Recognising and Transcending The Imposter Sydnrome

Many people have experienced the anxiety associated with not feeling good enough. It tends to come up in unfamiliar situations that place us outside our comfort zone. For some, this is an occasional experience that recedes when they become familiar with the new situation. For others, the discomfort persists and is accompanied by feelings of being a fake or fraud. Regardless of how it impacts on you, it's important to understand it's debilitating effects.

Smart organisations seek employee engagement in order to secure the additional and discretionary effort of its employees. However, all the money invested in engagement programmes can be wasted if some of your talented employees experience the Imposter Syndrome. They aren't able to engage until they resolve their feelings of not being good enough and can recognise that they have a unique contribution to make.

In spite of the research findings that 70% of people in the workforce experience the Imposter Syndrome, very few talk about it. It is one of the great secrets. Feeling like a fake or fraud leads to a sense of shame and our primary driver is to avoid discovery and exposure as the fake we feel ourselves to be. The Imposter Syndrome severely limits our ability to perform to our potential and could be the reason a staff member is simply not stepping up.

Authenticity is a desirable characteristic. It suggests that we know and like who we are, warts and all. It provides us with an internal compass that guides us in our decision-making. It makes us conscious of and comfortable with our own values - we know what gives our lives meaning. And we can be open, transparent and consistent which allows us to connect well with others. The trouble is, so many of us have no idea of who we really are, we've been wearing the mask for so long.