One of the unique and, in many ways, paradoxical aspects of success is insecurity. Ironically, people who achieve high success in their careers often experience insecurity or even fear of exposure. Many sometimes feel that they do not deserve such a high position or recognition and that their objective success is due to chance and luck. This syndrome, which you can study in more detail from a psychological point of view by enlisting the support of a research paper writer, is an excellent topic for research, even though it was discovered more than half a century ago and existed most likely throughout the history of humanity.
Next, we will discuss imposter syndrome and how to deal with it in management and leadership positions. According to various studies, more than 65% of workers around the world face such feelings. This psychological condition is especially common among successful professionals who hold high positions or achieve significant results.
The Origins of Imposter Syndrome
To understand how to deal with imposter syndrome, it is important to first consider its causes. This syndrome often occurs in perfectionists who constantly raise their expectations of themselves. Even if their work is universally recognized and they garner praise for their contributions, such people often fail to enjoy success because they focus only on the shortcomings, not the advantages.
Another factor in the emergence of impostor syndrome is social pressure. In the era of “incredible success,” which is demonstrated by various bloggers on social media or against the background of the achievements of other experts in the profession, people fixate on the fact that they are not good enough in their opinion. Perfectionists, who most often suffer from this syndrome, tend to compare themselves with others, emphasizing their shortcomings and completely ignoring their achievements because, in their own opinion, they are not high enough compared to someone else. The first step to overcoming imposter syndrome is to recognize the problem. After that, you can gradually plan a way out of it because it is a condition that hurts productivity, and if not dealt with, the fear of failure or disappointment in your “inadequate” successes can really affect your work.
Recognizing Your Achievements
Recognizing your own successes is a key strategy to combat imposter syndrome. Instead of dwelling on small mistakes and failures, remember your successes and listen to positive feedback about your work more. To do this, you can start a so-called success diary in which you should write down your progress, even through force, to remind yourself of it in moments of crisis. By scaling the diary in the future, the objective dominance of successes over minor failures will make it easier to react to them and perceive them as an additional incentive to be better than an evaluation of your work.
Re-Evaluating the Inner Critic
It is very helpful to engage in an internal dialog. Specifically “communicating” with your inner critic. This person who “sits inside” behaves like a scandalous restaurant critic, scolding everything and completely ignoring the positive. And that’s what you’re going to have to work with. It’s enough to set aside emotions and force yourself to objectively examine your successes. At first, the inner me will resist this because the imposter syndrome did not appear overnight, and getting rid of it instantly will not work either. But constant practice will allow you to build an objective picture of yourself over time and make your inner critic speak objectively.
The point is to consciously challenge your negative thoughts and evaluations and replace them with more rational thoughts. For example, if you think I was lucky to get this project, it’s worth asking yourself: What makes you think this is true? What evidence is there for randomness? Gradually, such reflections will help lessen the negative influence of the inner critic.
Setting Realistic Expectations
One of the causes of imposter syndrome is an inadequate assessment of one’s abilities and setting too high expectations. Trying to jump over the top can turn out to be extremely frustrating for a person with imposter syndrome, even if he or she has achieved very good results. For example, if a sales manager wanted to double his monthly sales goal but fell a little short of the target, it would be perceived as a complete failure. Even if it was off-season, and even if he is the best in the department in terms of performance. Therefore, setting adequate goals is essential.
For example, if students have the task of writing a paper on the eve of exams, a rational student will buy essay from a professional and leave more time to prepare for the tests because he rationally assesses his capabilities. This approach can be used universally in any field.
Finding a Role Model
Instead of fixating on the success of others in the profession and devaluing your own results, it is much more productive and useful to look for successful people who have managed to cope with imposter syndrome and have shown by example that by becoming more confident in themselves they were able to achieve even more. Fortunately, there are plenty of such examples. Many world-famous people once admitted they felt themselves impostors and emphasized only failures.
Some notable examples include Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, who helped develop the company; Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who helped the company become world famous; and even First Lady Michelle Obama, who admitted in her book Becoming that she suffered from this syndrome. By taking the example of highly successful people who fought similar anxiety, it will be easier for you to overcome your own doubts and become calmer and happier.
Conclusion
Imposter syndrome is a common problem among successful people, especially in the creative and intellectual sphere. It is possible and necessary to overcome this syndrome, as it only increases stress levels and produces anxiety. Constant work on yourself and following simple techniques will help you get out of the vicious circle. Remember, everyone you consider an expert in your field once knew nothing about it.
