Conquer the Imposter — Unmasking the High Achiever’s Secret Struggle (and 66 Tips to Beat It)!
66 Tips to Overcome Imposter Syndrome IF You Are a Highly Successful Leader and You Feel Like A Fake Or Fraud
Stop feeling like a fraud or a fake — Replace self-doubt with self-confidence — Overcome the fear that prevents you from building on your success
In this article, you will learn the following
-66 Tips on How to overcome the Imposter Syndrome or Neurotic imposture
-64 Traits, SIGNS, Symptoms, and Types OF people with IMPOSTER SYNDROME
-15 sample causes that trigger imposter syndrome
-12 Ways How People with Imposter Syndrome Create a Neurotic Organization
-12 Dangers of Feeling Like a Fake -When Neurotic impostor or imposter syndrome triggers failures
-6 Rare Benefits of Having Imposter Syndrome or Doubting Your Own Competence
There is a group of a large number of people in this world — [WHO overestimate their abilities] — most certainly — due to their emotional insecurities [with various manifestations] developed — because of their -lack of knowledge, skills, qualifications, experience, exposure, and competence.
People with this bias [which is a psychological phenomenon known as — The Dunning-Kruger Effect] — may falsely believe that they are fully equipped to perform tasks or give expert opinions in a field — where they have least or no expertise or even awareness.
Indians can recognize many people with this issue — especially in the current politicians mostly in the ruling regime- along with many supposedly highly qualified people AND the bureaucrats — who are Genuine Fake & Accomplished con artists.
But here in this article, we are talking about an opposite phenomenon called The Imposter Syndrome.
It sounds so paradoxical — but many Highly Successful & Accomplished — CEOs, Entrepreneurs, Professionals, and Businesspeople — who have Massive Achievements and Success behind them — feel like Fake, Fraud, or a Poser.
It is not possible to pinpoint the exact causes the Imposter Syndrome or Why people acquire or suffer from Imposter Syndrome.
We will discuss many of the numerous causes of Imposter Syndrome in this article.
Many highly successful people are unable to see their own major contribution to their massive successes and as a result, they feel like fraud.
If you analyze a few of the most illustrated success stories — you may be also able to see a gigantic piece of random luck that played its hand in their phenomenal successes [read my previous blog — 136+ Hacks to Leverage Randomness for Phenomenal Business & Professional Success].
To the outside observer — a few of the extremely successful leaders and other successful individuals appear as incredibly and remarkably accomplished — and despite their staggering achievements — a few men and women believe that they don’t deserve their success.
This neurotic imposture could be the flip side of being gifted with natural talent — where they find that success comes easy — and that in turn causes many capable leaders to doubt themselves and their capabilities.
Room at the TOP is often lonely and as a CEO/ Chairperson/Business/Entrepreneur — many leaders might have internal emotional-mental blocks that may prevent them from confiding in others and seeking help from mentors.
Imposter Syndrome may get triggered — When you feel or believe that your success is not due to your talent, skills, planning, execution, and persistence and start doubting your competence.
And, also when you feel that your success is due to the random elements of success and luck.
Imposter Syndrome can generate — lots of negative emotions like — feelings of not being worthy, of not being adequate, of not being talented enough, or not being skilled enough to lead others who might be more qualified, skilled, and experienced than you, etc., etc.
Sometimes people with Imposter Syndrome may also feel that — others are irrationally overestimating their capabilities.
Many people with imposter syndrome may think — that I was lucky this time — but their luck may not hold forever and thus are haunted by the constant fear of exposure — They might feel their success is a burden
If you look closely — you may find that most of us are impostors — to some extent.
We may present a public self or a professional self that differs from the private self we share with the closest and most intimate people in our life AND even that can be vastly different from our own self-image OR how we see ourselves.
Many of us put on a mask or a facade — just to conform to societal rules when we play different roles in our different aspects of life — switching personalities as per the demands of a specific circumstance.
In this article, we are talking about — neurotic impostors people with the psychological issue of having imposter syndrome.
You can find Neurotic impostors in almost all the organizations — at all levels.
The greatest trigger for Neurotic impostors happens -when someone is promoted from senior management to the CEO level — because they must deal with many complex and unprecedented situations.
Once a leader becomes the CEO or the top person — He/She is expected to stand on his/her own and everything he/she does is highly visible.
Many female leaders find it almost impossible to internalize, accept, and celebrate their achievements — and may tend to attribute their success to — serendipity, luck, contacts, timing, perseverance, charm, or even the ability to appear more capable than they felt themselves to be.
Although objective data proves women are as capable leaders as men.
Neurotic imposture or imposter syndrome is common among both men and women.
BUT A larger number of MEN might exhibit examples of deliberate fraud or genuine imposture.
