Have you ever felt scared of being found out? Of feeling out of your depth? For not having all the answers?

Well, if so you are not alone and as I am seeing in daily discussions with clients, anxiety brought on by the current economic situation is further fuelling these types of negative feelings.

Unfortunately, these feelings will be particularly exaggerated in organisations directly impacted by the current crisis, such as for banks, building societies, lenders and advisers who face uncertainty and new challenges.

The commercial shock of on-hold property marketing and the challenges of remote working, virtual teams and managing furloughed employees is especially tough for some more traditional organisations used to high levels of personal contact.

With confidence being so crucial when managing a team, especially during tough times, it makes addressing imposter syndrome even more important than normal.

Studies show that 85% of working adults sometimes feel inadequate and 70% of people experience “impostor syndrome” at some point in their career. This impacts on productivity, proactivity, procrastination, innovation, career advancement and mental and physical wellbeing.

Which is why ‘self-confidence’ and ‘overcoming self-limiting beliefs’ , ‘managing teams’, ‘influencing skills’, ‘conflict management ‘ and ‘body language’ are some of the most requested skills within VIC – your Virtual Interactive Coach – the e-coaching and e-learning platform that I founded to give employees and managers useful resources and tools.

The confidentiality assured by emulated coaching permits a safe space to ask for help and we have seen a marked increase in people seeking help and advice over the last few weeks.

Impostor syndrome not only lowers a person’s inner self-confidence and self-esteem, it can significantly impact you achieving the success you want and deserve.

It can stop you reaching your potential by blocking you from going for the job or promotion you want, which although may not be so relevant now will be in the future, impeding your performance at work, constraining your financial success and causing physical and mental health problems through guilt, worry and anxiety.

As a coach to top executives, I know that even CEOs live in fear of being exposed despite their outer confidence. So, why doesn’t external evidence of success always translate to inner confidence?

What is impostor syndrome?

“Impostor syndrome” is a pattern of behaviour where people doubt their success and accomplishments despite strong evidence to the contrary. They have an internalised fear of being exposed as a fraud. As working practices change across the world, and teams and managers work with uncertainty impostor syndrome is more likely to rear its ugly head.

Impostor feelings are not necessarily constant. People may feel confident giving a presentation to peers but inwardly tremble at the thought of giving the same presentation to management thinking ‘Surely they will see right through me? ‘

You may recognise one or more of these indicators that suggest that you, your friends or family or colleagues are prone to impostor syndrome:

• Being a workaholic – working very long hours, not taking time off, struggling to relax.
• Being a perfectionist – never satisfied, struggling to delegate or micromanaging.
• Being strong – never asking for help, being too independent.
• Being the expert – needing to know everything yet never knowing enough.

Can it affect anyone?

Whilst both men and women do experience impostor syndrome, women seem to suffer more than men. This may go some way towards explaining the continuing under-representation of women in senior management.

In the financial services sector, women account for less than 2% of CEOs and 20% of executive board members. Studies show that women wait until they meet 90% of the criteria of a new job before applying whilst men are quite happy to apply with just 60%! Around half of women felt undeserving of their career success and have never negotiated a pay rise.

Impacts of impostor syndrome

Imposter syndrome negatively impacts peoples’ personal and work lives in the following ways:

• It instils self-doubt and low self-esteem – people will reject praise, downplay achievements and allow others to take the acclaim.
• Impedes career growth – sufferers may not demand or even expect a promotion or a pay rise, or may simply not push themselves forward at work.
• Hampers leadership and management – sufferers will feel vulnerable and fear being exposed which makes taking tough, unpopular decisions harder and showing strong leadership less likely.
• Restricts innovation and risk taking – fearing failure inhibits creativity and inventiveness
• Affects mental health – creating stress, anxiety and feelings of isolation. This is particularly relevant now.

How do I address impostor syndrome in my team?

Impostor syndrome doesn’t just impact individuals It also impacts the teams and businesses they are part of. So, if you are in a leadership role, watch out for team members who might be feeling out of their depth. They may be apparently performing well but struggling inside.

Look for signs of loss of self-confidence and anxiety. They may be uncomfortable with praise and step back letting others take the acclaim. Or they may deflect it by attributing it to luck or the skills of others in the team.

They may also become self-deprecating and express greater uncertainty such as “I am not sure what I am doing here…”, “I found this difficult but I had a go….” or “I’m not sure this is what you were looking for….”.

In addition, as a manager, look out for a drop off in performance, emails being sent way before or after normal working hours, or an unusual delay in responding or making decisions caused by procrastination.

To help members of your team you suspect may be suffering from imposter syndrome, education and coaching are key. Studies suggest that simply finding out about impostor syndrome and knowing that others feel it too, helps significantly. So, be open, discuss it and build a team culture where it’s ok to be unsure, not always to know the answer and take appropriate risks.

Attribute success fairly; reward teamwork and creativity as well as hard work. Impostor syndrome drives a need for external validation. Lack of inclusion can make those feelings worse, so having a strong inclusion agenda provides validation for under-represented groups.

Homeworking is known to drive feelings of loneliness, disconnectedness and having to perform on your own. Gently direct team members to sites and advice that can help.

There has been a surge in use of videos, on the VIC site, to help with worry, guilt, impostor syndrome and self-limiting beliefs. With an equal rise in the solutions of how to build unstoppable self-confidence, mindfulness, relaxation and how to destress in just 10 minutes at the end of every day.

What can you do to overcome impostor syndrome if you have it yourself?

Studies suggest that simply finding out about impostor syndrome and knowing that others feel it too, helps significantly. Accept help from others. The chances are others are feeling like an imposter as well.

Most people love to be asked for help and often it helps their confidence and self-esteem too – so reach out more often. Not all manifestations of imposter syndrome are the same but in general there are a few tips that can help:

• Separate feelings from fact. Just because you feel something doesn’t mean you are. We all feel stupid or slow or unprepared at times.
• Stop striving to be perfect. Accept that perfection is unattainable and that no one is.
• Welcome positive feedback and internalise praise. And don’t fixate on any negative feedback – listen and then focus on the positive.
• Attribute success truthfully. Everyone has good and bad luck. Attributing success to luck undermines your abilities and confidence. Be grateful and appreciative.
• Forgive mistakes. Mistakes are how we learn best so recalibrate yours.
• Identify your “rules”, challenge them and rewrite. “I don’t have to be right”, “I don’t always have to know the answer”, “I can ask for help”, “I don’t have to be strong”.
• Change your internal script and underlying beliefs. “The next time I make a presentation, I won’t dry up”, “Everyone feels a little unsure when they start a new job so it’s just natural to feel this way and it won’t last”.
• Make a balanced list of your strengths and accomplishments. It’s less easy to discount a success when seen against a backdrop of past successes.

Finally we want to reach out and help businesses, teams and employees during these extraordinary times. We are offering VIC ‘A coach in your pocket 24/7’ free to all employees looking to address imposter syndrome, anxiety and stress or who are simply searching for help developing other skills at this time.