IMPOSTER SYNDROME:
Are You Outwardly Confident but Privately Unsure of Yourself?
You play to win. You’re focused. You’re a high-achiever, highly motivated, a logical and intelligent thinker.
But you’re not comfortable in your own skin.
You often doubt yourself.
Even wealthy, successful people secretly suffer from Imposter Syndrome (IS).
Take Donatella Versace. When she inherited her brother Gianni’s business after his murder in 1997, everyone assumed she was going to fail. She was a woman, after all.
She was not accepted in her new leadership role. The fear was that, without Gianni, the company would not survive. It was not until 2005 that she truly came into her star role.
Donatella admits that through her grief, overwhelm and lack of confidence, she made a lot of mistakes (including an 18-year cocaine addiction).
But she learned to follow her instincts. She not only made Versace her own. In time, she became an icon of female strength and eclipsed her brother’s success.
You can do the same.
You can succeed in your own authentic style. And it will take only weeks. Not years. (And you don’t need to jack up your height with seven-inch heels, like Donnatella. 😉)
PERHAPS YOU’RE ASKING YOURSELF . . .
I have the position so why am I not as confident as I should be?
How can I be successful and still be struggling with deep, personal, non-work-related issues?
Why can’t I shake the feeling that I don’t measure up, somehow?
Why am I unhappy in spite of my accomplishments and in spite of meaningful and
satisfying work?
What makes me think I can . . . ?
Why do I doubt myself when I know how hard I’ve worked to get here?
Why do I give away my power?
Why do I hesitate to speak up in meetings? What am I afraid of?
Why do I constantly need to prove my worth and please others?
Why is there such a disconnect between what I have achieved and my level of
satisfaction with life?
Who do I trust? Who do I to turn to for assistance?
DOES ANY OF THIS SOUND LIKE YOU?
- You aspire to a higher position – perhaps to one the new C-Suite designations. Or . . .
- You have the position. But you’re feeling insecure and unable to internalize your accomplishments.
- You doubt your abilities and undermine your own experience or expertise. In spite of leadership training and executive coaching.
- You can’t seem to shake the feeling that you don’t measure up somehow. You attribute your success and achievements not to your own ability or intelligence, but to luck, good timing, or other external factors.
- You have a gnawing feeling that you don’t belong, that you don’t know enough, that if you make a mistake, people will think you’re stupid. You could fail or be humiliated or seen as not good enough. So you hold back your ideas.
- Despite external evidence of your competencies, in your heart of hearts, you feel like you’re living a lie and will one day be exposed as a fraud.
ARE YOU A PERSON WHO . . .
- Holds yourself to impossibly high standards?
- Feels you have to please people in order to be liked and accepted?
- Cares what other people think?
- Procrastinates or overprepares (or prepares frantically after initial procrastination)?
- Overworks (because you’re not deserving if you don’t work hard enough and you’re not achieving enough)?
- Worries excessively over mistakes.
- Hesitates to take on more demanding roles?
- Wonders whether your results will hold up under scrutiny?
- Questions whether or not you know what you’re doing?
- Feels you have fooled others into overrating your abilities?
- Doesn’t apply for that promotion you’d be perfect for out of fear of not being as competent as others perceive you to be? Or because you don’t meet every single requirement? Or maybe you don’t quite think you’re worth it?
- After achieving a significant promotion to a senior role, feels you need to adopt a masculine leadership style which goes against your natural instincts?
I’m going to guess that you’re not just a high achiever. You’re a struggling high achiever.
It’s a constant internal struggle. You are caught in a vicious cycle that impacts every part of your life.
New projects, accomplishments and successes don’t change these feelings. In fact, many clients have told me that new achievements simply reinforce them.
And you know, deep down, it’s holding you back from fully enjoying, not just your job, but your life.
In my work, I have found that lack of confidence is the very heart of Imposter Syndrome.
AND WHAT’S THE EFFECT OF ALL THIS?
Unfortunately, feeling that you’re a fraud bleeds into your performance. It will infect everything you think, feel and do.
It . . .
- Stunts your career opportunities and prevents you from reaching your full potential.
- Leads to anxiety, emotional exhaustion and burnout.
- Keeps you from asking for a well-deserved raise. My client Erika told me that, in tendering her resignation, she was offered an immediate $30,000 raise. For the same job she was hired for, three years earlier.
- Another client said: “Feeling I was not enough was keeping me small.”
If any of this resonates with you, you’re in the right place.
But, now, here’s the GOOD NEWS: Imposter Syndrome exists only in highly capable, high-achieving, gold star, talented people.
CONQUER IMPOSTER SYNDROME
Beyond talk therapy. Beyond insight and support. Beyond the unique challenges and issues of being a woman in senior leadership. Beyond needing to address issues and problems your male counterparts do not face.
Beyond mindset. Beyond emotional intelligence. Beyond leadership training. Beyond one-on-one executive coaching. Beyond knowledge transfer and skills transfer. Beyond tactics and techniques.
This system does the deep work of uncovering and dissolving the root cause of self-doubt and insecurity. Anything that takes away from your career success and joie de vivre.
THE RESULTS WILL AMAZE YOU . . .
You will . . .
- Get back to your personal best and feel in control of your life. In control of your emotions. In control of your results. (Perhaps for the first time.)
- End the struggle with deep personal issues that zap your energy and cause you to feel like a fraud.
- Rewire your mind for confidence and resilience.
- Beat perfectionism, procrastination, overwork and over–preparation, Permanently.
- Overcome all fears and hesitations.
- End the self-sabotage.
- Stop needing other people’s approval.
And finally. . .
You will stop giving away your power. Speak up. Stop trying to fit in by playing the game by male rules.
In short, you will be more effective, more efficient, more brilliant at everything you do. And happy too!
The results are guaranteed.
Because it’s permanent. Imposter Syndrome, self-doubt, low self-confidence, stress that leads to burnout will never reappear in your life. Ever again.
You may not be over the moon every day on the job (life happens; people can let you down), but you will definitely feel more powerful and in control, worthy of respect (your own and others).
Does anyone else promise you this?
WHAT CONFIDENCE FEELS LIKE . . .
“I get more done, more easily. In fact, I’d say I’m 15-20% more efficient. Which is significant.“
“I’m more discerning and strategic in the use of my time. More focused on the important things.”
“I’m more effective, more efficient, more strategic, more resilient, more open to other people’s ideas. Happier.”
“I’m communicating better with my CEO and my team.”
“I replaced insecurity with self-confidence. It’s night and day. The insecurity and uncertainty were creating stress and anxiety.”
“It drastically reduced the amount of wasted time and energy spent on spin and overwhelm.”
“I’m more focused. More productive. More efficient. More strategic. Better communication skills. Clearer direction.”
“I have come into my own authentic leadership style.”
“Making presentations gives me energy now, instead of taking my energy away. I am confident now in my process.”
“Imposter Syndrome? Did I ever have Imposter Syndrome? Gone!”
IS THIS APPROACH RIGHT FOR YOU?