When the CEO is a neurotic impostor, the situation becomes even more painful for him/her — because as A leader at the top — they may not find it easy to ask for support from mentors or his/her juniors.
They might also create a very disempowering organization.
In these cases, experienced leadership coaches need to be engaged for the CEO.
64 Traits, SIGNS, Symptoms, and Types OF people with IMPOSTER SYNDROME
1. Genuine Fakes -In contrast to neurotic impostors — true impostors are highly accomplished con artists.
2. People with mindsets who negate their own stellar performances — only because of one minor flaw
3. People who believe that they could have done better and do not recognize even big wins as major achievements
4. People who on reaching a breakthrough milestone are not able to enjoy their massive success — as they have already set their eyes on another — bigger, larger success
5. People with perfectionist attitudes are always dissatisfied — irrespective of how much effort and hard work they have put, in and the quality of ambitious goals achieved
6. People with a deep underlying emotion of fear of losing control
7. People who try to micromanage everything
8. People who have difficulty in delegating and trusting their Juniors
9. Now there are people with IMPOSTER SYNDROME — who feel that they should know everything AND when they learn that they don’t know something — they feel like a failure
10. People who are afraid to ask their team members — because of their underlying fear of looking ignorant and foolish
11. People who constantly feel that they are not good enough or adequate
12. People who constantly go on acquiring certificates — there is a person Shrikant Jichkar in India — [I am not sure if it is due to IMPOSTER SYNDROME] — BUT he has acquired 20 degrees in various fields starting after completion of his medical graduate & post graduate qualifications MBBS & MD and then going for multiple degrees and post-graduate qualifications in vastly unrelated fields like — public administration, sociology, economics, literature, and archaeology, etc., AND who also was a Senior bureaucrat & a member of parliament
13. People who despite doing something for a long expertly — still feel that they don’t know it properly
14. People who feel scared when others refer to them as experts
15. People who want to do everything on their own without any help — for these people asking for help is a sign of failure and a major weakness
16. People who want to do everything with great speed comfortably — these people may equate failure when they fail to learn something first & FAST OR fail in their 1st attempt at something that they have never done before
17. People who avoid challenges because it’s so uncomfortable to try something you’re not great at
18. People who feel like juggling different projects and roles and excelling in each one of them — so when they fail while multitasking in a small role they feel like a failure
19. People whose focus is to prove that they can deal with, handle, and do anything and everything — and when this does not happen, they feel like a failure
20. People who feel guilty about taking time off from their work for personal fulfillment or even relaxing
21. People who almost always stay late at their work — even after all the necessary work is done
22. People who get stressed when they are not doing anything
23. People who might sacrifice their — personal life, their passions, their family member’s priorities of importance — for their work
24. People who despite numerous degrees and achievements — still feel pressurized to work harder and longer than those around them to prove their worth
25. People who can never feel proud of themselves, because they can notice things that still are not perfect
26. People who compete where there is no competition — are hyper-aware of the competition — both real or imagined — and have FOMO the fear of missing out
27. People who are unable to become part of any group because of their fear of not belonging
28. People who undermine their own competence, achievement, and praise with their rationalization — that those who are appreciating them don’t know what they’re talking about
29. They micromanage excessively and because of their extreme perfectionism in everything that they do –they start achieving lesser and lesser
30. They are workaholics and if in senior positions can create a culture of working at all hours for others as well
31. They might reject important projects — which is beyond their competence OR that seem very challenging
32. They constantly work to minimize failures — and as a result achieve even less
33. They try to live up to their self-created image of a powerful, all-knowing, perfect leader — by creating false Stories
34. They are afraid to share or let others view how they work or their work in progress
35. They reject offers of genuine help from others
36. They fear being seen as vulnerable
37. They may feel insecure or shaky — when others refer to them as experts
38. They tend to pass off their successes as EASY — even when they have put lots of time and effort
39. They may ask themselves — What gives me the right to speak? Why should people listen to me?
40. They may tend to dismiss positive feedback
41. They may also believe that if they were to start over — they wouldn’t succeed as the elements of their luck, talent or skills may not get replicated which they feel contributed to their earlier successes
42. They fear failure so much that they avoid taking on new responsibilities, going for a new job, or even accepting a promotion.
