This article was updated on June 10, 2024
Are you a successful professional that feels like a fraud or a failure? Do you enjoy those feelings? Yeah, I didn’t think so. But here’s the thing 一 you’re not alone.
It’s a phenomenon that has been studied extensively. It’s called imposter syndrome and it manifests itself as persistent feelings of self-doubt, particularly among working professionals. I’ll let Harvard Business Review take it from here:
“Imposter syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. ‘Imposters’ suffer from chronic self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that override any feelings of success or external proof of their competence. They seem unable to internalize their accomplishments, however successful they are in their field. High achieving, highly successful people often suffer, so imposter syndrome doesn’t equate with low self-esteem or a lack of self-confidence.”
Experiencing imposter syndrome at work seems to be its own special kind of difficult. Feelings of professional inadequacy seem to impact the smartest and most accomplished people I know.
It has even led these same individuals to question if they should change careers.
They simply can’t shake a persistent and nagging feeling that their “incompetence” will be discovered and their careers will be over.
What is going on here?
