Have you ever felt that your accomplishments have been by pure luck? Maybe you have impostor syndrome?
I'm a fraud. I got my job by sheer luck. What if my coworkers find out I'm really not that good? When Imposter Syndrome takes over your mind, a flood of insecurity and self-sabotage occupies most of your daily thoughts.
And it is quite common.
This phenomenon is well known and studied since the 1970s. It was first introduced by psychologist Pauline Rose Clance after identifying similar experiences in a group of high-performing women .
TheImposter Syndrome represents feeling that every achievement is a false positive, every good result, good luck or mere coincidence, creating a constant fear of being discovered or exposed as a fraud.
According to The Journal Of Behavioral Science [ENG], 70% of people experience this cognitive disorder.
In The Secret Thoughts Of Successful Women [ENG], Dr. Valerie Young defines five variables of this phenomenon:
Perfectionist: Focused on how things are executed. Everything must be done perfectly, any failure calls into question their capabilities. Perfectionists tend to set goals extremely far from reality, and even a 99% success rate can be an absolute failure. Micromanaging behaviors are observed in this category.
Expert: Always nodding in agreement to any idea. Experts fear being perceived as stupid or ignorant. They need validation of certifications and training before starting a large project, and do not apply for jobs if they do not fully meet the requirements. Asking questions or commenting in a meeting is a risky situation with the potential to expose their lack of knowledge.
Born Geniuses: For this group, a failed first attempt is a clear indication that they do not have the innate talent or skills. Born Geniuses expect to achieve everything on the first try. Obstacles and difficulties along the way make them think that perhaps what they wanted to achieve was not for them.
Soloist: They must do everything for themselves. For Soloists, asking for help is humiliating and a sign of weakness. All achievements must be personal and on their own.
Superperson: Being an exemplary student, sibling, wife, boss, friend, mother, etc. should not be complicated. This variant works very hard to prove that they can handle every role and detail of their lives. If they don't give it 100%, they are a failure.
There is a clear pattern in all these variants: fear of failure. And that is music to our ears.
There are many ways to approach the imposter syndrome. At Fuckup Nights, we are akin to Albert Bandura's concept of Self-efficacy.
According to Bandura [ENG], Self-efficacy is: "the perception of an ability to succeed in certain tasks". In other words, it is about believing in one's own ability to organize and execute certain tasks. This is the exact opposite of the Imposter Syndrome, which is a lack of belief in our abilities.
Bandura proposes four concrete actions to boost our Self-efficacy:
Activate our master experience: This refers to moving away from the belief that our progress was a product of luck and recognizing the systems behind our achievements. How did I reach this or that goal? What processes did I follow? What good practices did I apply? It is important to recognize our processes and stick to our systems to show us that our achievements are not due to luck, they are due to our skills.
Vicarious Experience: One of the big issues with Impostor Syndrome is the constant comparison to others, including our role models. We tend to aim high, to focus on trying to be like our exemplary CEO. But maybe we're aiming at the wrong person. And by aiming we don't mean comparing, we mean observing.
Bandura explains that by observing people with similar or slightly superior skills at work, we can learn and gain more useful information about our own capabilities. Instead of comparing yourself to the best of the best, observe your colleagues: How do they work? What do they have in common?
Social Persuasion: The Impostor Syndrome dismisses our achievements, results and abilities, leaving us with doubts about our worth. Sometimes, we just need a little external motivation to overcome these thoughts.
Social persuasion is a healthy dose of positive and sincere feedback. Even better when it is feedback from an expert in the field, and always focused on recognizing skills and not hard work (remember that the Imposter Syndrome demerits skills, not our ability to work). It is important to recognize that social persuasion can generate a need to please outsiders, so it is important to find a balance between this and the other points of self-efficacy.
Emotional states: Feeling like an imposter can generate symptoms in our body. Maybe a nervous tic, a cardiac agitation, bad mood or irritability. But we must keep in mind that these symptoms can be derived from bad sleeping habits, eating habits or depression, and many times it has nothing to do with our abilities at work.
When our mind is busy creating illusions around Imposter Syndrome, emotions and physical symptoms can be misinterpreted, thus reinforcing those feelings of worthlessness. It is important to take time to genuinely ask ourselves why we feel the way we do. Rethink our own emotions and symptoms according to factors independent of our professional life.
The concept of Self-efficacy is a very useful tool, however, we believe at Fuckup Nights, that there are other collective ways to deal with imposter syndrome. In dealing with failure over the years, we realized the power that lies in being vulnerable and being open about our frustrations and fears. It makes sense for us to use this same approach against the imposter syndrome, which hides a deep fear of failure.
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This phenomenon develops in silence, appearing in hermetic environments where people keep their fears, doubts and worries to themselves. Of the 70% of people who suffer from this syndrome, how many actually talk about it among themselves? Talking and exposing the problem normalizes this shared experience and raises awareness, helping people to break through isolation, fear and shame.
In addition to creating a sense of shared experiences, being open about Imposter Syndrome helps level the professional playing field by showing the reality behind "success," which helps calm one's expectations of perfection. Connecting through a common fear of failure helps humanize leaders and role models, revealing how imperfect "success" can be. It shows that even the most successful person is full of insecurities and self-doubt.
And no, you don't need to organize a Failure Event in your company to address these issues with your team. ???? During meals, in the elevator, in the hallways, any conversation can be geared toward sharing.
The imposter syndrome, like failure, is universal and there are no magic formulas to counteract it. It is important to speak out and show the difficulties behind success. It is a real problem, let's share it.
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Let's transform our perception of failure and use it as a catalyst for growth.
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