New Strategies Offerโค Relief From Persistentโ Imposter Syndrome
NEW YORK – โคFeelingsโฃ of self-doubt andโค inadequacy,โฃ commonly known as imposter syndrome, areโฃ impacting professionals across industries. However, recentโค insights from career expert Laura Meninger offer actionable strategies โคto combat โขthese feelingsโ and build lastingโค confidence, focusing on โคcontinuousโข learning, celebrating achievements, and leveraging available resources.
Imposter syndrome, characterized by โฃaโ persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence ofโฃ competence, can create a debilitatingโข cycle of anxiety and hinderโ professional growth. Meninger explains that individuals often get stuck โคfocusing โon what they don’t โฃknow, rather than acknowledging their โขstrengths and embracing opportunities forโค “learning andโฃ growing.”
To break this โขcycle, Meninger suggests actively pursuing new skills outside ofโค work.”Learning a new skill – whether it’s knitting, โart, playing โฃaโฃ musical โขinstrument, or โspeakingโค another language – can โขshift yoru โขfocus andโฃ build confidence,”โ she said.A key component ofโ overcoming imposter syndrome, โคaccording to Meninger, is actively recognizingโ and celebratingโฃ successes. โShe notes โthat cultural and familial expectations โฃoften discourage self-promotion,โค leading individuals to downplay theirโ accomplishments.โ “We owe โคitโข to ourselves โto unapologetically accept โthat we โhave strengths,” Meninger stated. โ”There’s nothing shameful about that. Your strengths โare theโ raw materials that allow you to โmake an impact.” โ
She recommends aโฃ practical exercise: maintaining an “accomplishment journal” where you record three positiveโข outcomes or problemsโ solved each day, both professionally and personally. This practice, she explains, isn’t about โฃego but about understanding how to best contribute โคto others and providesโฃ concreteโ evidence of success forโข performance reviews or promotion requests.
Meninger emphasizes โthe importance โofโค recognizing knowledge gaps and proactively seeking support. Ratherโค than attempting to be an expert in all areas, sheโ advises building relationships with colleagues who possess complementary โskills. She also suggests clarifying expectations before meetings,โข particularlyโ if feeling underprepared. “Don’t go into a mystery meetingโ that will cause you more anxiety,” Meninger cautioned, adding that organizers oftenโ invite individuals based onโค theirโฃ unique strengths.Thoseโ seeking further resources โฃcan findโ career-related webinars hosted by IEEE Women in Engineering, available onโ demand at https://wie.ieee.org/events/category/webinars/career/.โ These webinars cover topics ranging from science interaction to leadershipโ skills and entrepreneurship.