaces, and you never have imposter feelings…dude, you are the one that has a problem.
Viola Davis gave an example of her own experience with imposter syndrome in her memoir Finding Me. She writes:
“I put the phone down and then it rang again. It was the assistant director (AD) who organizes everything. She said, ‘Okay, Viola, congratulations. You have a rehearsal tomorrow with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams, but just Meryl first.’ I fell apart. This is what I did. I got two yellow cans of homeopathic stress relief tablets from the health food store and downed one can in less than an hour. I was that nervous, terrified. There’s a part of me that knows that she would hate me saying this. She is as humble as she is talented and she is as kind as she is absolutely, 100 percent NOT intimidating. She simply is seen as the best, and acting opposite her agitates the biggest beast that lives within every actor . . . the impostor syndrome.”
Davis continued: “Amy, Philip, and Meryl were one of the greatest casts I ever worked with because it was absolutely, completely void of ego. Everybody was trying to figure out the work. We had great discussions during rehearsal: what it’s like to be on top with the impostor syndrome constantly chasing you and making you feel ostracized because you were the chosen one. Meryl said something wonderful that helped me let go of the impostor feeling. ‘Yeah, Viola, we know the truth.’ What she was saying is we know the truth of what it means to be in this position. It doesn’t puff up your walk if you love what you do. It’s a great responsibility.”
In lieu of easy solutions to imposter feelings, Davis’s example is why I usually encourage people to analyze when imposter feelings are more likely to come up in their lives.
It’s usually not an always-on experience. With that prompt, people most often say that the feelings arise:
In situations that are new
When there are high stakes
When others will be judging them, and when the current moment is the only piece of data the judges will have about them
When they’re uncertain about what others think of their performance
Once they recognize those situations, the imposter feelings they’re experiencing are somewhat easier to tackle because they can shift from trying to change themselves to trying to change their approach to the (mostly) predictable situations that will trigger their imposter feelings.
If I’m uncertain about what others think of my performance, I can seek feedback, or ask my boss to deliver it in a more frequent cadence going forward.
If the feelings come up when I’m performing in front of high-ranking executives that I don’t know, I can make sure to gather intel to see what they most care about. Or I can schedule pre-meetings with a subset of them, so that they aren’t complete strangers.
If thinking about high-stakes meetings trips me up, I can reserve time ahead of the meetings to get into a powerful mindset, whether with centering exercises, power posing, setting an intention, or using positive affirmations. I’m invited to this meeting because I know things no one else knows.
It’s not easy, but it’s easier!