It’s not something many of us talk about, but imposter syndrome is a common issue that prevents people reaching their full potential. Essentially a cognitive distortion, it is someone’s inability to believe that their success is a result of their own skills and is therefore not deserved.
More than 70% of professionals experience imposter syndrome at some point in their career.
The perfectionist
A perfectionist sees anything less than 100% as failure, and if just one thing goes wrong, they feel like a failure. As a manager, this means they don’t delegate and this erodes team autonomy. If you experience this, you could try business coaching and in Tewkesbury business coaching experts such as randall-payne.co.uk/services/business-advisory/business-coaching/tewkesbury can support you.
The superhuman
Someone who has to be busy all the time and works harder than anyone to try and prove they deserve their role. This person is susceptible to burnout as they can’t switch off.
The natural genius
They measure competence by how quickly and easily they can achieve something and believe that if something proves difficult, they are a failure.
The soloist
A soloist only cares about them completing work and that they need to work everything out on their own, without any support. If they feel they need to ask for help, it is seen as failure.
The expert
Similar to a perfectionist, the expert worries about how much they know and do, expecting to know everything about everything. They fear being exposed as unknowledgeable or inexperienced and over-prepare for meetings as a result.
