Johannesburg: As Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton showed us after his victory in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, impostor syndrome is something almost everyone goes through.
Regarded as the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time, Hamilton had gone – as he shared on Instagram – 945 days without winning a race. In his post-race interviews, the 39-year-old tearfully spoke of the self-doubt that had plagued him over the last two-and-a-half-years. “I’ve personally felt like I’ve experienced those challenges – the constant challenge like we all have to get out of bed every day and give it our best shot and there are so many times when you feel like your best shot just isn’t good enough,” he said. He later added: “There has definitely been moments when I thought that this is it, that it’s never going to happen again.”
Fans were shocked and moved to hear the most successful driver in history speak openly about his crisis of confidence. But it doesn’t matter if you have years of experience or are just starting out – impostor syndrome can sneak up on you and mess with your confidence. The same is true in business.
“I remember clearly the shock I experienced when I attended a performance seminar in London and the keynote speaker asked for a show of hands who had experienced impostor syndrome and to my surprise, the whole stage made up of expert panellists all raised their hands!” says Duncan Woods, Human Performance Coach and executive coaching consultant to digital wellbeing platform, soSerene. “It was a good insight to see that impostor syndrome is indeed a common occurrence among all levels of ability and experience.”
What is Impostor Syndrome?
Impostor syndrome is when you start questioning your ability to perform and it tends to manifest as questioning thoughts or doubting your ability and potential, explains Woods. In the workplace, you may doubt your ability to do your job well, no matter how much you’ve already achieved. You may find yourself expecting to be exposed as a fraud at any second, even though your ability to do the job has been clearly demonstrated.
While we all doubt ourselves occasionally, feelings of self-doubt are totally normal. “Your body and brain are designed to scan for threats, and so questioning thoughts of ‘am I safe here?’ should be expected,” says Woods.
Impostor syndrome is different – it makes you feel like you don’t deserve your success, and you’re constantly worried others will see through you. And it can hit anyone, from newbies to top executives. Recognising these feelings is the first step to tackling them.
Combat Impostor Syndrome
“Self-awareness is key,” says Woods. “This can be done by just noticing the nature of your thoughts in important career moments. What is your inner dialogue saying? See if there is a pattern or shape to feelings of self-doubt that you can spot.”
Perhaps you downplay positive feedback or struggle to accept praise. Or maybe you attribute your success to luck or other external factors and feel like you don’t deserve what you’ve achieved.
Woods recommends a two-step process to examine these thoughts:
STEP 1: Assess whether these thoughts and feelings are based on a real threat or vulnerability or not. (A real threat could be: “I haven’t rehearsed my presentation.”)
STEP 2: Choose a response to both real threats and perceived threats. In the example above, taking time to rehearse should banish any self-doubt. If you have rehearsed and find your thoughts are just inner chatter, reminding yourself of your knowledge and credentials can be effective.
“If we can hold a doubting thought at arm’s length and assess whether it is based on a real or perceived threat, we can become effective at channelling our doubts toward a helpful action,” says Woods. “It’s when thoughts are not channelled in this way they start to build up. They become louder in our ears, effectively convincing us that we don’t belong or are not safe here. That’s when we start labelling ourselves ‘impostors’ or ‘unworthy’.”
However, impostor syndrome is not always an internal phenomenon. “It is also really important to acknowledge how the behaviour, perceptions and biases of others may influence our sensation of being unworthy,” says Woods. “Prejudice and biases flow steadily through our community psyche, so it’s important to notice those objectively and at arm’s length as well.”
Woods notes that in a homogenous, male-dominated environment women and marginalised groups should be especially aware of historical barriers before questioning their own worthiness. “When you are made to feel different or unwelcome it is far easier for your own impostor doubts to arise.”
He recommends using the same kind of filtering system as for internal thoughts. “Consider: Is that feedback based on fact or evidence? Or is it someone’s subjective opinion on the matter?”
Quick Confidence Boosts
Building real confidence doesn’t happen overnight – it takes time and effort. The “fake it till you make it” approach, however well-intentioned, can feel exhausting and fake, says Woods, and worse, it can get in the way of building real confidence.
However, there are ways to boost your confidence on the spot – like before you start a presentation or when you are about to have a tough conversation. Here are four quick confidence boosts that Woods recommends:
- Smile. “The brain and body are programmed to respond to the smile reflex. You almost instantly feel the positive vibes through your body.”
- Breathe. “Controlling your breathing is a great way that the mind can influence the way the body responds to a situation. Do some deep breathing, box breathing or breathing meditation.” You can find examples of these on the soSerene platform.
- Evidence base. “Grab a pen and write down the evidence that you have that you can do this. List your preparation, your natural strengths, and your accomplishments.”
- Choice. “Make the choice: Do you want to be challenged and see if you can rise to it? Or do you want to play small and hide away from the challenge? Choosing puts you behind the wheel and in control to go into challenging situations.” In another post-race interview, Hamilton spoke of how he held onto hope. “That glimpse of hope, even if it’s the tiniest speck – I just tried to not ignore that and I just continued to focus on my inner peace. Never give up. It’s the easiest thing to do but you should never do it.”
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Photo by Nicola Barts