How to Overcome the Imposter Syndrome?

Through my interviews with women in the IT industry, I have found that the number one issue that women are grappling with is the Imposter Syndrome.

Having an imposter syndrome is when we feel like we don't belong, like we are an imposter who will be found out when others lift our covers. It sucks to feel this way because we are always on edge and this typically leads to worse performance.

Before we go into how to overcome imposter syndrome, it is important that we get to the bottom of why we are feeling like an imposter because different reasons lead to different solutions.

Generally, people feel like an imposter because of two reasons. One is because of their external environment and the other one is about how they feel internally.

For example, a lot of women in IT feel like an imposter because of the external environment, i.e. the IT industry being populated by mainly men so it is hard for women to see themselves being mirrored/represented and therefore feel safe. If you are suffering from an imposter syndrome of this kind, then the solution would be helping the system to change, getting more women heard and represented.

If your imposter syndrome is more of an internal kind, then I would ask you this question: "Are you feeling like an imposter because you have not yet gained the skills to be competent or you are lacking self-love to believe in yourself?".

It is important that we acknowledge the times when we are learning new skills and how we feel like an imposter and this is normal. The good news is that this is relatively an easy fix because skills can be gained with time and practice. Your competency will rise and so does your self-confidence.

If you are suffering from the imposter syndrome because of lacking self-love, then I would recommend you to start doing the hard but necessary and fulfilling work of increasing your self-love. I know self-love is a big topic and I cannot cover this in one blog post, so do book me in for a free 30-min discovery coaching chat about how coaching can help you gain more self-love.