Impostor syndrome is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments or talents and has a persistent internalised [sic] fear of being exposed as a 'fraud'.

-PAULINE ROSE CLANCE & SUZANNE IMES

Drs Clance and Imes presented the definition above in their 1978 paper, The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention.

You may have heard the term in the past, or you may have just had the unexplainable feeling that you "just weren't good enough." Imposter syndrome is pervasive, impacting both men and women, and is counter-productive to your career, relationships, goals, and everything else you want to achieve.

It can also cost you money! How?

Studies show that imposter syndrome:

• Impedes opportunities for promotion because we avoid applying for jobs we think we're not ready for.

• Results in lower earnings because we don't take risks and apply for those jobs.

• Causes us to take less financial risks because we're constantly asking, "what if...".

• Decreases our productivity as we do things over and over because it's "not perfect yet".

• Decreased productivity may result in lower raises.

• Increases our entrepreneurial inactivity because self-doubt stops us from doing the things we need to do.

• Causes additional stress and additional health costs.

Imposter syndrome stops us from taking risks, like applying for a job we're not 100% qualified for. We don’t join a dating app because we’re afraid of rejection. We don’t speak up because we worry about what other people think.

Since that famous paper in 1978, many books have been written on the topic. In fact, a basic Google search on the subject turned up over 6 million results!

And so many of the results promise to help you "overcome imposter syndrome."

But here's the deal. You can't "overcome imposter syndrome".

What you CAN do is learn skills to help you manage it and build your confidence. There are four keys to help you manage your imposter syndrome.

1. Recognize that you have imposter syndrome. This is crucial. You have to be able to recognize that you HAVE imposter syndrome before you can manage it. How do you know? If you find yourself doubting yourself, even when others are recognizing your skills, you may be experiencing imposter syndrome. If you ever think, "I hope they don't figure out I have no idea what I'm doing," you may be experiencing imposter syndrome.

2. Determine where your imposter syndrome is coming from. When you experience it, take a moment to reflect on what's triggering it. Is it someone in a senior position? A peer you compare yourself to? Do you tend to experience it during conflict? Identifying what's causing it is a huge key to learning to overcome it. It will help you with the next step, which is to start to address it.

3. Take small steps to learn skills to address and manage your imposter syndrome. For example, if public speaking is what triggers your imposter syndrome, then look for opportunities to do more of it. Did that just freak you out? That's your inner critic speaking up. Your inner critic is there to keep you safe, but it also prevents you from taking chances. If public spelling freaks you out, your first opportunity doesn't have to be a TedTalk. Start by sharing your opinions in meetings.

4. Recognize and celebrate the small victories. This is a passion of mine--getting women to recognize and celebrate small victories. Did you pat yourself on the back for a job well done? Celebrate it. Did you tell your supervisor about something you did that you're proud of? Nicely done. Those small victories add up to big wins.

For the women I coach, I've identified four main areas where they tend to struggle which I've built into the Emerging Confidence Framework™.

They are:

1. How you see yourself

2. How you talk to yourself

3. How you talk to others

4. How others see you

Over the next four weeks, I'll dive into each of these a little deeper. Until then, focus on the four keys above!