A guest post from Fearless scrum master Anneliese LaTempa. At Fearless we focus on the whole team member, not just their performance on a project. Thank you to Anneliese for sharing and striving to help others conquer Impostor Syndrome.
What the heck is Impostor Syndrome?
Although it sounds like the latest buzzword, Impostor Syndrome (IS) is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments, and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud. (The Chest Journal has more information on IS)
When I began opening up about my own struggles with IS, I found that many of my friends and co-workers could relate. I share my story hoping others battling self-doubt can see a path forward for themselves.
How did I get here?
As a woman in IT, I had always felt some degree of IS in my professional life. But those feelings began rapidly escalating when I undertook a new project in the fall of 2019. Those circumstances shone a bright light on all the struggles I had been fighting and (unsuccessfully) trying to bury for several years. Suddenly, I was questioning every decision I made — even the non-work related ones.
After working with my Passion Coach at Fearless — we knew I had to take some actions to regain control of my life. I broke the steps down into two phases — breaking the chains of Impostor Syndrome and then building my toolkit for long-term success to successfully address the symptoms in the future.
Phase 1: Break the chains.
As in every successful program developed to assist people with letting go of bad habits, behaviors, or feelings that aren’t serving them — the first step is acknowledging the Impostor Syndrome. After acknowledging it, I created a mantra of truthful, positive messaging for myself.
I am qualified. I am worthy. I work hard. I am a valued member of my team.
Self-talk can either feed or starve the Impostor Syndrome — and I chose to fight it. That means not gaslighting myself, and not minimizing myself and my talents by calling it “humility.”
My next step in this process was making the choice to not compare myself to others. We are all facing a unique set of challenges in our lives, both at work and home, and it isn’t fair to compare those circumstances. Instead, I chose to drive my focus inward (if you have IS, this is the easy part), and begin identifying specific fears.
The hardest part for me was embracing those fears by finding safe spaces to practice and work through the challenges I needed to overcome. In my place of work, that meant working with my Coach to seek opportunities within our Agile Community of Interest, as well as on my own team, where I could be brave and grow in my leadership without fear of repercussion.
Lastly, but certainly not least, was finding time for self-care. Again, this sounds like a buzzword, right? True self-care is more than trips to the spa. It’s about trusting that your work can survive without you so that you have the time to rest. Self-care is finding places of true restoration, devoting time to yourself and your needs, and taking action as needed to invest in personal growth.
Many of us facing IS are in a position where we are role models — which makes it even more essential that we model the same behaviors we champion in the individuals in our care — our colleagues, our mentees, our employees, and even our families. Give yourself the same grace you give to others.
Phase 2: Build your toolkit.
What does a toolkit for fighting Impostor Syndrome look like?
Mine includes:
- Intentional time for rest in my schedule.
- Keeping affirmation cards and notes to myself at my desk to look at whenever I need.
- Developing open communication with family, friends, co-workers, and yourself about your personal needs.
- Registering for seminars about Imposter Syndrome to keep learning.
- Working with a coach or a friend to gut-check bad feelings.
- Being okay with not being okay some days.
You can overcome Impostor Syndrome.
Your toolkit may look different than mine — and that’s okay. What’s important is that you build a toolkit that best aligns with your needs and interests — and make sure it’s sustainable. Forging new habits takes time, and small changes have a better chance of sticking around for the long haul.
Just remember — you are worthy, you are valued, and you can beat this Impostor Syndrome, too.
