A Different Take on Imposter Syndrome

Imposter Syndrome is something I've noticed so many of my clients come up against. Entrepreneurs who secretly worry they are ill-equipped for their roles. Executives who stay up at night anxious that perhaps they're not qualified for the big titles they have, or the big goals they are tasked with.

Out there in the world, the over-riding take on Imposter Syndrome is that it is a false negative belief about yourself that holds you back. And that can be the case. I've seen many times how clients will fixate on whatever reinforces the negative stories they have about themselves, while totally ignoring the instances that prove how strong and capable they really are. This is a bad habit.

But there is another facet of Imposter Syndrome that most people don't talk about. Which is that perhaps there is truth in what you fear. Perhaps there areways you are ill-equipped for the task-at-hand. Perhaps you are not yet the master of a certain skillset. Trying to convince yourself—or anyone else for that matter—is exhausting. Pretending only creates pressure. And distracting yourself from this through positive self-talk does you no favors, because of course you don't really believe it anyway.

Instead, what if you got curious—what might feeling like an imposter be here to show you? Perhaps it can help you see what you need to work on? Facing this can help you get clear in the type of support you need, so that you become more equipped for the challenge at hand. Not because you're not good enough, but because we all have learning and growing to do. If we deny our imperfections, how can we ever work on them?

Some questions:

Where does my insecurity show up? Is this just a bad habit of thinking the worst about myself or is there any truth to this? What might it be here to teach me? What action could I take to learn and grow next?

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