Overcoming the Imposter Feelings through Strengthening Personal Characteristics
Overcoming the Imposter Feelings through Strengthening Personal Characteristics
If you're prone to questioning your achievements and dreading the possibility of being unmasked as a fraud, you might be grappling with "imposter syndrome." According to a report from Our Website in 2023, an alarming 70% of individuals will encounter this bothersome and sometimes incapacitating feeling. However, your feelings could also mirror being in a system tailored to someone else's standards. Imposter syndrome is a reciprocal relationship between how we perceive ourselves and how the systems within which we work and live can shape our self-perception. Overcoming imposter syndrome involves enhancing your inherent qualities to thrive in these systems while concurrently adjusting them to enhance their inclusivity.
Strengthening Character Is the Solution to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
Studies show that character serves as the solid base for enduring success and mental well-being. As it pertains to imposter syndrome, character offers a remedy. The science behind character identifies 11 linked elements with judgment in the center. The complexity of character lies in the fact that strengths can skew towards excessive behavior when they lack support from weaker elements. For instance, possessing a high degree of accountability with a low sense of transcendence can leave you feeling burdened by a system that works against you. Enhancing transcendence, with its associated behaviors like being purposeful, inspired, optimistic, creative, and future-oriented, broadens your perspective and helps you see beyond immediate challenges. I recall joining the business school decades ago as one of the few female faculty, feeling a heavy sense of accountability to excel despite facing numerous gender obstacles. Fortunately, I had mentors who helped me cultivate my strength in transcendence, which was crucial in navigating that environment and handling the pressure.
Character imbalances also account for the dysfunctional nature of many systems, such as organizations, sectors, or cultures, that tend to emphasize certain character dimensions (like drive) at the expense of others (like humanity). These imbalances often go unnoticed without understanding the underlying principles of character. It's easy to have blind spots regarding character, particularly since we judge our character based on our good intentions, whereas others see and experience it through our observed behaviors. The imbalances manifest in the system through what we incentivize and whom we promote. Feeling like an imposter can stem from being in a system with character imbalances.
Moreover, life is filled with experiences of venturing into unknown, uncomfortable, and challenging territories. Leslie Jamison claims that it's not a syndrome but "an inescapable part of being alive." Developing character enables individuals to conquer these territories and overcome the feeling of being an imposter.
- Transcendence fosters a sense of purpose and possibility to sustain you. It keeps a focus on the larger picture and generates sources of renewable energy.
- Drive generates passion, vigor, and focus, even in the face of significant challenges. This vitality is necessary to persevere through challenges.
- Collaboration helps you engage with others and reap the advantages of not standing alone. Feeling isolated when different or marginalized can be disheartening, and engaging with others is vital.
- Humanity opens your eyes to the narratives of others and why they act as they do. The insights that emerge serve as the foundation for discovering shared understanding.
- Humility fuels learning as a journey rather than a destination. It fosters reflection, curiosity, and self-awareness to explore potentialities while also nurturing vulnerability, making you receptive to new possibilities.
- Integrity instills clarity in your values and a sense of authenticity to provide support. It ensures you remain grounded, even when you feel like an outsider.
- Temperance regulates your physiology and emotions in frequently intense and challenging situations. It provides the patience and calm to manage adversity.
- Accountability promotes self-care while also encouraging you to tackle more formidable challenges. It is essential when attempting to reform systems.
- Justice reveals inequities in systems that are hard to ignore. Understanding how systems privilege some and disadvantage others is vital for comprehending your own circumstances and contributing to systemic change.
- Courage propels you beyond your comfort zone to explore new territories while guarding against being paralyzed by self-doubt. It cultivates resilience to bounce back from setbacks.
- Judgment enables you to trust your decisions and reduces the propensity to second-guess yourself. It serves as the cornerstone for regulating all character dimensions, providing you with the necessary resources when you need them.
By strengthening your character, you can develop the resilience, confidence, and sense of purpose needed to overcome, nullify, and dispose of imposter syndrome. People often relegate character to merely being about morals or ethics and something nice to have, neglecting the fact that fostering these character muscles enhances both judgment and well-being. Each dimension contributes to a stronger, more balanced character that can withstand the challenges of self-doubt and insecurity connected to imposter syndrome, thereby restoring well-being.
Start with yourself. There will always be a threshold to cross, and unfortunately, systems that (often unintentionally) marginalize individuals. Strengthening your character equips you to navigate the uncertainties and self-doubt that naturally arise. In the face of adversity and discomfort, it equips you with a sense of possibility to not only see things differently but also discern a set of alternatives that may not have been apparent before. Researchers at the Ivey Business School found that the gap between strong and weak character yields a 10% increase in resilience and well-being.
Getting a solid grasp on character development begins by understanding the 11 dimensions and associated behaviors, which can manifest in both underdeveloped and overindulgent states. My co-authored article, titled "Deciphering the Code: Character Development for Competitive Edge in Leadership", serves as a roadmap.
Character Development Is Crucial For System Transformation
While boosting your character gives you more power to surmount barriers and function within systems not tailored for you, the issue lies in managing to change the system while being a part of it. For instance, in a 2022 article published on "Our Website", contributor Margie Warrell points out that "gender biases ...create an uneven playing field, making it far more challenging for women to reach the top." The higher your position and influence, the more responsibility you carry for rectifying the system.
Moreover, research conducted by the Ivey Business School shows that a robust character is connected to an 16% improvement in psychological safety, which gauges the system's overall wellness. A leader who cultivates an environment of psychological safety, where people feel secure sharing their ideas without fear of mockery, is less likely to foster feelings of imposter syndrome compared to one who fosters an atmosphere of fear. Integrating character development with competence in human resource practices, such as culture, recruitment, performance evaluations, and promotions, would significantly contribute to correcting imbalances and enhancing the system.
Remember, we rarely inhabit systems crafted in our image. Life is a constant learning process full of challenges that demand us to cross barriers. Developing character makes those barriers easier to overcome and empowers us to transform the systems in need of change.
In the process of overcoming imposter syndrome, enhancing character traits like transcendence can be particularly beneficial. Transcendence helps broaden your perspective and allows you to see beyond immediate challenges, making it easier to navigate challenging systems. (Strengthening Character)
Moreover, leaders who cultivate an environment of psychological safety, where individuals feel secure sharing their ideas without fear of mockery, are less likely to foster feelings of imposter syndrome. Integrating character development with competent human resource practices can significantly contribute to correcting system imbalances and promoting inclusivity. (Character Development is Crucial for System Transformation)