Patrick McKendry

This year’s State of the Union address captured headlines this week. However, coverage was not necessarily focused on policy points, but on the interpersonal conflicts on display throughout the proceedings. Of note was Sen. Mitt Romney’s rebuke to Rep. George Santos that “You don’t belong here”, a criticism of Santos’s choice to take a prominent center aisle seat instead of opting for a less prominent spot in the House. Santos has made headlines as an imposter, even acknowledging the fabrication and lies about his education, work, experience, religion, and more. His case is moving through the House Ethics committee and Santos also faces investigations outside of Congress. Representatives from both sides of the aisle have called for his resignation.¹

Unfortunately, con artists and imposters have a storied role in history. Stories span from Charles Ponzi to Elizabeth Holmes to False Dmitry, who impersonated the dead son of Ivan The Terrible and claimed - for a brief time - the Russian throne.² There has always been a certain allure to these characters, a point driven home by Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of Frank Abagnale in Catch Me If You Can.³ Given this criminal notoriety, regularly emerging headlines of new fraudsters, and the multitude of spam calls we get on a seemingly daily basis, it can feel like fraud and imposters are everywhere.

We are not going to focus on that. Instead, we will focus on who is not an imposter - YOU! Like most people, you do your best to be honest and genuine and to earn your success through your effort and intelligence. You do not make up tales about your background, you answer questions honestly, and you are transparent with gaps in your knowledge. Still, researchers estimate that 70% of people report feelings of imposter syndrome at one or more points during their careers.⁴ Imposter syndrome is a psychological occurrence in which an individual doubts their skills and accomplishments and feels persistent anxiety or fear about being exposed as a fraud.⁵ The phenomenon stretches across race, gender, and levels of achievement.

Imposter syndrome is harmful to individuals because it can negatively influence mental well-being at work and beyond. It is also harmful to organizations because it can lead people to not stretch to their full capability due to fear that they are already out of their depths. Here, let us look at the questionable nature of imposter syndrome and tactics for limiting its impact for ourselves and our teams.

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Imposter Syndrome is a Fraud

Imposter syndrome is not really a syndrome. Rather, it is a phenomenon. This semantic distinction may seem trivial, but it is not. A syndrome defines a set of co-occurring symptoms that suggest the presence or probability of developing an underlying disease.⁶ If you are experiencing imposter syndrome, it is not because you are ill or have a disorder. It is not recognized in the DSM-5, the current version of the American Psychiatric Association’s reference book on mental health conditions.⁷ Instead, imposter syndrome is a phenomenon, an occurrence that happens as a result of external factors and internal behavioral processes. The difference matters because, by focusing on the factors that influence imposter syndrome, we can begin to account for their influence. Here on out, we will use the proper nomenclature and refer to this as “imposter phenomenon” or “impostorism”.

When we think about a disease, we are looking at underlying biological and environmental factors that create either acute problems that can be treated or ongoing chronic symptoms that can be maintained. With phenomena, we are looking at something transient. Impostorism is generally felt in response to a situation or person and when removed from that environment, its effects tend to fade. I do not say this to discount the feelings that the imposter phenomenon creates. Rather, I hope to call out just how resolvable it can be. There is nothing inherently wrong that requires treatment. With proper support and awareness, impostorism can be overcome. We will talk more about those tactics later.

Realistically, the fact that we can validate the feelings associated with impostorism should only further diminish its power over us. If we look closely, the phenomenon is really nothing more than an emotion. Oxford Languages describes emotion as “a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.”⁸ We know that our relationship to others and circumstance can create situations that lead to the imposter phenomenon. In that case, the occurrence can be easily categorized as an emotion if we decide it is natural and instinctive. A reasonable determinant of that could be how commonly the occurrence appears.

As we know, it is quite common. We already mentioned that 70% of people report feeling like an imposter at some point in their careers. We can compare that prevalence to other emotions for perspective. A survey by Quantum Workplace studied emotional response proportions between managers and contributors in companies across both positive and negative response types. They found meaningful differences in rates at which the emotions were felt between the two groups.⁹

https://www.quantumworkplace.com/future-of-work/emotions-in-the-workplace-how-to-deal-with-emotions-at-work

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Note, however, that even the highest reported emotion of “Stressed” was identified 53% of the time. I think that is questionably low, and the survey limited respondents to think about only the past month for their evaluation. Regardless, nothing came close to the 70% reported rate of impostorism. I think it is fair to say that the feeling of being an imposter is common enough to be considered natural.

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Is It Imposter Syndrome or Discrimination?

Imposter syndrome is not a problem limited to only certain groups of people. As more research has been undertaken, its presence has been found to be a universal stressor. This makes sense as its presence is primarily driven by internal expectations, which are universally common. One core facet of the imposter phenomenon is the feeling that someone does not belong.

