Silencing Your Inner Critic
Led by executive coach Patricia Hayling-Price, this session highlighted practical strategies for dealing with Imposter syndrome, including building confidence and managing stress.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Five types of Imposter Syndrome:
- Perfectionist: everything should be impeccable, unrealistic standards impossible to sustain
- Super(wo)man: addicted to work, no breaks allowed
- Natural Genius: should succeed from the first attempt in everything they do
- Soloist: extreme difficulty asking for help
- Expert: needs to know everything and study ALL the possibilities, struggles to delegate
Remedies:
- Set up a document of your accomplishments; update it often, and refer to it when you feel doubt
- What gives you joy? What makes you inspired? Make space for it in your life
- Adopt a growth mindset (embrace challenge)
- Replace negative self-talk. What is the thing that can ground you?
- Visualization exercises
- Read biographies of the people you respect: they all had to improve and try multiple tries
- Mentor junior colleagues: this helps to remind you of your expertise
- Get a Chief Encouragement Officer: someone who loves you and supports unconditionally. Get people like this in your life and become this person for someone else
RESOURCES
VIDEOS:
- Imposter Syndrome: A Symptom of the Struggles Women Face in Academia (14 Minutes) Alexandra Simond
- Thinking your way out of Imposter Syndrome (Reframing) (8 Minutes) Valerie Young
- Do you Have Imposter Syndrome too? (12 Minutes) Phil McKinney
- How you can use Impostor Syndrome to your Benefit Mike Cannon-Brookes
- The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown
- Listening to Shame by Brene Brown
ASSESSMENTS/QUIZZES/TESTS:
- Quiz: What Kind of Imposter Syndrome Do You Have?
- Imposter Syndrome Quiz - Psycom.net
- Impostor Syndrome Test - PsychTests
- Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale
PODCASTS:
- Deliciously Ella: Imposter Syndrome and Self-Doubt
Listen to clinical psychologist Dr. Jessamy Hibberd on Deliciously Ella for some fascinating insights into imposter syndrome and how to create a mindset to celebrate achievements. - Self-Care For Extremely Busy Women: Getting Past Imposter Syndrome
Dr. Valerie Young, author of The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Imposter Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It, explores imposter syndrome and its links with overachieving. - BBC World Service – The Why Factor: Imposter Syndrome
This BBC podcast explores what it’s like to feel like an imposter and why it affects so many of us.
BOOKS:
- Mindset: Changing the way you think to fulfill your potential by Carol Dweck
- The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris
- The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women by Valerie Young
About the presenter:
Patricia Hayling Price is President of liveworkstrategize LLC, an executive coaching and leadership development consulting practice supporting individuals and organizations wishing to reach higher levels of effectiveness and reward. As a strategic thought partner, she has delivered recognized value for private clients, companies, N-F-Ps and institutions of higher learning including MasterCard, Fannie Mae, TIAA - CREF, Ernst and Young, Rutgers University MBA Program, Target, Media6Degrees, Pace University Center for NFP Management, The Harlem Children’s Zone, Right Management, Mellon Bank, BET - Viacom, UNCF - MERCK, Marsh and McLennan Companies, Clorox, Google, Reed Elsevier (Lexis Nexis) and Ambassador Andrew Young’s Good Works International Leadership Team. She supports businesses to attract, develop, retain and leverage top talent. She helps individuals deliver distinctive outcomes by improving self-awareness and sensitivity to interpersonal dynamics, operating with effective relating and communicating skills, authenticity and the internal confidence. Patricia works as both a sole practitioner and in partnership with outstanding behavioral, business and analytic experts to deliver distinctive and lasting development.