43. They might also find it difficult to speak up in meetings or answer questions without checking with someone else first
44. They may procrastinate or avoid working on tasks — because they worry about poor feedback they might receive
45. They find it difficult to accept compliments and celebrate accomplishments
46. They almost always Downplay their accomplishments
47. Many of them are always working on acquiring the next certificate/degree
48. They may credit luck or other reasons for any success that they might had
49. They Fear of being seen as a failure
50. They feel that overworking is the only way to meet expectations
51. They might feel unworthy of attention or affection — as a result, they may end up self-sabotaging some of their important relationships
52. They may not ask for a raise or apply for a promotion
53. As a parent — They may feel — clueless, incapable, and unprepared for the responsibility of raising their children
54. They may set unrealistic expectations from themselves as well as others AND due to this they may have a Continuous fear of not living up to expectations
55. They may experience Burnout faster
56. They may also end up self-sabotaging their future success
57. They may turn down promotions or avoid challenging new roles or high-exposure projects
58. They compare themselves unfavorably with others, using self-deprecating statements — or may even openly express fears of failure or incompetence
59. They might have Delayed personal growth because of Low self-esteem
60. They apologize — even when they didn’t do anything wrong
61. They hold themselves to incredibly impossible high standards
62. They avoid expressing confidence because they think people will see it as obnoxious.
63. They are convinced that they are not adequate
64. They may experience very high levels of Stress — in managing all of the above
15 sample causes that trigger imposter syndrome
1. When you are assigned an important task/role/responsibility that you feel totally unprepared to lead — despite your excellent track record
2. When you think others overestimate your abilities OR have an exaggerated view of your capabilities and competence PLUS
3. When under the guise of false humility — you downplay your achievements
4. When you have got a job, or a new role, or new responsibilities based on some manipulation BUT you don’t have any clue as to what to do
5. When you doubt your own history and track record — Neurotic impostors or people with imposter syndrome often appear to be highly humble modest Because they are so hesitant about their achievements.
6. Neurotic impostors are ABSOLUTE perfectionists — THEY set excessively high & unrealistic goals and then experience self-defeating thoughts and behaviors when they can’t reach those goals
7. When you are driven by the belief that you are currently not good enough but that you can do better if only you worked harder -The people don’t realize that they may be pushing themselves and others too hard, often to the detriment of long-term success
8. The vicious cycle begins when the impostor sets impossible goals — then fails to reach these goals — because impossibility elements are very high, and no one could reach them under the prevalent circumstances
9. Fearing discovery of their INADEQUACIES- they burden themselves with too much work to compensate for their lack of self-esteem and identity
10. They torture themselves endlessly about their failure — which in turn triggers — further accentuating the feelings of inadequacies and being an imposture — which may make them take yet another unattainable set of goals — and the entire cycle of workaholism and fraudulence begins again -By exploiting themselves so brutally in this way, they risk rapid and early burnout
11. Certain dysfunctional families and specific family structures can be the genesis for feelings of imposture getting imbibed in people — particularly those in which parents are themselves highly accomplished and EXPECT their children to be of even higher talent and accomplishments — BUT they lack human warmth while bringing up their children — you may find this theory more prevalent in academia and medicine, both disciplines in which the appearance of intelligence is vital to the success
12. Individuals who have been raised in this kind of environment seem to believe that their parents will notice them only when they — and as they grow these people often turn into insecure overachievers
13. Paradoxically, a predisposition to neurotic imposture is also quite common in individuals who are not expected to succeed. In socially disadvantaged groups (often with a blue-collar background, for example), parents may withhold encouragement because their children’s ambitions are inconsistent with family expectations.
14. Children who manage to advance to positions of real power as adults, however, often transcend their families of origin in such a spectacular way that lingering insecurity remains about having become so “grandiose” in their success. Frequently, because of conflicting signals, these executives wonder just how long that success will last
15. These doubts and distortions can also come from an additional combination of — family environment, Social pressures, deep-rooted emotional insecurities, compulsive need for validation and approval from some group or person, need to belong, and type of personality formed due to all these conditioning and pressure to succeed [ from family members, colleagues, or friends, AND BEING situations like starting a new job, being promoted, or working in a highly results-driven environment]
16. The self-destructive behavior associated with the imposter syndrome can take many forms -including procrastination, abrasiveness, and the inability to delegate, etc.
6 Rare Benefits of Having Imposter Syndrome or Doubting Your Own Competence
Imposter syndrome might not be unequivocally detrimental — it can have the following benefits also — albeit for a Very few people who might have a personality with the following attributes
1. In some cases — the impostor phenomenon can also catalyze growth — Impostor feelings can fuel high achievement — which would enhance one’s belief in his or her abilities and achievement
2. When you Acknowledge you don’t know everything — it can open you up to new learning opportunities
3. A mindset or attitude — that turns your fears — into motivation to overcome this challenge [of whatever scares them] as well as create something worthy
4. It can help you learn, prepare, and practice — in such a way that you not only master certain skills, develop or sharpen a talent, and deliver an excellent performance
5. Might get you into collaborative mode to help and encourage others to be their best
6. It may also trigger an inner self-competing force — which makes you — make yourself better than your yesterdays
12 Dangers of Feeling Like a Fake -When Neurotic impostor or imposter syndrome triggers failures
1. Self-imposed restrictions may prevent you from taking on bigger challenges, responsibilities, and targets
2. You may live in dread because you believe your success is fake and may get exposed
3. Your supposed inadequacies may shake your self-worth, self-pride, self-confidence
4. You may Indulge in conspicuously self-destructive behavior
5. You may find it difficult to concentrate and make tough decisions at critical moments
6. You may stop taking risks — which are important for your long-term sustainable growth — proving your fears of not being a great Leader or being incapable of reaching the highest levels of leadership
7. Your Natural talents may get overshadowed by feelings of self-doubt
8. You may Underplay your accomplishments to avoid coming into the limelight and deflect attention away from your success — this may make you a loner and recluse
9. Your Self-deprecation also elicits sympathy, encouragement, and support from others — BUT might get you into a victim mindset
10. Your fear of success and fame will make you remain at status quo or may make you go down
11. In extreme cases your disorder of neurotic impostor will trigger the very failure that you fear
12 Ways How People with Imposter Syndrome Create a Neurotic Organization
1. Neurotic impostors can and end up damaging the very organizations they are trying to impress
2. Neurotic impostors’ work ethic can be contagiously negative — because of their eagerness to succeed -they often become impatient and abrasive.
