As we head into 2024, our mission remains the same:
To address the (avoidable) impact of impostor syndrome on individuals and organizations.
Here are a few steps you can take at the individual level to address impostor syndrome:
1. Reflecting on 2023, identify specific ways impostor syndrome impacted your work/life? For instance…
- Did overworking or over preparing cause you to miss out on time for family, friends, self-care?
- Did you hold back from going for a promotion, starting or scaling your business, or sharing ideas for fear of being “found out”?
- Did unhealthy perfectionism cause projects to take longer than necessary?
2. If you could only pick one of these new year goals, which would it be and why?
- Be less of a perfectionist (a hard one we know!)
- Practice a healthy response to failure, mistakes, & constructive criticism
- Stop being afraid to speak up in meetings or classes
- Be less sensitive to constructive feedback
- Understand that a certain amount of fear and self-doubt is normal and not a sign of ineptness
- Not expect to know everything before jumping in
- Expect a learning curve. Understand that some things will come more easily than others, e.g. writing vs. public speaking; leading vs. technology, or visa versa
- Not be afraid to ask for help when I need it
- Stop expecting to perform at an equally high level in everything I do — at work and/or at home
3. Finally, what is one small action you can take toward achieving this goal? For instance, you might:
- Choose someone you respect to give you constructive feedback on something you did — and then apply it
- Speak up at least once in the next meeting or class
- Make a list of routine tasks where “good enough” is truly good enough
The Bottom Line: You are no impostor!
Even if you focus on just one of these new behaviors, it will bring you closer to finally seeing yourself as the bright, capable person you really are.
