{"id":41030,"date":"2021-08-09T11:06:39","date_gmt":"2021-08-09T15:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?post_type=emagazine&p=41030"},"modified":"2022-07-27T07:58:52","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T11:58:52","slug":"overcome-imposter-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"emagazine","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/overcome-imposter-syndrome\/41030\/","title":{"rendered":"How high achievers can overcome imposter syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhen I received your email, my impostor syndrome went through the roof<\/a>,\u201d Lisa Ventura, multi-award-winning cybersecurity professional and founder of the UK Cyber Security Association<\/a>, wrote on LinkedIn. \u201cI thought it must have been meant for someone else and not me!\u201d<\/p>\n

My email was about her inclusion in SC Magazine\u2019s 2021 Women of Influence list<\/a>. To an outsider, her response seemed absurd. Ventura had written two books on security in 2020 alone, all while caring for her father, who has an autoimmune disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n

First recognized in 1978, John Kolligian Jr. and Robert J. Sternberg described imposter syndrome<\/a> as affecting \u201chigh-achieving individuals who, despite their objective successes, fail to internalize their accomplishments and have persistent self-doubt and fear of being exposed as a fraud or impostor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Imposter syndrome is more common than you\u2019d think<\/h2>\n

A 2020 systematic review of 62 studies covering some 14,000 participants found 9 to 82 percent of people experience imposter syndrome<\/a>. For historically marginalized people, like women<\/a>, Black, indigenous and other people of color, prevalence seems to be at the higher end<\/a> of the scale.<\/p>\n\t\t\t

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Kim-adele Platts<\/a>, a coach who works with C-suite (senior) executives across industries, says, \u201cWhat\u2019s surprised me is not only how many people suffer from it, but who those people are.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was amazed to find the number of people she knew who had these feelings. \u201cThese were people I aspired to be like who appeared to have great confidence. It made me realize I wasn\u2019t alone \u2013 we don\u2019t know what inner demons others face,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg discussed her imposter syndrome in her bestselling book, Lean In<\/a>. Every time she excelled at work, she thought she had \u201cfooled everyone yet again\u201d and that \u201cone day soon, the jig would be up.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year, Ventura, Platts and entrepreneurship advisor Nat Schooler<\/a> launched Imposter Syndrome Awareness Day<\/a> to highlight the problem and provide help and resources to those who suffer it. Here\u2019s some of their advice.<\/p>\n

Challenge your critical inner voice<\/span><\/h2>\n

If your inner voice tells you things like, \u201cI\u2019m no good at public speaking,\u201d ask yourself, \u201cAre there any times when I\u2019ve been good at it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim-adele Platts, C-suite coach<\/p><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cYour subconscious will find those examples too \u2013 then you can use them to give yourself the kind of advice you\u2019d give others. \u201cI am not enough<\/a>\u201d is just one of the lies we tell ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNegative self-talk is a bad habit, and it can heavily influence our stress and anxiety levels,\u201d says Ventura. The trick is to be kind to yourself, always challenge negative thoughts and add positive thoughts for balance. \u201cPsychologists have found that repeating affirmations, like \u201cI always work hard,\u201d can reduce stress and anxiety. Perhaps it\u2019s because these positive statements build a bridge into your subconscious mind,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Start a success log<\/h2>\n

Ventura recommends starting a physical journal, document or spreadsheet to log all your successes, achievements and goals. Hers includes photos and inspiring quotes. \u201cWhen my impostor syndrome creeps in, I look through my success log and focus on what I\u2019ve achieved,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Ventura also thinks rewarding yourself for success helps. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be with high-cost items,\u201d she says. \u201cI reward myself with little things like watching a film I like, listening to my favorite music or eating favorite foods \u2013 anything salted caramel-related goes down well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Avoid comparing yourself to others<\/h2>\n

\u201cThere are always people with more skills than you, who are higher up the career ladder or just better than you,\u201d says Ventura. \u201cI honestly don\u2019t care, and neither should you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone has their own path, with different advantages, experiences and struggles. Ventura thinks you shouldn\u2019t try to compete with anyone, even yourself.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And remember, things don\u2019t always happen in a neat, straight line: \u201cLife is full of twists, turns and curveballs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ask for help and have friends around<\/h2>\n

Nat Schooler stresses there\u2019s no need to do it all on your own. \u201cIf you get stuck, ask for help.\u201d He reminds us not to let others contribute to the problem: \u201cSurround yourself with people who encourage you and actively build your confidence,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Although a common experience, imposter syndrome is finally being discussed and understood. Sheryl Sandburg speaks to the power of sunlight on this problem: \u201cIf you know you suffer from imposter syndrome, tell someone. Once you say the words out loud, you start to realize how ridiculous it sounds.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Feeling you don\u2019t belong at the top? You\u2019re not alone: Up to 80 percent of high achievers suffer imposter syndrome. Here\u2019s how to stop it holding you back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2647,"featured_media":41031,"template":"","coauthors":[4079],"class_list":{"0":"post-41030","1":"emagazine","2":"type-emagazine","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"emagazine-category-leadership","7":"emagazine-category-women-and-diversity","8":"emagazine-tag-careers","9":"emagazine-tag-professional-advice"},"hreflang":[{"hreflang":"x-default","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/overcome-imposter-syndrome\/41030\/"}],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/emagazine\/41030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/emagazine"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/emagazine"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2647"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=41030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}