What are we considering when we address the issue of we being a workplace imposter? It means we feel that others are overestimating our talent/abilities at work. In other words, folks think we are smarter than we really are..
Imposter syndrome first came into focus in the early 1970s. Basically, the subject doubts their accomplishments and is continually nagged by the feeling they will be identified as a fraud.
The upside of feeling the impostor syndrome is that the subject works harder and is more humble. But, that also leads to burnout, anxiety, and underperformance; a most unhealthy outcome.
When I got the opportunity to set up a whole new division for a multinational- and I was probably the youngest person there- I routinely worried about imposter syndrome. But, it also kept me on edge to deliver exquisite results each and every day.
I have found that finding the best perspective on the matter is to rely on the research of Dr. Basima Tewfik, a professor at the Sloan School of Management (MIT).
She effected a series of studies to isolate the issues. The first one was to interact with a financial services firm. She found that the employees who manifested the imposter syndrome were considered by their managers to be interpersonally effective. Once that was discerned, she that those manifesting imposter syndrome evaluate how well their employees interacted with each other and the customers. (The results from both analyses were effective.)
Tewfik’s second study was performed at a medical school. What made this interesting is that the patients are simulating an illness and the program is to ensure that all the physician trainees are following similar protocol to determine the illness. The trainees were then asked if they had feelings of imposter syndrome. Those that did were found to have higher interpersonal effectiveness ratings. Tewfik was also able to review the video recordings to validate the findings.
Her analysis is that those who manifest imposter syndrome thoughts tend to put in more work. (She also recognized the female staff manifested the imposter syndrome more frequently than did the male subjects.) So, instead of seeing that these folks turn inward to manage their feelings of inadequacy , the opposite is true. These folks listen more. They ask better questions. They are more likely to offer recognition and praise to their staff. And, most importantly, they are more likely to work harder.
So the upshot of imposter syndrome is that the employee is probably more valuable- and not a fraud.
