Dealing with imposter syndrome at work: A millennial’s two cents

Ever felt like you were in a role-playing game venturing into the unknown and tackling missions which require you to be more resourceful than you are? Do you recognise the feeling of not knowing everything you “should" already know at work? How about the feeling of being a little child in an adult’s body?

The feeling of “not being good enough” is not uncommon, and I had experienced it as well. I have also witnessed how my peers believe that they are “fakes” or “duds”. The imposter syndrome is not unique to a specific industry or profession; you could be someone who is perfectly qualified to do the job and still feel like an imposter.

Recognise that there could be external factors causing the imposter syndrome

Certain external factors could also contribute to why you feel like an imposter at work. For instance, “toxic” work environments can aggravate one’s struggle with impostor syndrome by making it difficult to have vulnerable conversations with your colleagues in the (virtual) office. It is important to foster a healthy work environment where constructive feedback is prevalent; this allows you and your co-workers to feel comfortable about sharing authentically. Other factors could include an unhealthy diet, caffeine overdose, lack of sleep, and the absence of a time management system that works for you.

Consequently, you might aspire to match the productivity of a machine, or even identify yourself as a “perfectionist”. No matter what kind of imposter syndrome you may be facing, I hope the following tips can help you deal with imposter syndrome at work wherever you are.

Pace yourself, and be kind(er) to yourself

Perhaps a good starting position is to cut yourself some slack once in a while or to remember how far you have come. Personally, not only have I started to give myself some leeway whenever I inadvertently make a mistake, but I also made it a point to learn from the mistake and not repeat it in future.

As we get caught up in our busy, day-to-day schedules, it can be difficult to see how far we have come. A habit I have is to reflect on Saturday nights with “Relax and Reflect” by Yoko Shimomura playing in the background. I would draw up lists of positive and negative events which have occurred in the past week, how I felt about these events, and imagine I’m a judge considering both sides – what would be a fair and objective view of these events?

Eventually, it should be easy to see how hard work brings about change, however small that change is. Regardless of whether you were unable to achieve a personal goal or meet an expectation of “Person X” in your life, every small step forward should be accounted for. This could range from the fact that one was able to reach the office on time to how one was able to ensure a presentation had gone smoothly. With this self-awareness of how there can be no “perfect week”, perhaps one can realise that there is nothing pretentious about being a human in the workplace. Of course, it is still important to put one’s best foot forward as often as possible.

You can also consider…

1. talking to your peers about how you have been feeling about your job performance, quality of work, and overall satisfaction at work;

2. asking your friends to share their experience at work;

3. setting up a virtual group chat or a Slack channel with your friends to talk about topics similar to the imposter syndrome, and to constantly encourage one another;

4. keeping a log of your past mistakes at work and reviewing them constantly so that you can learn from those mistakes;

5. getting a nice outfit to wear to work;

6. spending some quality time alone;

7. comparing yourself with your past self, rather than with your peers;

8. asking your parents, loved ones, seniors, and anyone else you are comfortable with about their experiences with imposter syndrome; 

9. asking for tips from your superiors at work on how you can improve

Be aware of the limits of “fake it till you make it”.

You may have heard of the saying, “fake it till you make it”. At the same time, pretending to be someone you are not can sometimes exacerbate the problem. Apart from it being a recipe for increasing the odds of someone else identifying you as a liar or suing you for misrepresentation, it is important to carefully manage the extent of harnessing your energy from a specific persona. You might not want to be that person who frequently over-exaggerates and comes across as inauthentic, or that person who is inconsistent in his or her words or actions. Worse, it is not advisable to go down the path of pretending to like doing something you really don’t. This may lead to a ripple effect on how confident you are at your work, how you perceive yourself, and your immediate work environment.

Pay it forward

Be that as it may, being open to talking about the imposter syndrome could be the stimulus to get the ball rolling for greater mental wellness in your workplace. I believe that helping others is one of the most effective ways to help yourself as well. Normalising “difficult” topics such as the impostor syndrome not only requires individuals to seek help but to also help others. While there are certainly ways to regulate one’s thoughts and emotions regarding the imposter syndrome, the workplace itself plays a key role in laying the foundation to deal with such an issue openly and inclusively.

Even if it is difficult for you to bring about meaningful change to your work environment, your internal dialogue and self-image could indirectly impact those around you while inflicting unforeseeable harm to yourself. Remember, you are the one person in your life who really needs to believe in you.