Top Tips for Handling Imposter Syndrome
Handling imposter syndrome can be a challenging task for any manager, especially if the employee in question is completely unaware that they are affected by this confidence-destroying condition.
If you have not experienced imposter syndrome in the workplace before, then you need to be able to recognise the most common signs of this disorder. These include:
- Difficulty accepting praise
- Undermining their success
- Overworking
- Being a perfectionist
- Anxiety, particularly relating to failure
- Constantly comparing themselves to other employees
If you think that imposter syndrome is a problem in your business, there are several ways in which you can handle this psychological disorder that can affect not only a person’s performance at work but also their overall mental wellbeing.
Encourage your employees to celebrate their success
One of the key characteristics of imposter syndrome is feeling as though you are lucky to be in your current position, rather than that you achieved it through your own merits, hard work and determination.
Therefore, as a manager, it is your responsibility to both praise your employees and to celebrate their successes and achievements. It can also be a good idea to remind employees about how far they have come and how their career has progressed as this can help them to feel more confident in their abilities.
Make support easily accessible
For someone with imposter syndrome, asking for help or advice can feel like an admission of failure. Therefore, the employee in question is likely to prefer to struggle alone rather than seek support.
However, by making help readily available, whether that be through a mentoring programme or even by tasking a trusted co-worker, imposter syndrome is less likely to manifest itself in your business.
Offer appropriate training
The importance of offering the right training and development opportunities should never be underestimated when it comes to avoiding and handling imposter syndrome.
People with imposter syndrome often think of themselves as a fraud and feel like they are constantly waiting for someone to expose them. However, by providing your employees with ongoing training courses that help with their personal and professional development, they are more likely to see themselves as an integral part of the business.
Avoid comparison
Although it is completely natural for employees to compare themselves to one another, if someone is determining their success based on someone else, then this can have a detrimental effect on their performance and their self-esteem.
It is crucial that your employees understand that everyone works at a different pace and that every person will have different strengths and weaknesses. It is this diversity that makes a business a success.
A failure to stop comparisons in the workplace can lead to a toxic environment that ultimately affects your bottom line.
Do you want help handling imposter syndrome in your workplace? Here at Progress International, we create bespoke training and development programmes to help you get the most out of your team, all of which can be facilitated virtually or in person.
If you would like to explore how we can help you to develop your culture, then get in touch with us here today.”
