Do You Have Imposter Syndrome? Take This 3 Question Quiz to Find Out

Have you ever felt like “I’m in over my head…and they’re going to find out?”

If you suffer from self-doubt at times, you’re just like the rest of us. In fact, self doubt affects up to 70% of us at various times in our lives.

Let me share a little coaching secret: Deep down many successful people feel like imposters–they feel like they’re “not enough,” that their success is a result of luck and timing.

Most of us, at one point or another, have questioned our capabilities and competence. This is so common that it has a name; It’s called “imposter syndrome”.

I’ve coached many leaders who secretly struggled with self-doubt day in and day out. They often think that they’re the only one feeling like a fraud. The truth is, we all feel self-doubt at times.

It’s easy to assume that the more successful we are, the less we’d struggle with feelings of self-doubt.

Not true.

We all have a natural human tendency toward self-doubt. It’s not a disease or an abnormality. Self-doubt is part of the human condition and can plague any of us in any field at any time.

Aren’t We All Imposters?

I’ve personally experienced imposter syndrome, as have most of my colleagues. It helps to recall that we’re not alone and that we share the same human self-doubts as our clients. After ten books and a PBS Special, I still find it hard at times to escape the feeling that “I could have done more.”

There’s no threshold of success that puts these feelings to rest. For example, I feel uneasy when calling myself a writer. By the definition held by some, I am not one. However, I love to write. I’m a work in progress.

Many of us are trying to do or create something we believe is important even if we’re at times not the most qualified person to be doing it. Most of us are imposters at times feeling like, “I’m not enough.”

The term “imposter syndrome” was named in 1978 by the clinical psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes. They observed that the so-called “imposters” were convinced internally that they weren’t enough – despite external evidence to the contrary. They felt that they didn’t deserve their success; that it was a matter of good luck or good timing or good connections with others.

So, why is it then so hard for so many of us to shake the feeling that we’re an imposter?

“Am I an Imposter?”

Take this quick 3 question quiz and find out what type of imposter syndrome you may be experiencing:

1. The Workaholic

“When people praise me for something I’ve accomplished, I’m afraid I won’t be able to live up to their expectations of me in the future.”

Workaholic imposters hide behind the mask of hard work. They are addicted to the validation that comes from working–not from the work itself. They have trouble owning their achievements and, thus, keep working more to validate their worth. They think that they gained their success because they just happened to be in the right place, at the right time, or knew the right people.

Because they tend to set high goals for themselves, when they fail to reach them, they feel like a fraud. The unspoken feeling is that “I don’t really measure up as much as others think that I do. So, I need to work harder and harder to measure up.”

2. The Perfectionist

“I tend to recall the incidents in which I have not done my best more than those times when I have done my best.”

Perfectionist imposters idealize others’ achievements. They select the best-in-class and then compare themselves. And, accordingly, they often fail to measure up. They are crushed by even the slightest constructive criticism, seeing it as proof that they’ll never be good enough.

They obsess about making mistakes because they see them as indicators of their level of competence. Success is rarely satisfying because they believe they should’ve done even better.

They focus on the negative consequences of their actions, thus, and assess their performance as falling short. For the perfectionist, luck, timing, and connections are the default reasons for their success.

3. The Go‐it‐Aloner

“I generally give the impression that I’m more competent than I really am.”

The Go-it-Alone imposter is scared to seek support. They fear that asking questions or seeking help will reveal their inadequacies. It’s great to be independent, but not to the extent that they refuse support so that they can prove their worth.

Of course, the kind of work we do matters. Entrepreneurs, consultants, actors, writers, artists, musicians, and creative-types are especially prone to imposter feelings. It comes naturally when you know that others are constantly judging your work.

Playing under the misguided rule, “don’t ask for help” is a toxic practice. We must realize that there’s no shame in asking for help when we need it because isolation is, ultimately, fatal.

Go-it-Aloners think:

• “I don’t belong here.”
• “I’m not like the rest of the people here.”
• “I have to do it myself to get it right.”

If you agree with any of these three statements on this short quiz, chances are you might be dancing with the imposter syndrome.

As Seth Godin writes; “Time spent fretting about our status as imposters is time away from dancing with our fear, from leading, and from doing work that matters.” The best way to stop feeling like an imposter is to stop thinking like an imposter.

With these thoughts of self-doubt in mind, the question becomes “How can I overcome my self-doubt?”

Overcoming Self‐Doubt

Owning and celebrating our gifts is the first essential step to overcoming self-doubt and creating self-confidence.

We are each an Experiment of one! There is no other human being on earth exactly like each one of us. To overcome our self-doubt, we must embrace that truth. It’s imperative to our careers–and to our well-being–that we learn to embrace our gifts and accept our accomplishments as real and not a result of just good luck, timing, or connections.

To overcome self-doubt, start by discovering and celebrating your gifts and stop soft-pedaling them. It doesn’t serve you or others.

“Think Different”

The reality is that people who “don’t” feel like imposters are no more intelligent or gifted than the rest of us. The major difference between them and us is that they think differently.

Do you remember when Apple told us to “Think Different?” On September 28, 1997, Apple debuted its iconic “Think Different” television commercial, aligning the troubled computer company at that time with some of history’s most famous free-thinking rebels. The TV spot starts out with the instantly memorable salute to counter culture ideals: “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits, the rebels, the trouble makers – the round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently.”

The ad ends with this call to action: “While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

Imposter syndrome can cause anxiety, low self-confidence, and even depression. Perhaps the most limiting part of it is that it limits our courage to “think different” – pursue new possibilities and explore new adventures.

When we realize that self-doubt is normal, we can start focusing on thinking differently. We can change the story inside our own heads. Take today as your first step to start accepting and embracing your gifts. It starts to change the game when you think and believe, “I’m enough.”

Looking for more from Richard Leider? Join Richard and Linkage at the Global Institute for Leadership Development^® (GILD) on September 16-19, 2019 in Palm Desert for four days of immersive learning and leadership development.