Managing Imposter Syndrome Workshop

Introduction

Imposter syndrome is a recurring feeling of inadequacy or self-doubt that makes people believe others will find out they’re incompetent. They believe that one day they’ll face a challenge they won’t be able to overcome or they won’t be able to repeat their accomplishments and then others will find out and they’ll be humiliated.

Imposter syndrome is very common. Studies have shown it affects 70% to 80% of all people, from virtually all walks of life. Many people who have it are company vice presidents, scientists, engineers, attorneys, entertainers, entrepreneurs, retail and skilled labor workers, and other people we see every day.

People with imposter syndrome are oftentimes afraid of taking bigger risks and failing. Many just “play it safe” their entire lives and never fully share their gifts and talents with the world. As a result, they never reach their full potential or reach their highest goals and dreams. Many people who have it develop unrealistically high standards of success and competence. Many of them believe they’re successful only because they got lucky or knew the right people.

Imposter syndrome can make employees and leaders become perfectionists because they feel like they’re not good enough and they’re afraid others will see their weaknesses. This can lead to overwork, micromanagement, and burnout. It makes many high-performing leaders and employees experience low self-worth and a big fear of failure. This can lower productivity, confidence, creativity, leadership presence, and belonging. It can also lower job satisfaction and stop company leaders from taking necessary risks, which can stifle innovation and growth.

Imposter syndrome distorts how we see ourselves. It stops us from fully recognizing our competence, achievements, and our greatest talents. It can make us doubt ourselves, feel less than, experience anxiety, and needlessly worry. When this happens, it robs us of happiness, confidence, connection, and purpose.

Assessment

People experience a different number of imposter syndrome characteristics and they experience them to differing degrees. We’ll start the workshop with a test to determine which characteristics of imposter syndrome are affecting your life and to what extent. It’s hard to comprehensively manage something when we can’t measure it in a meaningful way. Once you have your score and rating, it will be easier to figure out which areas you need to focus on and what improvement goals you need to set for yourself.

Accepting Uncertainty, Mistakes & Failure

Imposter syndrome makes many people afraid of making mistakes because they think mistakes confirm their incompetence and will make others judge them harshly. They’re oftentimes afraid of taking bigger risks because they fear failure or they believe if they succeed, they’re going to be expected to do much more difficult things later and won’t be able to do them.

In this workshop, I’ll talk about the false cultural narratives and stories we tell ourselves about failure and making mistakes that fuel imposter syndrome. Then I’ll show you how to replace these false stories with rational, empowering mindsets. You’ll also learn how to use humor and play to deal with mistakes and how to connect with other people during times of uncertainty.

Taking Action to Build Courage & Confidence

Imposter syndrome can stop us from developing the courage and confidence we need to grow, be happy, reach our goals and dreams, and live purposeful lives. Past failures and negative, self-defeating mindsets can perpetuate the imposter cycle and stop us from being successful.

I’ll talk about the actions you need to consistently take to develop the courage and confidence you need to become happy, reach your goals and dreams, and make your biggest contributions in the world. You’ll learn how to challenge false beliefs about failure and use it to learn and grow.

Letting Go of Rigid Standards & Beliefs

Imposter syndrome causes a lot of people to develop very rigid standards and beliefs that are virtually impossible to consistently achieve. It can mold people into perfectionists, “Supermen,” “Superwomen,” or micromanagers who are constantly trying to control everything around them.

You’ll learn how to use awareness and reality testing to destroy these rigid standards and beliefs and stop beating yourself up mentally and emotionally.

Managing the “Committee” in Your Head

All of us have a committee of characters and voices in our heads that either beat us down or build us up. We all have that harsh critic in our heads that tells us we’re not good enough, people are going to find out we’re incompetent, we don’t look good enough, and other false stories. A lot of people try to silence that critic, which never works and actually makes its voice even louder.

I’ll show you how to use cognitive-behavioral psychology and playfulness to manage the harsh critic. You’ll learn how to activate other characters in that committee in your head that will help you tackle big challenges and achieve your dreams.

Use the Past to Improve the Present

Imposter syndrome makes us feel like it’s a matter of time before other people find out we don’t know what we’re doing. A big problem is that our minds oftentimes focus on our failures and bad experiences from the past instead of the positive, empowering past events that can reshape our lives. You’ll learn how to properly leverage your past to crush these false beliefs about yourself so you can get on the path to success.

Leverage People Who Know You Well

Imposter syndrome can make it very difficult for people to accurately see their talents and best qualities. It makes them minimize or downplay their achievements and their competence. I’ll show you how to leverage other people to help you see your true talents and accomplishments more clearly. We’ll do some more reality testing to destroy the false stories that this condition has created in your mind.

Set Your Goals

Finally, you’ll set your own imposter syndrome goals so you have a roadmap to progress and success. Many times we learn valuable things, but we don’t set realistic, measurable goals that allow us to fully integrate what we learned into our lives. In this workshop, you’ll set these realistic, measurable goals so you’ll know exactly what you need to do to manage imposter syndrome.