Another unfortunately common cause of the feeling of low belonging is discrimination. It is critical to note that imposter syndrome is an entirely different problem from discrimination.¹⁰ Historically, imposter syndrome was believed to be a phenomenon predominantly or exclusively experienced by women and people of color, who do more commonly feel as though they are imposters.¹¹ This feeling of not belonging is often bolstered by lack of representation for these groups in leadership and by feedback from their colleagues. This is not imposter syndrome. This is discrimination and it is wrong in all forms. There are two distinct differences that can help us separate the impacts caused by the imposter phenomenon from those of discrimination.

First, we should look deeper at the sense of not belonging and identify whether it is based on positive or negative bias. For imposter phenomenon, we feel that we have been given undeserved credit and that we do not belong because we are not actually good enough to legitimately earn the results given. Said differently, we sense that people think better of us than we deserve. For discrimination, we feel that we are being blocked out from opportunities or groups and that we do not belong because others do not think we deserve credit for our work or deserve the opportunity to try for more. Said differently, we find that people think less of us than we deserve.

Second, we should look at the source and nature of what causes the sense of not belonging. For imposter phenomenon, the source is internal as our previous experiences and thoughts bubble up and make us question ourselves. For discrimination, the source is external as the bias of others and outdated social structures shape the environment.

These questions are critical to ask because the impacts of imposter phenomenon and discrimination can be similar. In each case, individuals are limited in their potential and often react by avoiding the stressor. And in each case, the conversation is often started in the same way - someone expresses feeling like they do not belong in their current role. Here, we find a dangerous negative externality of the ubiquity of the imposter phenomenon. In fact, despite its popularity and the important role it has played in creating career opportunities, the original authors behind the imposter phenomenon recognize its flaws.¹² Published in 1978, the original research by Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes has been cited thousands of times. The initial study focused on a survey of over 100 women, ⅓ of whom were involved in psychotherapy and ⅔ of whom were colleagues or friends of the authors. All of the women had been formally recognized for their success. This sample of participants is a far cry from those who find themselves systemically blocked from paths to greater success.

Frequently, mentors and coaches highlight the common theme of impostorism and give guidance on how to account for it. This well-intentioned guidance improperly places the burden of responsibility on the individual when it is the discriminating system that needs correction. Framing low belonging more precisely with these two questions can help pinpoint where focus truly needs to be applied.

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Limiting the Effects of the Imposter Phenomenon

As is true with most con artists, the name and story of imposter syndrome can be misleading, but that does not change the real impacts that it can have on us. Even when properly and precisely defined, the imposter phenomenon can have significant and negative influence on our lives. It can create feelings of anxiety and nervousness, cause self-doubt and self-sabotage, and lead us to not reach for our full potential.

Over the years, researchers have worked to better understand the causes behind impostorism and the corrective actions that can be taken when it shows up. Similar to how there are a number of situations that might make you happy, there are a number of different ways and reasons that the imposter phenomenon may appear. Dr. Valerie Young has been a leading researcher on the subject and is the founder of the Imposter Syndrome Institute.¹³ Because of its wide variety of causes, Dr. Young breaks impostorism into 5 subcategories. Let’s break down each one and highlight its cause and how to account for it in your work life.¹⁴

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The Perfectionist

The Type: This person sets impossibly high standards for their work. Inevitably, the will fall short and feel like an imposter because they could not live up to their own standards.
What It Looks Like: Being unable to conclude or move on after projects because of fixating on imperfect details or results. Struggling to delegate work or micromanaging to ensure the desired results happen.
How It Develops: This type may develop in cases where people are rewarded entirely on the work they deliver rather than a balance of their inputs with the resulting outputs. Alternatively, this type may develop from excessive criticism and nitpicking on missed details.
How to Account for it: Celebrating progress over perfect progress is a good start. It is important to realize that making mistakes is a part of learning and growth and that they happen for everyone. Being comfortable making and learning from mistakes is just a part of the process. One helpful trick can be assigning a grade quality requirement before starting. For example, if a task does not truly need your best work, make it a “B-grade project”. This gives you permission to get some things wrong while still living up fully to the requirements that you gave to yourself.

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The Superwoman / Superman

The Type: This person feels like superhuman effort is the only way to overcome their inherent imposter. They are addicted to the validation that comes from working, often at the expense of their overall mental health.
What It Looks Like: Finding downtime stressful and wasteful or letting go of hobbies. Working harder and longer than those around you to prove your worth, even if your tasks are complete.
How It Develops: This type may develop as a habitual stress response, where someone prepares rigorously because they are stressed about an upcoming test or project. This reduces their stress response and helps them to feel better. Further, when they are successful, they attribute success to the excessive prep rather than their own skills, which kicks off a reinforcing cycle.
How to Account for it: Some people try to optimize directly for work-life balance here, and I think that is wrong. Picking up new hobbies will just give you more things to put aside in favor of work. Rather, work on reducing the scope of time you “need” for each project. If you usually spend 3 hours on a weekly performance report, make yourself do it in only 2 hours, then 1 hour, then 30 minutes. This will cause some initial stress, but there will likely be no meaningful impact to the quality of the deliverable and no critical feedback as a result of the change. This can help break the reinforcement cycle and over-preparation habit. Be careful with how you start as this approach can set you back if you are too restrictive and the work output does actually suffer. Also, learn to not focus on external validation exclusively and give yourself permission to provide your own opinion on your work quality.

