Think of someone you consider a successful person. Got that person in mind? Good. To you they are a walking and breathing example of success - however you define it. But guess what they’re also an example of? Imposter syndrome. They, like almost all successful people, have experienced imposter syndrome.
And they may or may not have overcome it.

Today I’m sharing with you how to overcome imposter syndrome at work. 

Let’s get after it.

>>>

The discomfort we feel around imposter syndrome is due to cognitive distortion. Meaning, you doubt your competence, accomplishments, and feel like you're undeserving of the position you find yourself in.
Let’s remedy this, shall we?
 

1) Behave the Way you Want to Feel

No one wants to feel like a fraud. The easiest way to change this is to start behaving the way an expert would feel. What does that confidence feel like? Try it on. You heard me, imagine what having the confidence of an expert would feel like and try it on, much like you would a perfectly tailored jacket. Once you try it on and begin to act with confidence, you’ll start to notice that it looks good on you. Sometimes in order to let go of limiting beliefs holding us back, we have to act opposite to how we feel. So when we feel like a phony, we act like someone who has mastery. 

2) Reevaluate How You Define Success

Success means something different to everyone. Sure there might be a general sense of success but it varies more than we give it credit. You need to decide how YOU define success. If you let Society define success for you, you might not measure up. Or if you do, at what cost did you “succeed.” Did achieving success take its toll on your relationships? Your health? Is that really worth it? To save yourself the headache literally and figuratively, really think about the meaning you ascribe to the word success. Imposter syndrome feeds off of the desire to be “successful” and is fueled by the fear of not measuring up to the expectations of how to obtain that success. So when you define success on your own terms, you’ll notice that you’re no longer letting Imposter Syndrome have its grip on you and your self-worth. 
 

3)  Start With The Little Things

A lot of times with imposter syndrome, we’re psyching ourselves out. Thinking too big, thinking like you need to hit the ground running, thinking like you need to be successful with all of it. Whatever “it” is. The best way to rectify this is by focusing on the little things. That helps take the edge off. While experiencing the little things in the moment, they don’t feel high-stakes. That’s a good thing. It means they’re less daunting. However, it doesn’t mean they’re any less important. Added up over time they amount to something quite significant. An easy example of this is online and in-person interactions you have with your team at work. These conversations might not look like much, but having successful social interactions will help you get to where you want to go. Focus on creating strong rapport, listening well, successfully getting a point across, making someone feel heads. These are the little things, but they make or break communication. Look at it this way. If communication is a foundation to our success at work, then we should take great care to communicate effectively. But when you treat each social interaction as an individual event, it’s far less social-anxiety-inducing. Starting small, and knocking it out of the park with these social interactions will help you face your fears of feeling less-than. You’ll even start to shake away that feeling when “fraud” starts to creep up.

>>>

So there you have it, three strategies to overcome imposter syndrome at work. You probably notice that these can also be implemented in your personal life as well. To recap, we want to behave the way that we want to feel so essentially we’re telling our brain what to feel and not the other way around. Secondly, we want to reevaluate how we define success at work and in life. Instead of borrowing Society’s definition of success we’re allowing ourselves to decide what success looks like to us. Everyone will have different views on that. And lastly, find success in the little things. When you set out to seek success in the social interactions you have, putting a smile on someone’s face, listening to them with your undivided attention, doing someone a favor, and so on, you’re setting up your relationships for success. And we know that creating strong rapport is a foundation of solid communication. You probably know at this point how important effective communication is in business and in life. So don’t overlook the success you have in your social interactions. Overtime, these small things add up to something most significant and can truly impact your career.
Imposter syndrome is something that can be beaten. It’s mindset followed by action. Believe it, feel it, become it.   

>>>

Alright Explearners that’s it from me today. If you liked this lesson be sure to give it a big thumbs up. If you prefer to listen to this lesson, check out our podcast. If you’d like to leave us a 5 star review, feel free to do so! And head on over to our blog for the full transcript of this lesson. And if you want to help our channel continue to grow, share this lesson and our channel with anyone who wants to improve their communication skills and social skills. I’ll see you in the next one!

Happy Explearning ⚡⚡⚡

About the Author and the Explearning Academy:

Mary Daphne is an expert in communication, executive interpersonal skills, and personal development. She is the founder of the Explearning Academy, a platform dedicated to helping individuals enhance their social fluency, boost their careers, and elevate their social game. Through immersive group coaching programs like the Executive Communication Lab and self-guided journeys, participants gain the social superpowers and career catapults they've been searching for. If you're ready to take your negotiation skills to the next level and connect with like-minded individuals, visit academy.explearning.co and explore the various plans available. Join the Explearning Academy community and unlock your full potential.

Thank you for reading! If you found this blog post valuable, don't forget subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow our podcast!

✨

🎁5-DAY FREE CHALLENGE 🎁
🎤 Sign up for my group coaching program🎤
🤩 Join our community 🤩 for a self-guided fully-supported journey
✨ Learn more about Explearning Academy ✨
🏆 Sign up for our 33-Day Executive Excellence Challenge 🏆