3. Neurotic impostors are extremely tough on themselves and thus not predisposed to spare others and may create a panic culture across their organizations
4. Neurotic impostors drive their employees too hard and create a concentration-camp-like atmosphere in their organizations, which inevitably translates into high employee turnover rates, absenteeism, and other complications that can affect the bottom line.
5. Neurotic impostors can intimidate others with their intensity
6. And because they don’t have what it takes to be effective leadership coaches — they are not generally talented in leadership development and succession planning.
7. More dangerous, however, is neurotic imposture’s effect on the quality of decision-making
8. Neurotic impostor CEOs & Executives who feel like impostors are afraid to trust their own judgment — and because they don’t their own instincts — why should they trust anyone else’s
9. A neurotic impostor CEO’s fearful, overly cautious kind of leadership can easily spread across the company and bring about dire consequences for the organization — like a neurotic impostor CEO is very likely to suppress his company’s entrepreneurial capabilities
10. Neurotic impostor CEOs are also highly likely to become addicted to consulting companies because of the greatly impressive presentations and assurances and guarantees — provided by supposed EXPERTS & objective analysis — to compensate for the executives’ feelings of insecurity. You will find almost all the ministries in India — use extensively all the named US and European consultants — because all the ministers and the bureaucrats are genuine FAKE without any idea or knowledge and lacking any positive intent
11. Neurotic impostor executives turn into puppets who are completely manipulated by these advisers who have only their own profit as the FOCUS — Of course, judicious use of consulting advice does have its place
12. The neurotic impostors may create a culture of punishing failures and intolerance for making mistakes — and as the leader’s level of anxiety increases — the entire organization can start displaying neurotic behavior — to the customers and outsiders
66 Tips on How to overcome the Imposter Syndrome or Neurotic imposture
All the tips that need detailed explanations — have separate a simple do-it-yourself article among my 900+ blogs on two websites.
Overcoming imposter syndrome can take some time and effort. It may not disappear overnight — but it can certainly become less overpowering with increased self-awareness, support, and the right strategies for you
1. Learn to be Aware, Recognize, Accept, and Acknowledge — whenever you feel like an imposter
2. Identify and understand which situation or person triggers imposter syndrome — within yourself
3. Learn to identify your assumptions and perceptions
4. Learn to challenge your irrational FEELINGS — based on facts and your track record — learn to use cognitive behavior therapy yourself — read my blog on this
5. Learn to objectively analyze and identify your abilities — identify your strengths based on real achievements and victories that you have had
6. Also identify the skills, expertise, exposure, and knowledge — that you need to acquire, learn, and master– to feel confident and emotionally secure in dealing with your leadership roles
7. Identify areas that need outsourcing or hiring to compensate for the places where you are objectively weaker
8. Try to create or connect with a group of startups/entrepreneurs/CEO — especially If you are an entrepreneur burden — TO NOT ONLY CONNECT but ALSO TO SHARE IN PRIVATE ABOUT THESE FEELINGS ON INADEQUACIES
9. Accept that as a CEO -you need to constantly sell and pitch YOURSELF in addition to selling and pitching your products and services
10. Learn how to deal with the pressure effectively — of trying to build and live the image of a perfect Leader and Visionary
Read the remaining article as per the following details
This article was originally published as “66 Tips Overcome Imposter Syndrome Are You a Highly Successful Leader Who Feels Like a Fraud “ in https://successunlimited-mantra.com/index.php/blog [1st]for more than 3000+ blogs, articles, and answers on creating metamorphosis in every aspect of your life — personal, professional, business, mental, emotional, social, relationships — please visit all three links http://relationshipandhappiness.com/ [2nd] and https://www.quora.com/profile/Subhashis-Banerji [3rd]
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