Winning in a battle against imposter syndrome
I stepped into a room for a meeting with senior managers and immediately felt discomfort. I was at least ten years younger than most of the people present, which made me wonder how I could contribute to the discussion when all of them had much more experience and expertise.
This was just one of several similar scenes early in my career. Whether attending meetings with senior leaders, working on projects with them or being asked to advise them on an issue, I was constantly burdened by insecurity and the absence of self-confidence. What I did not know at the time was that I was not the only one battling these types of beliefs.
Defining imposter syndrome
Imposter syndrome is a distorted view of our own competencies, skills and successes that leads to doubting our abilities and minimising our achievements, especially when surrounded by high-performing individuals or high-ranking executives.
While I am not competent to analyse the reasons that lead to this phenomenon – and I believe they are unique for each person – I can certainly point out a few techniques that helped me overcome it.
You are there for a reason
In my case, the change started when I realised that my involvement in different projects and events was always a result of someone putting me in that situation. Did I decide on my own to walk into a room full of leaders and join their conversation? No. I was invited because they assessed that something in my skillset, way of thinking or problem-solving mindset could contribute.
Did the doubts disappear right away? Of course not. But when they were about to come out of hiding, I would tell myself that I was in that position because someone decided so.
This tactic applies not only to corporate professionals, but also to entrepreneurs. If a meeting, networking event or development programme is on your calendar, that means your presence is wanted. The people you are going to engage with want to spend that time with you, which clearly shows that you are there for a reason.
Communication skills as a confidence booster
Over time, I started challenging myself to be more active by setting small challenges. At meetings, I would offer at least one idea. At events, I would look to meet at least three new people. When it came to projects, I started raising my hand to participate in tasks outside of my comfort zone.
In all these situations, one skillset was always present – being a good communicator. This does not only mean knowing how to craft the right message and deliver it when necessary, but also feeling confident enough to speak in front of others and capture their attention. The good news is that there are simple exercises that can help you boost your confidence to speak up.
Come up with random, unconnected sentences and try to put them into a meaningful narrative to enhance your storytelling capabilities. Asking your surroundings to give you different topics that you must present on after just one minute of preparation is another useful trick.
In addition, when asked to engage in any form of public speaking activity, practice the delivery aloud to find the right voice volume, pitch and pace and identify the right places for pauses to ensure your speech is suggestive and captivating. If you often communicate in a foreign language, practice reading news articles out loud to master the correct pronunciation.