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The Natural Genius

The Type: This person feels validated by how easily they are able to learn a topic. If they struggle to learn a new skill or take a while to master it, they feel like an imposter because of the lack of “natural talent”.
What It Looks Like: Avoiding challenges to minimize the risk of not easily learning something. Losing confidence when faced with setbacks.
How It Develops: This type may develop in those who were top performers in school and across other disciplines early in life. They have regularly received validation for being naturally intelligent or capable.
How to Account for it: Pick a multi-faceted skill and break it down into its composite parts before beginning to work through them one-by-one. You will more comfortably pick up the smaller pieces and maintain motivation, while also learning that you do not need to forgo an entire capability space if you cannot pick it up all at once. Also, become comfortable with the fact that we are all lifelong learners and that growth is an ongoing process of failure and improvement.

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The Soloist

The Type: This person feels that asking for help is a sure sign that they are an imposter and insist on figuring out everything on their own and without support.
What It Looks Like: Framing requests around the project and its requirements rather than your needs for support. Turning down offers for help in all cases.
How It Develops: This type may develop when previous feedback and rewards were contingent around “who” completed the work or was primarily responsible.
How to Account for it: Create a habit out of asking for help by seeking out someone else for support at a set cadence, such as once per day. If easier, start by picking requests for help that are way outside of your area of expertise.

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The Expert

The Type: This person evaluates their competence based on the amount that they know. They often do not see themselves as experts because they are hyper-aware of what they do not know.
What It Looks Like: Avoiding jobs and projects where they do not know every answer. Constantly seeking out certification or training as validation that they are fully knowledgeable.
How It Develops: This type may develop as a habitual stress response where someone feels unprepared for a project and pushes back due dates to make time for more research and learning. The delayed deadline can alleviate stress and that feeling can pair with the further training to create a positive reinforcement.
How to Account for it: Become comfortable with the fact that you do not need to know everything in order to know a lot of things. Recognizing that only one person can know the most creates a lot of space for other experts who know “a lot”. Seek out advice from mentors and peers too, and you will find that even they do not have all the answers despite your label of them as experts. Also mentoring junior colleagues can be a great way to develop comfort in playing the expert role and help to establish the idea that relative expertise can be valuable.

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Two Universal Considerations

While there are a number of ways that the imposter phenomenon can manifest itself, there are a few universal aspects of it. First, achieving success is not a solution to getting rid of the imposter phenomenon. Widely respected and successful individuals claim to feel ongoing stress from believing that they are an imposter - Maya Angelou, Neil Gaimen, Andre 3000, Michelle Obama, and Jacinda Arden to name a few.⁵ It is truly nonsensical that the imposter phenomenon would continue to show up after we have consistently and publicly achieved success and validation for our work.

Second, shared experience can dramatically and consistently diminish the effects of the imposter phenomenon.¹² Most of us are pretty poor objective evaluators when we are the subject of review. However, as social creatures we are highly effective at measuring those around us. Yet, in most cases, people feel uncomfortable or ashamed of talking about their feelings of being an imposter. If anything, why would we call it to light when that facade is the only thing propping up our current standing?! Yet, when others talk about a similar situation we are quick to recognize that they are wrong in how they see themselves. In that moment of recognition, we are suddenly able to realize that the same misguided self-review is happening within us. When we hear stories Neil Gamen or our boss about their own feelings of fraud, we realize the only concept may be wrong afterall. Impostorism’s inaccuracy in signaling fraud amongst those who are high achievers should significantly devalue its ability to offer a viable signal of fraud in ourselves.

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To me, these observations really drive home that we should not allow the imposter phenomenon the power that we have given to it. There are enough forces in the world that push back on us and our growth any given day. We really do not need to add our own contributions to hold ourselves. Instead, we should commit to changing our emotional response. The next time you see impostorism begin to appear, pause and take the moment to choose gratitude and optimism as your response over anxiety or nerves. Be grateful that you have made it to a position where your work is well-regarded and others have been willing to invest in your future. Be optimistic that, with proper support, you will overcome this next challenge as you have similarly overcome previous obstacles. Then commit to do your best, to learn, and to grow.

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References

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The Real Fraud - Imposter Syndrome