Thoughts Unlocked – How to Deal With Imposter Syndrome

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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:12 Imposter Syndrome
02:15 What Imposter Syndrome Really Is and Who Experiences It
02:49 The Role of Comparison and Self-Belief
03:20 Recognizing Imposter Thoughts – “I Just Got Lucky” and Other Lies
03:57 Cognitive Distortion – How Your Brain Plays Tricks on You
04:09 Step 1: Collect Evidence – Keep a Brag File or Success Journal
04:37 Step 2: Reframe Failure as Proof You’re Growing
05:06 Step 3: Borrow Confidence Until Yours Shows Up
05:36 Turning Imposter Syndrome Into an Advantage
06:05 Handling the Inner Voice – “Hand It a Juice Box”
07:01 Outro

I’m Skot Waldron, and when I’m not hosting Unlocked, I’m speaking at events all over the globe, helping leaders and teams communicate better, build trust faster, and actually enjoy working together. I know, who would have thought? I’ve spoken for companies like The Home Depot, I’ve spoken at national architectural firms, at their sales trainings, off-sites for major pharmaceutical companies, and industry associations.

A thousand of attendees who have read my sessions. With 99% of them saying they found the sessions valuable. 97% saying they’d actually attend again. I’ve had caterers come up to me afterwards and thank me because they actually got something they could use when they went home or when they went back to their own jobs. I mean, if every keynote delivered those types of numbers, nobody would secretly be refreshing their email under the table. And let’s be honest, that’s a little bit of my nightmare, maybe a little bit of yours. Yeah, something that keeps me up at night.

If you’re an event planner, looking for a speaker who’s easy to work with and delivers actual value that people can take away and use on Monday. Let’s make your event unforgettable.

Welcome back to Thoughts Unlocked, the podcast where I pull apart leadership at life with honesty, with honesty, with the honesty of a toddler and the precision of a surgeon. You like that? I thought about that one. I was like, huh, I wonder how that will sound on the air. Well, y’all can tell me.

Today we’re diving into a topic that shows up and a lot of coaching calls, a lot of them. And that is this whole topic of imposter syndrome. The voice that’s in your head that consistently and constantly whispers, any minute now, they’re going to find out that I have no idea what I’m doing here, or that I don’t really understand this topic or like there’s all kinds of things that we’re worried about. And I’m going to tell you right now that people are not thinking about that Most of the time. But let’s talk about why. Why that voice shows up, how to keep it from running your career.

When imposter syndrome pops up, we feel like a fraud. Imposter syndrome, it isn’t a rare disease. In fact, studies show over 70% of professionals, 70% you all experience it at some point. And it doesn’t discriminate. The CEOs have it, doctors, entrepreneurs, Nobel Prize winners have admitted to it. So, if you’re feeling it, congratulations. You’re in really good company and just think of what they’ve done and now think about what you could possibly do.

Psychologist Pauline Clance, who coined the term, found that imposter syndrome is often tied to perfectionism, surprise, surprise. And comparison, surprise, surprise. It’s not about incompetence; it’s about the interpretation of what that means.

You’ve got skills; you know you do. You’re in this role for a reason. You’ve gotten here; you’ve landed it. You just don’t always believe your own resume. You don’t believe that those things are worth it. Somebody, but somebody thought that they were worth it and that’s why you’re in the role that you’re in.

So how do we recognize that it’s happening? Well, it sneaks up on us. It sneaks up through thoughts that we have. Like, “oh, I just got lucky.” Or “oh, that person wasn’t ready, so that I was the only one they had left.” Or “they’re going to realize I’m not smart as they think I am.” Or “I have to overwork to prove myself.” So, we could dive in. We’re accessible way too much because we have to overprove our worth. Does any of this sound familiar to you? Yeah, these thoughts, they don’t mean that you’re underqualified. They mean that your brain is playing tricks on you.

Behavioral psychology calls this cognitive distortion, a warped lens that makes you doubt what’s already true. So, let’s flip this whole thing. Here’s where we start pushing back on that. Let’s collect evidence.

1. Let’s collect some evidence. I do this oftentimes with leaders and I’ll say, hey, I want you to write down some specific wins, some big ones, some small ones, keep a brag file, I call it, or a success journal or whatever you want. And when your brain says, you’re not enough, well, you’ve got some receipts. You’ve got some evidence. So, I want you to be able to back it up.

2. I want you to reframe failure. What does it mean? What do you making it mean? Failure isn’t proof you’re a fraud. It’s proof that you’re trying. Yeah, that’s what it is. Research on growth mindset. Thank you, Carol Dweck. I reference you often. Shows that people who see failure as feedback, they often grow faster, stronger, and ironically, more confident, yes more confident.

3. So, let’s borrow confidence until yours shows up. This is the third step, borrow confidence from others, borrow confidence when until yours is there. Sometimes you won’t feel it and I get that that’s fine. Borrow belief from mentors, from the teammates that are around you and even past you who figured things out before. Because you figured things out before, and that’s why, again, you’re here. Confidence is in a prerequisite. It’s a byproduct of showing up.

Now, the bigger picture, imposter syndrome can actually be useful. Yes, let’s use it to our advantage because it all creeps in there, right? 70% of you. It keeps us humble. It keeps us learning, but it cannot be in the driver’s seat. We have to, like, say, you’re not driving this. You’re not driving this car. I’m driving the car.

Confidence, it’s not about knowing everything. It’s about trusting that you can figure it out. Next time, that inner voice pops, pops up inside your brain. Just don’t fight it. Acknowledge it. And then hand it a juice box and tell it to sit quietly in the back while you do your thing. Okay, let’s acknowledge it. It’s there. Let’s not deny it, but let’s, you know, put it where it belongs.

So that’s it. That’s it for today. I just want to put that little thought out there for those of you that experience this little thing called imposter syndrome. Remember, you are not broken. You are human and humans are capable of far more than you give yourself credit for.

I want you to share this episode with someone who you think needs a reminder about the work that they have, and if you’re feeling brave, go ahead and leave a review. I would love that. I would love it.

Until next time, keep unlocking what’s possible.

If you want to find out more information about me or check out the show notes where there’s going to be more information and links to the things referenced in this episode, visit skotwaldron.com. And lastly, I’m asking for a little bit of love, just a little bit. So please take a moment, follow, rate the show. The algorithm is like that; it helps me get the word out. I really appreciate it.

Thank you. And until next time, stay on Unlocked.