Imposter Syndrome Burnout: with over half of your team members very worried about burning out, and Imposter Syndrome is a key driver. How can you spot the hidden warning signs, and prevent it?
A shocking finding from the 2024 Imposter Syndrome Research Study (white paper here) is the causal link between Imposter Syndrome and burnout. And the data shows that 31% are at high risk of burning out, in the near future.
The company culture is contributing to burnout
Working practices are the main contributor
Feeling tired most of the time
Source © Clare Josa 2024 Imposter Syndrome Research Study
We all want our team members to thrive at work. We want workloads to be achievable, and we want people to feel their have a good work-life balance, whilst still delivering on the important goals.
With hybrid working, it's even more important than ever that people feel they can switch off and have clear home-work boundaries. And we know that people do their best work when they feel happy and energised.
But the increase in Imposter Syndrome rates over the past five years (up by one fifth to 62%, daily or regularly) means that people's coping strategies are increasing their risk of burnout.
How do you reconcile that with the fact that just over half of your team members are 'very worried' about burning out? And that they're putting in huge effort to hide it, which is further increasing their risk of burning out?
This figure has increased substantially since the pandemic, with many experiencing chronic stress to the point that it is affecting not just their performance and productivity, but also their mental, emotional and physical health, and their personal relationships.
61% now say that their workload is far too high, to a point that is causing them chronic stress. 51% say they have too many meetings to be able to get their main work done.
Workplace yoga, mindfulness apps, lunch-n-learn sessions, and one-off wellness days aren't addressing the root causes of burnout, only the surface-level symptoms.
You need to move beyond guesswork and trial-and-error, to implement solutions that address the true triggers of unsustainable levels of workplace stress, not just the effects. We need to move from sticking plasters to prevention.
So what can you do?
The data shows that burnout issues are a hidden cost of Imposter Syndrome.
The coping strategies that people use to succeed despite Imposter Syndrome, increase their risk of burning out. These include:
The vast majority of businesses are ignoring Imposter Syndrome, despite knowing it's the elephant in the room, when it comes to performance, productivity, wellbeing, team dynamics, retention and burnout.
Most assume there's nothing they can do, or that it has always been this way.
But neither of those is true.
The number of your team members experiencing Imposter Syndrome daily or regularly, since the pandemic, to an extent that's impacting their performance, productivity and wellbeing, is up by one fifth.
And the number thinking of quitting their job today has doubled in the past five years.
This needs to become an unignorable business priority.
Problem: Resilience Training Without Addressing Root Causes
In an effort to reduce stress levels, the research study found that many organisations have brought in resilience training. But this is back-firing.
Employees resent being asked to somehow be ok with impossible workloads and unsupportive working cultures, which is often the focus of these resilience trainings.
Toxic Resilience
Many organisations expect employees to bounce back as though nothing had happened when things go wrong, which Clare Josa describes as 'toxic resilience'.
People are being required to attend training courses to build mental toughness, as though you have to be a member of the SAS or Marines, just to go to work.
But this is inadvertently creating a toxic alpha-male culture, where pushing on through and putting up with things that are unacceptable is a demand of the role.
In too many organisations, the focus is on reducing the surface-level-symptoms, with stress-coping and wellbeing strategies, rather than identifying and addressing the root causes of stress and burnout, to prevent them.
Why Mental Health First-Aiders Aren't The Answer
These burnout-prevention initiatives are often being run by wellbeing group volunteers and in-house Mental Health First-Aiders (MHFAs), but none of these has had training in how to truly prevent burnout. And many of them are relying on advice they've found on the internet, rather than proven, science-backed strategies.
Given the causal link between Imposter Syndrome and burnout, and the proven link between Imposter Syndrome and trauma, this kind of initiative risks causing harm, especially if it is not backed up by specialist, trauma-informed, Imposter Syndrome-informed support.
In addition, many organisations are now recommending that staff book a chat with an MHFA if they're feeling stressed, anxious, or worried about burning out, effectively turning MHFAs into untrained, unsupported counsellors. This risks harm to both the employee and the MHFA. This is specialist work that is not safe, after just a half-day mental health first-aid course.
