Feeling Like an Imposter? You’re not alone.
Pop star Billie Eilish took everyone by surprise when she accepted her Grammy Record of the Year Award for 2021 by saying she wasn’t worthy of her award, and that her contender, Megan Thee Stallion, was the real winner. She only thanked everyone after speaking highly of Megan. And it earned her a lot of praises.
Billie’s speech earned a lot of praises because a lot of people could relate to her. A lot of people feel like they don’t deserve their job or position and aren’t supposed to be there. They also attribute their accomplishments and career success solely to outside factors, such as luck, or other people’s support. These are called imposter feelings, and chances are you’ve felt them too. You may have them right now. According to cognitive scientist and humanistic psychologist Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, having imposter feelings also means being afraid or anxious that people will discover that you’re a phony. Simply put, it’s a “general fear of failure or unworthiness and real difficulty internalizing our own goodness and worth.”
A recent study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine says that 82% of adults experience imposter feelings in their life. Many people are trying to understand that nagging feeling, as evidenced by the 2,300 articles on the topic written per year, and more than 133,000 engagements on the topic on Facebook and Twitter.
This article explores how imposter feelings show up for people working in tech and how to mitigate them:
I work in tech, but I don’t feel like I belong
Surprisingly, imposter feelings don’t discriminate by industry, role, seniority or company. The tech industry, has its fair share of people feeling this way. People working in big tech organisations like Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Oracle report feeling like frauds. According to workplace social media website Blind, between 60 to 80% of people working in tech have imposter feelings. Equally, people working in smaller tech companies, startups or the emerging climate tech space also struggle with these feelings, thinking that they don’t deserve a place at the table.
There are a few reasons why.
Experience and imposter syndrome
The average age of tech professionals is 32, meaning that they’re younger than employees in other industries. They’re idealist and perfectionist, which leads them to see what they’re doing as not enough and challenges them to do more. They thrive for excellence and outstanding performance, to show that they are better than how they think they are, something that is called “perceived competence”. However, this seemingly positive and motivational nature of imposter feelings dissipate as time passes by. The study above says the longer a person has these feelings, the more they are likely to feel dissatisfied with their job, perform less, and feel anxious. Other people stress themselves to the point of burnout.
Do leaders and tenured workers still have imposter feelings? The answer is yes. Imposter feelings don’t go away with seniority or years of service. When someone steps into a new role, whether as a team lead, senior manager, or C-level executive, imposter feelings come up again, and with full force.
The tech industry and imposterism
The tech industry is one of the fastest-paced industries in the world. Online job site Indeed UK lists it as the fastest-growing industry, thus attracting a lot of smart high-achievers. Being surrounded by over-achievers adds to the feeling of not deserving of your job.
This fast-paced environment and a high-performing culture leave many people with self-limiting thoughts that they are not good enough.
But company culture can also have a buffering effect on imposter feelings. To create a culture that eliminates imposter feelings, it’s crucial to implement tailored training and coaching frameworks, that empower leaders and employees to recognise and work from their strengths, a proven strategy to build confidence and counteract feelings of ‘not being good enough’.
“I spent the last 10 years in my career trying to uncover and mitigate blind spots instead of focussing on my strengths. This mindset shift is a game changer and gave me a great sense of confirmation.”
Change fuels imposter feelings
People going through change, particularly those moving outside their comfort zone, are also prone to have imposter feelings. There are two zones that exist outside the comfort zone: the stretch zone, and the panic zone. Both are playgrounds for the imposter in your head.
Leaving your comfort zone is important for learning - but it is also a playground for imposter feelings.
People in the stretch zone feel awkward and unsure, but are willing to learn and develop themselves. It is also the entry point for self-doubt and imposter feelings. Those who stay in this zone and explore new activities and cope with new situations expand their learning. Over time, self-doubt is replaced by new confidence gained through mastering new skills.
On the other hand, people in the panic zone experience stress and fear. Their energy is spent managing these feelings. People who have imposter feelings experiencing change in roles and organisations are often in this zone. The panic zone is the biggest playground for the imposter. Confidence is undermined by stress and worry and most people will experience negative self-talk, undermining their confidence.
There’s a tendency for anyone in any industry to have imposter feelings. Tech professionals just try to manage theirs differently.
Doing everything to belong
Tech professionals work in specific ways to cope with imposter feelings. People in the tech industry tend to overwork themselves. Not only are a lot of them considered highly intelligent, but they’re also attentive towards the smallest details. So when something goes slightly wrong, or they don’t meet their own standards, they tend to feel that they’re letting themselves down and that they’re imposters.
To make up for their “mistakes”, they stretch themselves, refusing to relax or take a few days off in fear of missing deadlines or submitting anything substandard. In the tech startup scene, founders make up for what they feel by acting overconfidently at first and failing to keep up as time passes.
In addition to taking up loads of work or leading projects, they also isolate themselves. They don’t ask for support, worrying that asking for assistance is a sign of weakness – something that’s seen as unacceptable in a competitive work environment like theirs.
If this sounds like you, remember you’re not alone. I worked in the tech industry for two decades and have seen co-workers deal with enormous amounts of stress and anxiety because they think they’re not exceptional.
What can I do to manage my imposter?
The key to addressing imposter feelings is NOT overpreparing or overworking yourself. Procrastinating isn’t, either. There are many strategies and resources out there that can help you manage these feelings.
Gather data about your imposter. Previously, I wrote an article on managing imposter feelings. The first step is focusing on yourself, and not others. Recognizing the issue, particularly identifying the imposter (the triggers that cause your imposter to come out, how long the imposter feelings stay, what they say, and when do they leave), can help a lot, as well as focusing on positivity and celebrating your successes, whether big or small.
Get into the learning mindset. Another great way is reframing our self-doubt and viewing it as a starting point to learning more. It’s a way of keeping you grounded. A lot of successful people who rose to prominence began their journeys with a quest for learning. Keeping an open mind can help you gain more understanding of your craft and face certain circumstances, such as the beginning of a major project, with clarity and willingness to tackle it differently.
Use your body to boost confidence. Working on yourself also means improving your body language. Amy Cuddy, a professor and researcher at Harvard Business School, recommends using assertive body language for just a couple of minutes to boost your confidence and lessen your anxiety. Try the confidence pose before that big presentation: stand up, hands by your side, chin forward and take three deep breaths. Notice how you feel after!
Get a coach by your side. Lastly, consider working with someone who can help you understand and work through your imposter feelings, such as a qualified and credible career coach. A coach can help you identify and focus on your strengths, gain confidence, and manage the imposterism you feel. If you think that your organisation could benefit from learning more about imposter feelings and managing them, you could also ask for support from a career coach.
“Claudia is a joy to work with. She encouraged me to learn that the ‘magic wand’ I was hoping she would wave for me was actually within myself.”
Imposter feelings are stressful to have. But with the right support and mindset, you’ll manage it and achieve greater well-being and confidence.
