Dec 13, 2022
Imposter syndrome is a combination of doubting your abilities, feeling like a fraud, and not being worthy of praise and achievements. It may seem like all your accomplishments resulted from a lucky coincidence, and the faster you succeed, the more undeserved it feels.
What triggers imposter syndrome? Mainly, it’s your upbringing, personality traits, lack of confidence, toxic work environment and social pressure. Or a combination of any or all of these.
We wanted to dig deeper into this topic and understand the reasons and dangers of letting imposter syndrome take control of your thoughts and emotions.
That’s why we dedicated the first Bolt’s Female-led Friday to this topic, and five panellists were invited to the physical and online stages to share their experiences and thoughts.
Female-led Fridays is an initiative that supports Bolt’s journey towards a more diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. It’s a forum for Bolt employees to raise awareness about the issues we might face daily.
Bolt has 3,000 employees globally. Around 300 people attended our first event, and 96% admitted that they had been in a situation at least once where they doubted their abilities and felt like frauds.
The 2020 study of 14,161 participants found that the global rates of impostor syndrome varied widely from 9 to 82%.
So what can we do to encounter this syndrome less often?
It’s not like we’re going to get rid of it overnight. The bigger the achievements, the stronger the inner Imposter.
Still, there’s a way to take control of these distressing feelings. Here are some tips and tricks that our panellists shared.
“The difference between people with imposter syndrome and without is simple: people with imposter syndrome think that they should know the answer to every question.”
– James Driver, Head of People Europe at Bolt.
You can recognise imposter syndrome by these common signs:
If you experience at least two of the points listed above, you might struggle with imposter syndrome.
Feelings of self-doubt can cause fear, anxiety and stress, which, in turn, can lead to a drop in job performance and job satisfaction and increase the chance of burnout. That’s why it’s essential to notice its episodes.
If you suffer from imposter syndrome, you tend to downplay your achievements or consider them pure luck. More often than not, we pay attention to negatives instead of recognising our accomplishments and reflecting on how far we’ve come.
The imposter syndrome often comes up in the context of work. In reality, it can hit you anywhere, anytime.
“It’s a feeling of being inadequate or incompetent, but you can also experience these feelings in terms of relationships and friendships — am I a good friend, parent or partner? Imposter syndrome cuts across personal and professional lives.”
– Kerubo Ombati, Kerubo Ombati, Legal Director Africa.
Try writing down something you’re proud of – your achievements in professional life and outside of it. Make sure to note and celebrate even the tiniest milestones.
Reflecting on your progress is essential to quiet down the inner imposter and enjoy the moment.
Otherwise, we can get caught up in putting more pressure on ourselves to achieve more.
Females experience imposter syndrome more at scale than males.
According to research, females tend to self-reject themselves and apply for a new position only if they meet 100% of the qualifications, while men apply if they meet only 60% of them.
Luckily, James Driver encouraged the audience: “No one is perfect, and no one is expecting you to be perfect. So 75% of qualifications can already be enough to apply.”
Suppose something doesn’t go according to plan. You have two options:
It’s not hard to guess what’s better for you.
That said, feeling frustrated is normal. Once you’ve gone through the first emotions, grab a pen and paper. Write down what triggered your frustration and see if your reaction was proportional to the situation. Would you have the same reaction when your friend would have acted the same way you did?
Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Easier said than done, sure, but a journey worth starting.
There are five ways to describe toxic workplaces:
Toxic work culture doesn’t only lead to burnout, but it’s also the number one factor that leads people to resign.
“Working in some professional services, like a law firm, can be challenging. People inflate their sense of self, and everyone is afraid to make a mistake or to be seen as weak. An environment like this can create a strong feeling of imposter syndrome as you’re constantly critiqued, even for the smallest thing.”
– Kerubo Ombati, the Legal Director.
It’s important to note that working in a male-dominated set-up as a female and feeling a need to act like a man to be taken seriously can also trigger imposter syndrome.
Even though the global number of females in leadership roles has grown, men still hold more manager-level positions. In turn, it gets more women into a vicious cycle where they’re more likely to experience imposter syndrome if they don’t see many examples of people who look like them or share their background.
Here are some more pieces of practical advice that you can try:
These are some essential pieces of advice that you can start with. And if you’re curious to learn other tips on building self-confidence, there’s so much more to try.
One of the most important aspects of overcoming self-doubt is to create an inclusive culture where people feel safe, valued and respected and can openly and honestly communicate and collaborate.
“I believe in inspiring people and helping them build self-confidence by initiating a conversation and encouraging creative problem-solving.”
– Mariel Aim, the Director of Business Analytics.
Stella Pinsel, our Head of Lifecycle Marketing, believes that when there’s a safety net and support, it’s easier to help a team member to manage imposter syndrome.
However, the level of support you can offer your employees depends on trust and how well you know them.
As much as we want to talk about challenges, forcing someone to open up unwillingly is never a good idea.
Our Head of People Europe, James, emphasised during the chat that you can’t force somebody to be open and vulnerable about the challenges they’re going through.
Instead, as a manager, you can create a feeling of psychological safety and show that being wrong and making mistakes is normal and human.
Bolt is a global company with over 3,000 employees in more than 45 countries.
One of our goals is to create an inclusive working environment and prioritise diversity and inclusion to make everyone feel comfortable and authentic at work.
Our people play a significant role in the company’s success, and we want to ensure that everyone feels valued, fairly rewarded and appreciated.
We offer equal opportunities for men and women willing to work at Bolt and contribute to our mission to build cities for people, not cars.
We have hundreds of open roles, and if any of them sounds like a perfect fit for you, don’t hesitate to apply!
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