How imposter syndrome quashes CEO productivity and what to do about it
It seems like imposter syndrome doesn’t fizzle out the older and more experienced you get. Quite the opposite, according to a recent report.
About 70% of CEOs report experiencing imposter syndrome, according to a survey from organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry, including responses from over 10,000 professionals at all levels, from entry-level to CEO, across six countries. That compares to about 30% of early-stage professionals.
Many workers deal with imposter syndrome at some point in their careers, or feel inadequate and lack confidence in their ability to do their jobs well – even if they are high-performing. But persistent self-doubt and reduced confidence can lead to emotional exhaustion, burnout and lost productivity. And it’s up to both workers themselves and their employers to help clamp down on it.
“The higher you climb, the higher the associated responsibilities and level of decision making – but also the increased feelings of inadequacy – and no one prepares you for that,” said Sophie Attwood, founder and CEO of global agency SA Communications.
Attwood grew in her career simply because she was good at what she did rather than based on a drive to rise to the top, she said, and she eventually served as head of global PR for an international firm.
“I do think that imposter syndrome can often affect leaders who have grown in their careers somewhat accidentally, rather than those who have been relentlessly hungry for it. When you find yourself in a room full of people who are driven by a fierce ambition for career growth, it’s easy to feel out of place. I feel that this sense of accidental success can only serve to amplify feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt,” she said.
Another issue CEOs deal with specifically is heightened visibility serving in a leadership role. That’s increasingly true in the digital age and with social media, and with CEOs serving as the face of some companies, it’s creating a culture of comparison for leaders.
“As with anything, social media only shows the successes rather than the journey itself, and so I’m sure that this has played a part in how leaders in this digital world feel about their capabilities. This combination of external pressure and internal expectations makes it understandable why imposter syndrome is so common with leaders,” she said.
Ultimately, imposter syndrome impacts productivity and leaders’ abilities to do their jobs well in a couple of ways. It can drive those experiencing it to overwork, leading to burnout. It can also cause them to procrastinate, be less decisive and ultimately less innovative, said Megan Ashcroft, a licensed professional counselor with Premise Health.
When Attwood served in her first leadership role, she remembers “sitting in the board meetings constantly second guessing myself. It was so self-limiting,” she said.
Imposter syndrome is characterized by a deep sense of insecurity and has little to do with logic and everything to do with emotion, said Jim Frawley, career coach, consultant and founder and CEO of Bellwether, an executive development firm.
“Imposter syndrome is a fear, and we have to identify what we’re really afraid of. Some people say it’s a fear of being a failure but I don’t think people really are afraid to fail, I think people are afraid of social rejection,” Frawley said.
It’s mainly driven by a fear of being perceived in a way that doesn’t align with one’s internal image of oneself, he said. “We have to tap into our emotional capacity in order to respond to imposter syndrome,” added Frawley.
He advises clients to keep a positivity file where they collect reminders throughout their careers affirming them of their ability. That can include emails of praise from former bosses or clients, written notes recounting encouraging conversations, or even projects they completed and are proud of.
“I tell people to put it into a document because when you read it, or when you tell the story, that emotion comes back. When you have that feeling, you’re able to then accomplish more and manifest that into whatever particular challenges you’re having in the moment.”
At the same time though, company culture can play a part in driving imposter syndrome if inclusion and recognition aren’t highly valued. “Company culture is very valid in impacting how somebody can feel about their own experiences and their own abilities to complete tasks at hand,” Ashcroft said. “However, you can also have a really great employee culture, leadership, and folks can still sometimes have self doubt.”
Something employers can do is encourage managers to better foster a culture where successes are acknowledged — “when you have wins or you have successes, let’s acknowledge them, and let’s acknowledge what you did to get there.”
Ashcroft’s advice for CEOs and other workers experiencing imposter syndrome themselves is “to really start to challenge our own inner thoughts about what we did well, instead of focusing on why something may have just gone well for us, and not thinking it had to do with our own abilities.”