Imposter syndrome explainer

Impostor syndrome, also known as fraud syndrome or impostor experience goes beyond self doubt or self belief. It describes high-achieving individuals who, despite their successes and achievements, fail to own or internalise them They may experience persistent or occasional self-doubt or fear for being exposed as a fraud or never feeling good enough.

• Chronic and persistent
• Short bursts that come and go

People who experience impostor syndrome struggle to match their performance and achievements with their competence. They might think they are where they are today due to luck or nepotism. Any setbacks or failures they totally own. They take all of the bad stuff and give the good stuff away.

Psychologists Clance and Imes first described impostor phenomenon in 1978. Clance originally identified the syndrome among high-achieving professional women. This perception of being a Womens issue stuck until more recently when research showed that it impacted men and women equally. The International Journal of Business Science in 2011 said that 7 out of 10 people will experience it at some point. In 2018, research by Access Commercial Finance found that 62% of adults had experienced imposter syndrome at work in the last 12 months. Most studies conclude that between 60-80% of high performing individuals experience it at some point in their careers. Some persistently experiencing it.

Is it a mental illness?

It is something that certainly happens in the mind, but it is not recognised as a psychiatric disorder. Outside the academic literature, impostor syndrome has become widely discussed and accepted as people are becoming aware of it and accepting that they have experienced it at some point in their careers. 

For most people, the syndrome is short lived. They fake it until they make it, build confidence and begin to own their achievements and successes. However, it can be very harmful when it is persistent, or stops you from taking risks, putting yourself forward for opportunities or impacts your self esteem. 

As a leader, it is also important to recognise it in yourself and the impact it has on your leadership, and on others, so you might help them overcome it, or at least recognise it in themselves. I am sure we have all had someone in the team who doesn't believe in themselves and we wish they could see how brilliant they were. Pushing them will not help them, but a gentle nudge, a little support and a dose of championing can work wonders.