8 Clues You Might Have Imposter Syndrome

Written by: Stacey Ruth, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

If you ever feel like you are incapable of doing what is required to succeed, then you are in good company. This is the hallmark of imposter syndrome, and 70% of adults admit to feeling like they are an imposter in their current role. Imposter syndrome is most common among high-performers, and often, the higher the level of success a person achieves, the more they feel like an imposter.

As a female CEO of my own agency for decades, I struggled with imposter syndrome constantly – and never even knew it until years later! I wish now that I had known what I know now and could have saved myself – and my team – the dysfunction and frustration imposter syndrome creates.

What Imposter Syndrome really is

Imposter syndrome was first identified in 1978 and is defined by a fear of being intellectually or professionally a fraud. The presence of credentials, achievements, and a track record of success is not enough to create confidence in a person who has this syndrome. Instead, they are plagued by a persistent belief that their accomplishments are solely due to luck or outside circumstances and that at any moment, their true inability will be discovered.

The severity of imposter syndrome varies widely. While the 1978 study emphasized that it was most common among high-achieving women, it certainly is not limited to a single demographic or only to our professional lives. In fact, many people exhibit the common signs of imposter syndrome and never realize that could be the root cause of their problems.

The signs of imposter syndrome, when taken by themselves, do not necessarily add up to a full-blown case of imposter syndrome. However, if there is a pattern or several are present at once, you might want to further explore what is motivating your actions. Here are six common symptoms of imposter syndrome and how to address them.

Clue No.1: Procrastination

There are many reasons we might delay getting something done. The imposter procrastinates for fear that their efforts will fail to live up to expectations, or they feel too overwhelmed by the project’s enormity that they don’t know where to begin.

Try this: Break larger projects and activities into micro-actions. This creates forward momentum and instant wins. Additionally, put more important activities at the top of your to-do list, including self-care, so they get done before anything else.

Clue No.2: Overachieving

Trying to win all the awards, performing at mind-boggling levels, with greater intensity and successes than anyone else, is not always something to brag about. It can be dangerous, in fact. Overachievers are terrified of failure and feel that they will outrun it if they keep moving at high speeds. Imposter syndrome sufferers will do this to the detriment of their own health and well-being, risking burnout and much worse.

Try this: Instead of trying to do more, be more, and win more, shift the focus to efficiency and strategic activity. This includes time to unplug for greater creativity and energy and a willingness to learn through disappointments while improving as a result.

Clue No.3: Perfectionism

Perfectionists obsess over the details in an effort to prove to themselves and others they deserve their role. Nothing is ever good enough to them, so they focus on what is wrong rather than what is right. This impossible standard stems from already intense anxiety and adds even more fuel to the fire.

Try this: The path out of perfectionism is to practice self-compassion and shift the focus of our self-worth away from achievement and to personal fulfillment.

Clue No.4: Self-criticism

We all have an inner critic and an inner cheerleader. Imposter syndrome sufferers’ inner critic has taken over. Their inner dialog is self-abusive and creates a downward spiral of self-esteem. This distorted perspective is often not something they are fully aware of. Instead, they see compliments and positivity as disingenuous or inappropriate.

Try this: Catch yourself in a negative thought pattern, then interrupt it with an opposite idea in the form of a mantra.

Example:

Negative thought: My presentation was too long and boring.

Opposite Idea as a Mantra: I create brief, fascinating presentations.

It is not necessary that you believe the positive mantra initially. The result is a rewiring of your habitual thought patterns toward a more optimistic view – which is no more harmful or dangerous than the negative one. Ultimately, positive feedback generates greater motivation, whether it is internal or external.

Clue No.5: Constant Comparison

Given the pervasive presence of social media, comparing ourselves to competitors and friends alike is almost unavoidable. Imposters' judge their reality beside someone else’s self-promotion as if the two were comparable. This is true in social media, networking, and dating sites alike. Most importantly, the focus is on other people and not on yourself.

Try this: Limit your time on social media. This is easy with social posting automation software and turning off social notifications on your devices. Focus your newly discovered free time on one-on-one conversations with your customers, friends, and mentors. Ironically, ask questions and become curious about what they are dealing with on a daily basis. While this may seem like you are focusing on them, the idea here is to find ways where you can connect with them and be supportive/helpful.

Clue No.6: Over-credentialing

Imposter’s equate credentials with credibility. They often collect countless, expensive, time-consuming degrees and certifications in the hope that they will have the credibility they feel they lack conferred on them.

Try this: There is no doubt that a certain amount of credentials really help build necessary skills and knowledge in many cases. However, if your signature looks more like alphabet soup and your credit cards are maxed out, then take a breath, and make a list of all the skills you currently already have. Then write your bio in such a way that it includes a reference to every skill. Now – get busy really using those skills on a daily basis.

Clue No.7: Co-dependency

Many new business owners are so unsure that they can build a business on their own, they build messy, unequal partnerships for a false sense of security. I certainly did this, and these partnerships usually end in dissolution that is painful and costly. Internally, executives can lean excessively on a key team member to bolster them up and do part of their job for them, which can also be messy when the team member inevitably gets tired of the arrangement.

Try this: Before you decide to partner up internally or externally with someone else, try running the business on your own for one year. Remind yourself of why you are doing this, who you serve, and how much you are learning through the process.

Clue No.8: Isolating

Imposters can be extremely individualistic, even within a larger organization, and prefer to work alone. Nothing matters more than their own productivity, so they rarely delegate or accept help. Instead, they are afraid they will be revealed as weak or incompetent in any collaborative situation.

Try this: Find one task you are willing to delegate or share with someone else. Start small. Approach this act of vulnerability with a beginner’s mind, allowing the other person room to ask for additional information or structure. Instead of viewing it as productivity, you have lost through time spent getting the other person up to speed, consider it a fresh insight into your own process that ultimately allows you to do more.

Many of my high-performing executive coaching clients deal with aspects of imposter syndrome every day. There is no shame in that. Instead, we are free to finally recognize the impact imposter syndrome has on them and make a fresh set of more empowering choices to break free.

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Stacey Ruth, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Leadership Coach, Stacey Ruth, is an acclaimed marketer, entrepreneur, minister, and founder of two multimillion-dollar agencies. She has been named one of the Top 50 Entrepreneurs in Atlanta and twice as one of the Top 100 “It” Agencies by Experiential Marketer Magazine. She did all this while struggling with two failed marriages, imposter syndrome, overwhelm, and stress-related health issues. This inner crash from outer success triggered the spiritual journey that took her to Manchu Picchu and had her walking across the fire. This was when she learned how we all could rise above circumstances to become irresistible and unstoppable. Today, Stacey advocates for leaders ready to reach their next level with clarity and confidence - most especially women leaders like herself. Stacey is the author of Own Your Own Shift: The Power, Passion, and Freedom to Be Unstoppable.