Are you a comms imposter?

Do you feel like a fraud even when you are succeeding?

You are not alone.

A recent LinkedIn poll revealed that more than 90 per cent of comms, PR, and media relations professionals have experienced imposter syndrome during their careers.

What causes these moments of self-doubt and a lack of confidence?

And how can you overcome them?

 Media Team Academy.

James White, our CEO, was joined in our studios by Darren Draper and Laura Bridgeman from The BCF Group.

They began by exploring what the term ‘imposter syndrome’ means.

“It is really a pattern of thought that is unhelpful or problematic,” Laura said.

“It’s feelings like you are a fraud and that you will be found out.

“And these feelings can be quite tricky to correct.”

These are feelings our experts have experienced.

Darren said: “When we started The Sound Leadership Podcast, our first episode was on imposter syndrome.

“And in that podcast studio, I felt like an imposter. Would anyone listen to me? Am I qualified to be talking about this? All these worries, feelings, and concerns were in my mind.

“It is just one of many times I have felt like that. I’ve had it when I have been promoted and gone into meetings with people who have fancy job titles.”

Laura has had similar experiences.

“I spend a lot of time working with our coaches and coach myself,” she said. “And I’ve definitely had moments where I’ve been working with clients at the top of their game, and it becomes clear they have imposter syndrome.

“I had one recent example where I thought to myself, ‘I’m out of my depth here. But, by trying to regulate that and trusting in the skills I have, I was able to overcome it steadily.

“And it was kind of reassuring that that person who I was thinking ‘wow, you’ve done so much’, was coming to me about imposter syndrome.”

James added: “I think imposter syndrome is not something that you either have or don’t have. It is something that can come up at any time.”

The science bit

I’m going to leave this part to Laura.

“There are different systems at play in our brain that can sometimes sabotage each other,” Laura said.

“So, if we start with the amygdala, or what some people call the chimp brain. This is where that fight, flight, freeze lives. Imposter syndrome is ultimately a fear response, and the amygdala is the first part of the brain to pick that up.

“It’s where we get feelings of panic and embarrassment.

“That is then picked up by different systems in your brain, starting with the prefrontal cortex. This is our logical, rational brain. When you panic because you have to deliver a presentation, it’s the part that goes ‘You know what you are talking about, let’s prepare properly.

“You then have the limbic system, which can be our saboteur. This is our feeling brain and is the bit that will respond with our heartrate going up, chest feeling tight, or butterflies in our stomach.

“Learning which one of these systems is holding court is key to managing our mindset through imposter syndrome.

“Recognise when your chimp is playing up and you are being hijacked. Think about how you can soothe your limbic system. And allow your logical brain to kick in and take control.”

Imposter syndrome myths

There are a few things people often get wrong with imposter syndrome, starting with the idea that senior leaders do not experience it.

“Everyone feels it,” Darren said. “Those people at the top level of organisations are humans as well.

“If you think about preparing a senior leader for a media interview, they will be thinking about how they will be viewed by the audience and by the rest of their organisation.

“They are the same as anyone else. They will be thinking about whether they have the skills to do it.”

Is it only people lacking confidence who suffer from imposter syndrome?

“It’s not about confidence,” Darren said. “Confidence is sometimes a mask we put on - that overconfident person is feeling imposter syndrome but is trying to put on a mask so no one notices.”

Is imposter syndrome an individual problem?

“Imposter syndrome is something individuals feel, but it can be caused by many things,” Darren said.

“Organisations have a responsibility to support people with anything impacting mental health. That might include creating a culture of celebration and talking about the journey.”

The different types of imposter syndrome

While people often talk about imposter syndrome generally, it comes in different forms with different focuses.

“I’m sure people will be able to identify with at least one of these, if not several of them,” Laura said.

The perfectionist

Laura said: “This is someone who piles pressure on themselves because they believe only they can do it.

“They feel they need to prove themselves by doing it, and there is no version of good enough – it has to be spot on.

“They get imposter syndrome when they have focused so hard on getting something right and then someone gives them some feedback, which undermines their confidence.

“It can create really complicated feelings around putting so much effort and energy into something.”

Superwoman/Superman

“This is someone who will measure something by the amount they can do.” Laura said.

“If we think about the perfectionist doing everything themselves because they don’t think it will be done right if they give it to their team, the Superman or Superwoman keeps taking things on - ‘I can do that for you’.

“The amount they can do seems limitless.

“Imposter syndrome is here with that need to always prove themselves and show they can handle all these different things.

“They feel it is a weakness to say ‘No, that’s too much for me’.

The natural genius

Finally, we are talking about me.

Or, on second thoughts, maybe not.

“These are the people who think talent beats hard work,” Laura said.

“They look at someone and think, ‘They do that so effortlessly, I would never be able to do that’.

