Battling Imposter Syndrome

Posted on December 01, 2022 by Emily Mitchell, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

Imposter syndrome. If you are a consultant and have never experienced full-blown Imposter Syndrome on the regular, are you even a consultant?

Out of curiosity, I checked what Urban dictionary had to say about it because it’s usually much more amusing, and well, they pretty much nailed it- When someone believes their accomplishments were simply because of luck, tricking others into thinking they are intelligent, or timing. When in reality, they did them on their own. It’s most seen among people in higher education or high-achieving jobs.

I didn’t realize that Imposter Syndrome would follow me and maybe even worsen as I ventured out on my own.

To combat it, I’m using the acronym FIRST:

-Fail forward. The agile way. Imposter syndrome sneaks up most when I think about everything imploding on me. Remind myself failures happen and are okay; just fail forward.

-Ignore the inner critic. My inner critic is old and cranky, and I would never be friends with her in real life.

-Reminisce about past accomplishments. Tell yourself the truth about all the hard work it took to make things happen in the past. Write down compliments and atta boys and put them somewhere you can see them as a reminder.

-Stop and breathe. Take a walk, step away, and breathe ( maybe pray if you are so inclined).

-Talk to others. Find your people who know your accomplishments and are cheering for you. Tell them your thoughts.

Don’t forget to be awesome!

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