Imposter Syndrome – USE it, don’t LOSE it

I’ve just checked in with a client who came to me a year ago asking me to help her “get rid of my imposter syndrome”. I was really pleased to hear that she still felt like an imposter sometimes. She was clearly thriving, both in her performance and her personal wellbeing. And the imposter syndrome was a positive part of that.

🫨 [have I just committed career suicide, saying this?]

She’d recently moved up the corporate ladder and was feeling uncomfortable all the time, being in this environment of high-flyers. The thought that she didn’t belong or ‘deserve’ to be here had grown into something of a monster, affecting her personal life and even her sleep.

This is a common experience, of course – common enough to have been given a name, ‘Imposter Syndrome’. The feeling is not a positive one – I’ve been plagued by it at times, and I work with a lot of successful people who do too.

BUT Imposter Syndrome can be a positive thing…

1. It shows you’re not a narcissist. That’s not just ‘morally good’, it will likely make you more successful.
2. It’s usually based on an honest and accurate evaluation of your situation – you’ve been recognised as having a good contribution to make in this place but you’re not perfect.
3. That sense of not having fully arrived is a major driver of continued personal and professional growth.

Dr. Arthur Brooks puts it brilliantly – we should “lean into imposter syndrome” – let it reassure us, teach us and keep us humbling enquiring. He explains this powerfully here:

In my work coaching successful people who struggle with the realisation they’re not perfect, I hope I can continue to ease the pain of Imposter Syndrome, but not actually remove it.