When you look at people who you classify as “peak performer” what
do you think they do differently from you? You admire them because they seem to
always get the opportunities and they get things done. When you admire them, do
you use the same lens to judge yourself and your performance, or is your point
of view a little bit different when it comes to you? How fair a judge are you
about your performance and what your abilities really are? That thought of “you
are not good enough” can have a negative effect on your performance, setting
you up on a slippery slope where all you want to do is hide, as you are afraid
that you will be exposed and found out for being a fraud.
Coming across what is defined as “Imposter Syndrome”, fascinates
me, given my interest in people and behaviour. I am amazed that there is even a
definition for this “not feeling worthy syndrome” and how prevalent it is. It’s
a syndrome that happens to 70% to 80% of the population apparently and super
achievers are not immune to it. A case to make the point;
- An incoming class at Stanford Graduate School Of Business was asked “How many of you in here feel that you are the one mistake that the administrative committee made?” Two thirds of the class raised their hands.
Imposter syndrome, in simple terms is what happens when people
fail to believe that they deserve the success that they have achieved. Success
achieved is seen as chance or a fluke, and therefore sooner or later that luck
will run out. The victim feels he/she will soon be seen for who they are which
is not good enough for that job or to be in that position. Imposter syndrome
can really break you in terms of realising the opportunities you could deliver
given your potential and ability!
If you believe you are not good enough, you are highly likely to
be right. It does not mean you were never good enough, it just becomes a
self-fulfilling prophecy because of what you believed in the first place. You
can’t expect people to believe in you if you do not believe in yourself. Think
of the last time someone presented an idea to you and they did not come across
as being sure of themselves. Did you buy into the idea?
Self-criticism is not constructive if it becomes a self-bashing
party. It only fuels your insecurity and insecure people are the hardest to
deal with in the workplace as they are always in a defensive position looking
to protect something (usually their job). They do not collaborate well with
their colleagues as a result of that. This is not about lying to yourself about
your abilities and performance. It is about recognising and accepting your
successful achievements rather than belittling them as “by the way”…
You can’t be creative if you are not feeling good about yourself,
and you will also not attract the right team of people who’ll want to work with
you on delivering the objective. There is nothing wrong with having
self-doubt. Seeing it and acknowledging
it is important, but these are simply thoughts in your head, so don’t get stuck
in believing them. More than 70% of people, including super achievers, have
these thoughts so you are not alone.
Thinking you are not good enough is not the reality you want to
live as that will determine how you feel about yourself and in turn how you
perform. Nothing impacts your performance more than how you feel about yourself,
so back yourself to improve your performance.
Related Articles:
- Make yourself vulnerable if you are serious about connecting
- A swing and a miss does not mean you lost
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