The only thing we should normalise about Imposter Syndrome is talking about it.
One of the things I love about the tutorial calls with my Imposter Syndrome Practitioner™ students is we never know where the discussions will take us.
Last week we delved into the murky depths of 'experts' who seem to be on a mission to normalise Imposter Syndrome. It's a real red rag for me and gets me dragging my soap box out of the corner.
Normalising Imposter Syndrome means convincing people it's normal: something we should just put up with and learn to cope with, because it's a 'normal' part of personal growth.
It isn't.
Here are four of the many problems that 'normalising' #ImposterSyndrome creates:
People beat themselves up for not being able to handle something that's causing them anxiety and even trauma, but which some expert is telling them is simply part of daily life.
My 'lightbulb' definition of Imposter Syndrome is: "Imposter Syndrome is the secret fear of others judging us, the way we judge ourselves." So promoting a 'solution' for Imposter Syndrome that increases our self-judgement can only make it worse.
And it actually decreases the likelihood of those who desperately need help with Imposter Syndrome from asking for it, because it creates a culture where the assumption is that strong people can handle it.
There are physiological reasons why pushing on through the fear dramatically increases a person’s risk of burnout. The body gets flooded with stress hormones, getting stuck in the fight-flight-freeze response for months, not the minutes that nature intended.
Here's a podcast episode with more information on the causal link between Imposter Syndrome and burnout:
Episode 53: Are you at risk of burnout? What the 4 Ps of Imposter Syndrome predict.
My research-backed 4 Ps of Imposter Syndrome are Perfectionism, Procrastination, Project Paralysis and People-Pleasing. These are warning signs that Imposter Syndrome might be running, and they’re coping strategies caused by it. It’s easy to see how they could impact performance and productivity.
Our latest research study shows that 1 in 10 of you staff will consider quitting due to Imposter Syndrome today. And it’s 1 in 4 each week. But they never mention it in their exit interview.
All of this is before we look at other impacts of Imposter Syndrome, such as lost creativity, toxic managers, groupthink, stress-related absence, and people not fulfilling their potential.
So why on earth would we think that normalising Imposter Syndrome is a good idea?
Want to know how to spot the hidden warning signs of Imposter Syndrome?
Episode 63 of the Ditching Imposter Syndrome podcast is all about how to spot five top secret warning signs of imposter syndrome in colleagues and clients... and perhaps yourself.
They're masters of disguise. But being able to spot them early means you can prevent the subconscious self-sabotage that Imposter Syndrome triggers.
You can listen here now:
What Does This Normalising Imposter Syndrome Approach Tell Us About The 'Expert'?
I am someone who wants to believe that people’s intentions are positive and from the heart. But when I see someone on social media promoting the “let’s normalise Imposter Syndrome!” approach, there are four things this tells me about what might be true in their map of the world:
They're making the common mistake of conflating Imposter Syndrome with self-doubt, when they're actually very different things.
They don't have the tools to help you truly clear out Imposter Syndrome, so they need to convince you that you don't need those tools.
They are focusing on handling the surface-level symptoms, rather than addressing the root causes, prioritising coping strategies over prevention.
They haven’t understood the harm that Imposter Syndrome can cause, so can't see the risks of normalising it.
Let's look at each of these in turn.
They are confusing Imposter Syndrome with self-doubt
They’re different things. They overlap, but self-doubt is about our skills, capabilities, and experience. It’s about what we can and can’t do. Imposter Syndrome is about who we think we are. This could indicate that the expert is not up-to-date with the latest research, from the past ten years, which evidences this very important distinction.
Self-doubt is a very normal part of growing and stretching comfort zones, and with the right mentoring and skills-based training, it's easy to clear, shifting you back to confidence.
Imposter Syndrome, on the other hand, is not normal, nor is it inevitable. And it takes more than pep talks and line manager coaching to clear.
Here's a podcast episode that explains the data behind this difference:
And here's an episode that explains why Imposter Syndrome is not a good thing and you don't need it to perform:
They don't have the tools to help you truly clear out Imposter Syndrome, so they need to convince you that you don't need those tools.
Imposter Syndrome being an identity-level issue needs strategies that work deeper than mindset. You can’t think your way out of Imposter Syndrome.
