3 Ways Impostor Syndrome Quietly Sabotages Your Corporate Career
- Do you fear being exposed as a fraud?
- Are you undervaluing your skills and dread asking for a pay rise or a promotion?
- Is your over-preparation and the need for perfection causing you anxiety, exhaustion and burnout?
What is Impostor Syndrome?
Professionals with impostor syndrome persistently doubt their skills, talents, or accomplishments. They live in fear of being exposed as a “fraud”. This is despite firm evidence of their competence.
Impostor syndrome frequently affects high-achievers and professionals working in highly competitive environments or new roles. They struggle with perfectionism, self-doubt, a fear of failure, and much more.
Impostor syndrome is a saboteur that quietly sabotages your corporate career. As a high achiever you fear being exposed as a fraud. This is an internal struggle where your inner critic is in overdrive, unconsciously undermining your career success and progression. Consciously you know you are competent, yet this is not a logical problem. It resides deep within the unconscious mind quietly undermining you.
3 Ways Impostor Syndrome Quietly Sabotages You
From my research and working with thousands of professionals, there are hundreds of possible ways that impostor syndrome quietly sabotages you, below are three ways.
- You Hide and Miss Out
You deliberately avoid the professional spotlight. Yet, in order to progress in your career, you need to be visible. To a professional struggling with self-doubt, exposure means vulnerability. Hence, they will hold back exactly when they need to put themselves forward.
They pass up high profile projects, hold back from applying for promotions unless they are perfectly meeting all the criteria, and stay silent in high-stakes meetings. This behaviour keeps them invisible to decision-makers. As a result, they watch their less qualified and more confident colleagues secure pay rises, promotions and leadership roles they actually deserve.
2. You Undervalue Yourself
Because impostors credit their success to timing, luck or a fluke rather than due to their own competence, this is reflected in their self-worth. They rarely negotiate a job offer fearing that their qualifications will be re-examined and the offer will be withdrawn. Hence, they settle for less than what they truly deserve.
They avoid asking for well-deserved pay rises, accept lower starting salaries, and settle for pay grade stagnation. Over their career this compounds into a huge financial deficit in their earnings and financial security. Their impostor syndrome has a significant financial cost.
3. You Over-Prepare and Burnout
The professional’s inner critic and insecurity cause them to get stuck in a cycle of over-work. Not feeling enough, they pressure themselves to perform at very high standards. Nothing less than perfection is enough, they micro-manage everything, over prepare for basic tasks and presentations.
This falsely has the professional believing that it is the exhausting over-preparation, rather than their talent, is how they survive and succeed. This unsustainable strategy triggers chronic anxiety, exhaustion and burnout. To escape the relentless pressure they place on themselves, many professionals prematurely exit demanding careers or leave careers they love.
Breaking the Impostor Syndrome Ceiling
Impostor syndrome thrives in isolation, transforming capable experts into silent saboteurs of their own careers. Overcoming this internal self-imposed ceiling requires a mindset and identity transformation. Most people will do a quick fix or only work on the symptoms of the problem. Instead, we assist you to quickly identify the underlying causes of impostor syndrome.
There are 100s of possibilities for the underlying causes. This is our expertise – to quickly identify the specific unconscious underlying causes that are unique to you and your patterns. Because each person has their own specific underlying causes of these patterns, identifying all the silent saboteurs is just the first important step.
The next critical step for long term transformation is to address all the deep unconscious patterns responsible for impostor syndrome. We use our unique multi-award winning advanced behavioural change techniques, and our own unique and proven success formula, to assist you to quickly and permanently address impostor syndrome.
Then you can step into your own light, have unshakable confidence, own the spotlight, claim your rightful place in your career, earn what you truly deserve, and enjoy the career and success you desire.
What is Impostor Syndrome Costing Your Career this Quarter?
Every meeting you stay silent in, and every promotion you delay applying for, carries a steep financial and professional price tag. Break the cycle of exhausting over-preparation before burnout takes over. Shift from overworking to leading with absolute authority.
Dr. Vesna Grubacevic is the founder of multi award-winning company Qt, is a Performance Transformation Expert®, an internationally Certified NLP, Hypnotherapy and Qt respect i® Trainer, an Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapist, and creator of multi-award winning innovative behavioural change techniques, Qt respect i®.
She is the author of best-selling book, Stop Sabotaging Your Confidence, co-author of Game Changers: Innovators in Business book, co-author of Body-Mind Rejuvenation book, speaker, innovator, multi award-winner and media commentator.
Her decades of experience in working with professionals, executives and professionals, combined with her vast qualifications, proven track record of results, multi-award-winning excellence, empathy and passion for empowering you, all ensure your success.