{"id":1009,"date":"2025-02-26T09:36:53","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T14:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/?p=1009"},"modified":"2025-02-26T09:39:24","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T14:39:24","slug":"the-scourge-of-imposter-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/?p=1009","title":{"rendered":"The Scourge of Imposter Syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

\"\"<\/a>Imposter Syndrome! This term is used frequently but do you really understand what it is, what it does, and how to manage it?\u00a0 Most people do not, so let\u2019s take a deeper dive.\u00a0 In my decades of coaching women in the workplace to greater success, most of my clients have struggled with this scourge.\u00a0 In fact, The International Journal of Behavioral Science states that 70% of people in the United States have experienced imposter syndrome sometime in their lives.\u00a0 The term was first coined in the 1970\u2019s by clinical psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes.\u00a0 They noted that many high-achieving women believed they were not competent even though they had many accomplishments.\u00a0 Often, this is a silent saboteur, feeling like fraud is often unvoiced due to feelings of shame.\u00a0 The more it is not expressed, the more it is internalized.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Do you know the feeling of being terrified that other people will figure out that you do not belong in your role, that you are not up to promotion, that you are not who you say you are?\u00a0 That is imposter syndrome.\u00a0 Maybe you have a lifelong foundation of self-doubt and anxiety. \u00a0That is the breeding ground for imposter syndrome.\u00a0 It often rears its ugly head at each new level of success for you.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Another underpinning of imposter syndrome can be understood through Attribution Theory.\u00a0 Attribution Theory is the psychological concept that explains how people interpret their own behavior of success.\u00a0 This often divides across gender lines.\u00a0 More men tend to attribute their successes to being smart, skilled, and competent.\u00a0 More women tend to attribute their successes to luck, the help of others, or a fluke.\u00a0 It\u2019s not surprising if a woman attributes all of her success to external factors, the groundwork is set for feeling like an imposter.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

There are many ways imposter syndrome thwarts success.\u00a0 Imposter syndrome may prevent you from applying for a position for which you are qualified.\u00a0 Often women will not apply unless they have every qualification the position lists.\u00a0 Many men will apply with just a few qualifications.\u00a0 At the very least, feeling like a fraud makes you anxious, hesitant, and restricted, not a good foundation for succeeding at the next opportunity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

One of the fascinating things about imposter syndrome is the inclusiveness of the behavior.\u00a0 In my coaching practice, I coached CEO\u2019s; COO\u2019s, CFO\u2019s; doctors; attorneys, tenured professors; all who have struggled with imposter syndrome.\u00a0 Education level, position, and salary level are not protective shields from this undermining belief system.\u00a0 So, if you are thinking – when I receive my Master\u2019s; when I pass my CPA exam; when I have been in my field longer – then imposter syndrome will vanish, don\u2019t delude yourself.\u00a0 It is a hitchhiker that goes along for the ride.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

O.K., you have determined, \u201cYep, this is me!\u00a0 I am suffering from imposter syndrome.\u201d\u00a0 Maybe you are feeling very discouraged?\u00a0 Now what?\u00a0 I always remind my clients, \u201cShame surges in silence!\u201d\u00a0 When you have the courage to voice your deepest fears of feeling like a fraud to another human being, that\u2019s when healing begins.\u00a0 Understanding that you are not alone, knowing that this is a pretty common experience for women, can go a long way in reducing the shame.\u00a0 Your first powerful step forward is finding a trusted individual to express these feelings.\u00a0 Choose wisely, hopefully you have another woman in your circle who has shown up for you as a trusted confidante.\u00a0 You are seeking someone who listens effectively, empathizes, and acknowledges your feelings.\u00a0 Just like you need a buddy to go swimming, you need a buddy to crush imposter syndrome.\u00a0 The best news of all?\u00a0 You do not have to stay stuck in this success sabotaging loop.\u00a0 There are concrete steps you can take to kick the feeling of being an imposter to the curb.\u00a0 Keep reading, in Kay\u2019s Corner I will give you a step-by-step process to actively attack imposter syndrome.\u00a0 Try going through the steps in Kay\u2019s Corner with your trusted friend.\u00a0 Talking through each of the seven steps is a powerful experience that can begin to lift the weight of feeling like a fraud.\u00a0 There is light at the end of this tunnel!\u00a0 You deserve to own your accomplishments and feel confident as you step up in responsibility and roles!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Have you had your hand raised throughout this article?\u00a0 Have you said, \u201cI know imposter syndrome is sabotaging my career success.\u201d\u00a0 Are you looking for guidance in tackling this obstacle?\u00a0 This is a frequent issue that clients come to me for coaching.\u00a0 Would you like to determine if I might be the right person to assist you in turning this around?\u00a0 Let\u2019s do a complementary 45-minute phone consultation to see if we can kick imposter syndrome and other self-sabotaging behaviors to the curb for you.\u00a0 \u00a0Email <\/strong>Kay@highheeledsuccess.com<\/strong><\/a> or call (513) 561-4288 to schedule.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Imposter Syndrome! This term is used frequently but do you really understand what it is, what it does, and how to manage it?\u00a0 Most people do not, so let\u2019s take a deeper dive.\u00a0 In my decades of coaching women in the workplace to greater success, most of my clients have struggled with this scourge.\u00a0 In<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[3,106,26,1,17],"tags":[53,9,78,99,36,18,145,27,73,20,34,24],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Qkhe-gh","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1009"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1009"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1017,"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1009\/revisions\/1017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.highheeledsuccess.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}