“But those skills are nurtured and developed over time. Don’t be in awe of it and think ‘I could never be like that’.

“Get up close to them and grab the opportunities to find out how they do it. “

The soloist

“This type of imposter syndrome is similar to the perfectionist,” Laura said.

“They feel they need to go it alone to prove their worth.

“They may find it difficult to collaborate sometimes because it feels like they are letting go of control of the situation.

“Ultimately, they overburden and overcommit themselves.”

The expert

The final type of imposter.

“These are people who think they will never know enough,” Laura said.

“They look at someone else and think, ‘They’ve got a masters’ or ‘They’ve got all those letters after their name’. They feel that they don’t have the same qualifications and will never be good enough.

“But experience is so important.

“Rather than chasing letters after your name to catch up, focus on putting yourself out there. Don’t hide behind doing ‘just one more thing’ before you feel ready. You could do that forever.”

Imposter syndrome risk factors

When is imposter syndrome likely to strike?

High achievement orientation: “This relates to something I’m studying at the moment called quiet cracking.” Darren said.

“It is when your results are high, and you are still doing loads of work, but your mental health is suffering. You are feeling imposter syndrome, and eventually, you will explode. If you have a culture in your organisation of perfectionism, people will look to deliver perfect work rather than just good.”

New roles and transitions: Darren said: “We’ve all felt it when we start a new role or join a new team. You are surrounded by experts and people with more qualifications, and you feel you will never be as good as them.

Lack of representation or belonging: “For years, there have been portions of society, whether it is the colour of your skin or social background, that have held people back,” Darren said. “They don’t feel they belong in the organisation or the culture. Businesses must realise that great innovation comes from diversity of thought, background, and viewpoint.”

Building an inclusive culture

Creating the right culture can be crucial for overcoming imposter syndrome.

But how do you do it?

Let’s start by looking at what individuals can do.

The Triple A Strategy. This stands for Acknowledge, Accept, and Arrive.

“This comes back to the science part we discussed earlier,” Laura said.

“Acknowledge where the trigger point is in your brain, that feeling that has come through your body or that unhelpful thought pattern.

“Then accept it and come to terms with it – ‘I feel like this now, but I am going to arrive at my next thought’.

“So, rather than thinking ‘Of my gosh, I’m out of my depth here’, think ‘I haven’t done this before, what a great learning opportunity’.

“That reframing from ‘I have to’ to ‘I get to’ is powerful.”

Success journal: Having a success journal and carrying out reflective practices can help.

Laura said: “Think about what you’ve achieved today. And what you are proud of.

“Switch from a to-do list to a ta-da list – this is what I got done today.

“Some days, I definitely work off a to-do list. Sometimes, that list is overwhelming. So, I switch to a ta-da list and put down what I have achieved.”

Also, think about what went well, rather than what you think went wrong.

“When I work with clients, they often tell me they come out of meetings or presentations thinking ‘I wish I had said that’ or ‘I wish I had said this’.

“Fine, but what went well with that meeting? Let’s shift to two ‘what went wells’ and one ‘tweak’.

“Don’t keep shining a light on the failures and inadequacies. Shift the spotlight to the successes.”

Working with a coach / mentor: If you are struggling to shift your mindset, engage with a coach, mentor, or buddy.

Laura said: “I wouldn’t be sitting as comfortably on this sofa now without the help of our studio team and trainers.

“Lean on coaches and mentors and have them as a sounding board.”

What can companies do to help people conquer imposter syndrome?

Create a coaching culture – formal and in the moment: “Celebrate ask first, tell later”, Daren said.

“Go into every conversation seeking to understand before being understood. Then we are moving into an empathetic space. And we are looking to see the world through someone else’s eyes.

“When we tell, we are starting to assume and are seeing the world through our lens.”

Redefine success – use the Google mindset: Google has a sector called X the Moonshot Factory.

“96 per cent of what it works on fail,” Darren said. “We don’t win and lose, we win and learn. We only lose when we don’t learn from it.

“Organisations should look at failure in a different way and define success as a journey it will never probably reach.

“It’s not about perfection.”

Bringing it all together

As ever with one of our Media Team Academy masterclasses, we’ve covered a lot of ground.

So, let’s summarise the key takeaways:

Awareness: Don’t just accept this is the way you are. Be aware of how you are feeling and the impact. Once you are aware of something, you can take responsibility for changing it.

Remember Triple A and Reframe: And keep practicing doing it – it will take time.

Celebrate learning and development: Find a way to celebrate your wins and build a culture in your organisation of doing it.

Joint responsibility: You have a responsibility for managing and changing your ways of thinking and considering the impact imposter syndrome behaviours have on other people.

Don’t forget you can catch up with this masterclass, and all the previous ones, in the video library section of The Media Team Academy hub.