Imposter Syndrome. Have you been there?
I know I have and it’s something I have to constantly stay aware of.
And it’s something that many family business leaders struggle with. However, I was shocked the other day when having a great discussion with a very successful female family business leader who always appears to be super confident, purposeful and driven when she confessed to me that she still suffered from crippling Imposter Syndrome.
It was a telling reminder to me that we should never make assumptions about people based only on what we can see. There is so much more going on underneath.
I’ve spoken to several female leaders recently who are working in traditionally male dominated industries and one of them commented to me “We are still seen by some as administrators rather than leaders and it sometimes makes me wonder, what are we doing here?”. But it’s certainly not something that only affects female leaders. I was chatting to a male leader last week who wants to introduce new ways of working into his business and the resistance he was facing was making him question whether he really had the ability to see it through.
Imposter Syndrome can pop up for anyone at any time.
Imposter Syndrome can be particularly challenging for leaders of family businesses as there can be a constant inner dialogue going on:
Am I good enough?
Would I have this role if it wasn’t for WHO I am?
Have I been given an easier ride because I’m the boss’s son/daughter?
What do others think of me?
Do I have the respect of the workforce?
What do my senior team REALLY think of me?
Would I have got to this level if I worked outside of the family business?
The list of inner questions goes on and on and I think I’ve pretty much heard them all over the years.
So today I’m inviting you to tell that inner voice of yours to quieten down and try a few of these tips to help you get things back into perspective:
Take a step back and remind yourself of all you have achieved to date. It’s so easy for us to focus on the negative rather than celebrating all the great things we have done this week, this month, this year, and the years before that. Celebrate those achievements, both big and small and remind yourself that YOU did that!
Recognise that we all have limits to our knowledge. None of us can be good at everything and that’s just fine. That’s why we aim to gather teams around us who complement our skills and expertise. You don’t have to have all the answers.
Accept that the search for perfectionism is a fruitless journey. No-one is perfect and you certainly don’t need to be. Take some of the pressure off yourself.
Seek out a coach who you feel you can trust and ideally who has been through these Imposter feelings themselves. Look for someone who you feel will create a safe space for you to explore what is driving these feelings and who can help you to tap back into your inner strength and power.
Don’t let your Imposter thoughts hold you back.