The 3 Pillars Of Imposter Syndrome Burnout
There's a recent trend to blame the person if they burnout.
"They should have had better boundaries."
"They should have refused to work so hard."
"It's down to their lack of self-worth."
But this is not a fair or reasonable approach, and it fails to consider the 3 pillars of burnout: the company culture, the working environment, and personal habits.
Here's a podcast episode that gives you insights into this:
What can you do about Imposter Syndrome's role in burnout?
Spot the signs. Stop the cycle.
Create lasting change.
There are five core drivers of Imposter Syndrome burnout.
Here's how to spot the signs that Imposter Syndrome might be negatively impacting staff burnout risk:
In addition to the research data, if you simply ask a room of people how their energy levels are, 45% will tell you they're tired all the time, and 5% will say they're 'on their knees'. This is not sustainable. It's impacting performance, productivity, health, and retention.
We're on the verge of a burnout epidemic and you're about to lose some of your best staff.
How Can You Prevent People From Quitting Due To Imposter Syndrome?
By the time a person resigns, it's too late. The damage has been done - to them, their team and the company. How can you prevent this? And increase staff retention?
Measure The Problem
How big is it?
Which key factors are driving it?
How much of it is down to individuals' habits, versus company culture or the working environment?
What are your quick wins vs strategic solutions?
How can you measure the ROI of any changes you make?
Prioritise Urgent Support
Who in your teams needs urgent support? Could you find them proven training or external certified Imposter Syndrome coaches?
How can you help them to self-identify, semi-anonymously, to avoid the embarrassment of having to ask their line manager? (Who will often be part of the cause)
Train Your Managers
With nearly two thirds of your team members struggling with Imposter Syndrome daily or regularly, all people leaders need training in how to spot this, and how to safely support people at the early intervention stage, without making things worse. In addition, managers need training in Imposter Syndrome-informed feedback and appraisals.
Clear Management Imposter Syndrome
Managers need to clear their own Imposter Syndrome first, if they're struggling with it, or it can be triggering and risk them keeping their team members stuck in coping strategies. Also, toxic managers are almost always driven by maladaptive Imposter Syndrome coping strategies and anxiety.
Train In-House Coaches
Don't want to be tied into expensive external coaches?
By training in-house experts in tools that help people to clear and prevent Imposter Syndrome, you can stop the majority of those thinking of quitting from doing so.
With the right support, it only takes 4-6 sessions to take Imposter Syndrome severity from 80% to 20%.
Make It Scalable
Not everyone needs 1:1 coaching, so make this work scalable by bringing in an app that is specially designed to support people in ditching Imposter Syndrome, in just 5 minutes a day.
Use the initial research study to identify who would most benefit from this.
Plus: Measure the results you're getting.
You can complete this process by using the initial research-backed assessment tool to check in again with your teams, putting data behind the transformations you've been creating.
Surely this is really expensive?
You could fully support a team of 250 for less than the cost of replacing a single team member who quits. And 25 of that team will consider quitting, today.
Struggling with staff retention is the expensive bit.
All of this is already waiting for you, and we can help you to start implementing these breakthrough actions in improving staff retention, in the next few weeks.
You'll be seeing results you can measure, in months, not years.
Here's how we can work together:
I'm Looking For Potential Solutions For My Organisation
If you're looking for a solution that's tailored to your organisation's needs, then let's talk.
You can book a no-obligation call with Clare Josa by completing a short questionnaire, which then takes you to her online diary, so you could get that called booked in now.
I Just Want Training For Myself
If you're looking to add science-backed, proven Imposter Syndrome strategies to your coaching toolkit, whether you're a line manager, HR professional, coach or consultant, Clare has certification programmes at two levels:
Imposter Syndrome Practitioner™
Imposter Syndrome Master Coach™
What's The Next Step - For Your Organisation?
Get a personalised action plan
Answer 20 short questions and we'll send you a personalised action plan, with tailored suggestions for next steps.
Plus when you have answered the questions, you'll get a link to Clare's diary, to book a call to explore the scalable solutions that would be the best fit for your team.
