How to Deal With Imposter Syndrome

A SIMPLE TOOL TO SHIFT INTO HIGH-PERFORMANCE

When everything is on the line, there’s no time for imposter syndrome.

Have you ever felt undeserving of your current position in life? Maybe you feel like a fraud at work, or even undeserving as a spouse or a parent.

A lot of people see themselves as an imposter. Instead of feeling gratitude for what they have, they spend their days looking over their shoulder waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Imposter Syndrome is a common experience for many people. If you let it, feeling like a fraud can prevent you from performing at your best. But it doesn’t have too.

How Does Imposter Syndrome Effect Us

When I became a new executive on the team, I felt like an imposter. The prevailing thought was, “I better not mess this up.”

I became trapped in this endless loop of trying to do more to be more. Why? Because my mind was telling me I wasn’t ready. So, I kept pushing and trying to find that “missing ingredient” and prove to myself and others that I was a competent leader.

It became what I’m calling, forced leadership. Acceptance of my peers, my team, and myself perpetuated feeling like a fraud; afraid to fail.

Instead of expressing my authentic leadership, I was forcing myself into who I thought I needed to be to succeed.

Trying to be charismatic, when I wasn’t charismatic. Modeling after other successful leaders. Trying to be them and do it as they did.

If you stay in this mindset for too long, you’ll lose yourself in the process.

Apathy, burnout, confusion, anxiety, and overwhelm will show up more and more. This propels you deeper into seeing yourself as a fraud.

I wasn’t achieving at the level I knew was possible and I was inauthentic in how I was going about it. I had to make a SHIFT.

Make the S.H.I.F.T. to High-Performance

Some say fear drives them to achieve success. There’s no doubt fear has a way of pushing us forward, but studies show that fear limits our potential.

Fear fuels imposter syndrome. The focus is on things we are trying to prevent — most often our own demise.

Most people want to live a life of authenticity and achievement. The only way to get there is letting go who you think you have to be, and embrace who you are.

Do you desire authenticity and achievement rather than fraudulently striving for acceptance? Then you have to make a S.H.I.F.T.

Start with Awareness and Acceptance

You’re a new executive or maybe you’ve been leadership roles your entire life. But maybe at this moment, the stakes are higher for you than they’ve ever been. Imposter syndrome is sure to be lurking around the corner.

Feeling anxious, insecure, and apprehensive is a normal experience for everyone. But you can SHIFT beyond these emotions and choose to trust your intuition and lead your team.

Open up to these unpleasant emotions. Instead of trying to get rid of them and “fix” yourself. Let them be there.

Example: You have twenty minutes before a strategy meeting. You’re about to present your strategic plan to the rest of the executive team. At this moment a flood of emotions hit you making you nervous and unsure of yourself. You’ve been here before. But this time is different. Instead of letting yourself get hooked by your thoughts and emotions, you become aware of them and accept that they are there.

Head in the Direction of Your Values & Vision

For you to get anywhere you have to know the general direction you desire to go. In this case, if you could only choose between a map or a compass which would you choose?

I choose the compass. Throughout your leadership journey, it’s your values and vision that guide your path. Your values become what centers you on how you desire to show up. Your vision informs what you desire to create.

EXAMPLE: The strategic planning meeting is about to begin. You’re aware that you’re feeling anxious. You are hearing your mind tell you all the reasons that you’re not ready or how the team is going to challenge your ideas.

Instead of gritting your teeth and creating a false persona of confidence, you drop the struggle and accept your experience. What you do next is center yourself on your values.

Maybe you value GROWTH. So, you choose to open up to the opportunity to hear feedback. This value serves you. It allows you to see everything as an opportunity to improve your plan and gain a new perspective.

Your vision is clear, you’ve spent months on your strategy. You know what you desire to do and why. You’ve earned the right to stand in front of your peers and share your vision. You choose to own it.

Identify What Result You Want to Create

How clear are you on the result you want to create next? This is the most powerful question you can ask yourself.

All we have is this moment. How you use your moments will determine your performance and success.

Don’t leave them up to chance. Pause and set your intentions on how you desire to feel. How will you present yourself? What about the obstacles that arise? In what ways will you respond to them?

For some more ideas on how you can set your intentions, click the link to download this free intentions checklist. This is a free gift you’ll get for joining my weekly newsletter where I write about mental health, mindfulness, self-improvement, and life lessons.

EXAMPLE: Take a moment — close your eyes even. Visualize the outcome you desire to create in the meeting. As soon as you walk through the conference room door what will be your demeanor? See yourself presenting yourself in the way you desire. Experience the obstacles that might arise. How will you respond to the critic in the corner as they start questioning your plan? Center yourself on your values, visions, and set your intentions.

Focus on Your Next Step

What’s next? Focus on this one thing. This seems like a no brainer but all too often we find ourselves distracted.

An email hits your inbox and takes precedent over what matters. You try to cram in doing one more task before your next meeting leaving you scrambling to arrive on time.

Even worse, you have a clear strategy to execute but spend no time working on it. The urgent shrouds out the important.

It is those who concentrate on but one thing at a time who advance in this world.

GARY KELLER

Always know what your next step is. Make it specific and action-oriented.

EXAMPLE: It’s time to get to your meeting. So, focusing on your next step would not be checking your inbox one last time before your meeting. The last thing you want is someone else’s agenda hitting you at the last minute. In this situation, it’s time to be present with what you are about to do.

Take Action

At this point, you are ready to shift into action. You’re aware of and have accepted the unwanted emotions and thoughts. Your values are clear, informing what’s meaningful. You have your vision in sight, showing you where you desire to go.

The desired outcome is clear for you. Your focus is on your next step. Now, you’re ready to take action.

EXAMPLE: What would it feel like for you to enter your meeting after using this tool? The anxious emotions and insecurity might still be there. You might still feel like you’re a fraud. You’ve accepted this experience. There’s been a SHIFT in your focus and you are ready, you walk into the meeting and own it!

Conclusion

As you push yourself to grow, develop, and take on more responsibility, it’s natural to feel like an imposter. It’s normal to experience anxiety, insecurity, and apprehension. But you are not your thoughts.

Don’t let imposter syndrome stand in your way. Choose to do what matters and be who you desire to be in spite of what might be telling you otherwise.

Make the SHIFT. Let go of who you think you have to be and choose to be who you are.

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