Cognitive-level strategies are only one element of the solution, and they're primarily focused on easing symptoms, not prevention. Our past three research studies have shown that classic coaching isn’t sufficient to clear Imposter Syndrome, it just helps you to become more aware of when it will strike, but it doesn’t give you the tools to prevent it, or to set yourself free from it.
It can be really tough for a coach who has perhaps been helping clients for years with Imposter Syndrome coaching strategies to admit that they don't have deeper solutions. So the natural self-preservation option is to try to convince people that they don't need to ditch it.
They are focusing on easing the surface-level symptoms, rather than addressing the root causes, to prevent Imposter Syndrome.
My Six Sigma engineering background means I’m passionate about identifying the root causes of a problem, clearing that, and then the problem has gone, in ways that are healthy and even fun. No more need for coping strategies.
If an expert is telling you to normalise Imposter Syndrome, and to focus on finding ways to handle it, it means they don’t have the tools to help people to do the deeper work, to set themselves free from it, once and for all. Otherwise, why on earth would they suggest you stay stuck with it?
They haven’t properly understood the harm that Imposter Syndrome can cause.
As said, I want to believe that people's intentions are positive. I don't want to believe that people would intentionally go onto the internet and promote ideas that can cause harm.
So I'm choosing to believe that someone who promotes normalising Imposter Syndrome is seeing it as a neutral or inevitable experience.
They don’t have an understanding of how the stress and anxiety it and the corresponding coping strategies cause can wreak havoc on all areas of a person’s life, from their self-esteem, through to their career, and even harming their closest relationships.
They don't understand the deep, long-lasting harm that their proposed normalising of Imposter Syndrome could cause.
The problem with normalising Imposter Syndrome is that it risks promoting the acceptance of something that can cause harm, to individuals, to teams, and to wider organisations.
One of the students on my next cohort of the certified Imposter Syndrome Practitioner™ training told me recently that she wanted to join the programme because she had taken other courses and they were all about coping strategies - how to succeed despite Imposter Syndrome.
“It feels like a scam,” she told me. “Why would I want to pass on yet more coping strategies to my clients, when there are ways they can truly set themselves free from it?”
This coach is about to learn science-backed, proven strategies that can enable you to support a colleague or client to take their Imposter Syndrome from 80%+ on our diagnostic tool (severe) to just 20% (basically gone) in just six weeks. No. More. Coping. Strategies.
The only thing we should normalise about Imposter Syndrome is talking about it.
Removing the taboo around talking about Imposter Syndrome, and asking for help with it, will change countless lives.
If this article has been resonating with you, and if you’re ready to take inspired action and help to spread a wave of positive change, where people get to set themselves free from Imposter Syndrome, once and for all, here are some next step suggestions:
For Yourself:
Imposter Syndrome Hacks™
This is the world’s first ever app designed to get you clearing Imposter Syndrome, as well as cranking up your confidence and shrinking your stress levels, in just five minutes a day.
Ditching Imposter Syndrome
Discover for yourself how this inspirational book has helped thousands of people around the world to change their lives in ways that are fast, fun, and forever.
To Help Others:
Coaching Imposter Syndrome
My new book is for you if you find Imposter Syndrome gate-crashing your 1:1 conversations, but you don’t want to specialise in this work.
The Imposter Syndrome-Informed Toolkit™
What you most need to know, plus actionable solutions. For line managers, business leaders, and HR professionals.
Get Certified
Apply to join my Imposter Syndrome Practitioner™ or Imposter Syndrome Master Coach programmes, to help others 1:1, and clear your own Imposter Syndrome.
For Your Organisation:
Scalable Solutions: Diagnostic Tool
How to help hundreds for the cost of coaching a handful. Start with my data-backed diagnostic tool to give you insights into exactly how Imposter Syndrome could be affecting your teams, and personalised suggestions for next steps.
Research White Paper
read the white paper from the 2024 Imposter Syndrome Research Study, looking at its hidden role in the #GenderPayGap, including the perhaps surprising role of men’s Imposter Syndrome.
And I'm curious: what action are you going to take, as a result of reading this article? Here's where you can let me know over on LinkedIn - and please make sure you send me a connection request, too.
And here's how to get in touch, if you'd like to talk about working together, to help spread a wave of change, where people no longer feel they have to struggle with Imposter Syndrome, but can set themselves free from it, once and for all.
Clare