Own Your Success and Dump That Imposter!
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Transcript of Own Your Success and Dump That Imposter!
Own Your Success
and Dump That Imposter!
February 25, 2016
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Agenda• What is imposter syndrome?• How can it impact our work as evaluators?
Scenarios• Does it matter?
Competencies for Canadian Evaluation Practice• What can we do about it?
Discussion Tools, resources, further reading
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What is imposter syndrome?• Definition• How imposter syndrome can manifest• Examples from evaluators
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Definition A collection of feelings of inadequacy that
persist even in the face of information that indicates that the opposite is true.
A psychological phenomenon that stops people from internalizing their accomplishments – often to such an extent that they will attribute their success entirely to luck, circumstances or simple hard work rather than to
genuine ability.
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What are the signs?Experienced internally as feelings… • Discomfort / anxiousness when people praise you,
acknowledge your accomplishments• You feel you don’t deserve to be recognized• Chronic self-doubt• You feel you are not really successful, competent • Others are more skilled / knowledgeable
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Common feelings / thoughts…
"I feel like a fake." "My
colleagues are going to
find out I don't really
belong here.”“Human
resources made a mistake
hiring me."
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The important qualifier…Your have objective evidence that you are succeeding:• Top marks in your class• Good performance reviews• Strong promotion history
…and yet you feel like you are faking it and at any moment you will be revealed as a fraud / an imposter
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General categories• Feeling like a fake - belief that you do not deserve
success or your professional position • Fear of being found out, exposed, discovered, unmasked
• Attributing success to luck• Reasoning that luck or other external factors are the
cause of your success
• Downplaying / discounting success• Belittling your achievements and disbelieving the praise
offered by others
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One size does not fit all…Not everyone experiences the syndrome the same way.
You may identify with some imposter feelings and situations but not others.
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The good news is… you’re not alone!• About 70% of people studied experience the
syndrome at one point or another in their lives• High achievers are most likely to suffer the most
from the syndrome• Men and women experience the syndrome
differently…• Women tend to work harder to prove
themselves• Men tend to avoid situations where their
weaknesses can be exposed
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People from all walks of life / all professions experience the syndrome
Dr. Margaret ChanDirector General WHO
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Contributing factors…• Some research indicates that parental
overprotection or lack of parental care / support can result in a greater likelihood of developing the syndrome• Having non-supportive friends can also contribute
to the syndrome surfacing• Teachers and coaches can also be an influencing
factor
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The link between imposter syndrome and success…
What I think other people know
• Imposter feelings relate to an inability to internalize past and current success• Tendency to over internalize
failure• Feelings of pressure not to
fail and fear of being ‘found out’ lead to inability to enjoy / internalize success
What I know
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Why It Matters• Potential impacts on our work• Ultimately impacts our communities /
stakeholders• Competencies for Canadian Evaluation
Practice
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Competencies for Canadian Evaluators• Able to speak truth to power• Clarify that data are not negotiable• Ensure criteria for interpretation of
findings are carefully described
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Competencies for Canadian Evaluators• Provide advice (initiatives, monitoring,
programs, etc.)• Mentor colleagues• Share/present knowledge
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Competencies for Canadian Evaluators• Cultivate a disposition that reflects self-
confidence, equilibrium and poise• Non-defensive acceptance of feedback
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Competencies for Canadian Evaluators• Accurately assess extent/type of
knowledge needed• Recognize competency limits and
engage others when exceeded• Assess the degree of fit between the
context and the evaluator’s expertise• Select teams that extend the
evaluator’s personal credibility
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What We Can Do About It• Group discussion:• Have you faced the imposter? Context
and impact? Result?• What has worked for you? Tools,
strategies, etc.• Tips for different contexts – academic,
internal evaluators, evaluation consultants
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What We Can Do About It• Self-reflection• Feedback – peers, supervisors, clients,
etc.• Informal professional/peer support• Communities of practice• Mentoring• CES professional mentoring?
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Self reflection exercises…• Own your success
• Accept that you have had a major role in your successes – you contributed to where you are… you said ‘yes’ when you could have said ‘no’.
• Record / document the nice things that people say about you – revisit the list as needed. • Understand your value - record your achievements – your
personal victory list – revisit the list as needed. • Combat negative self-talk… don’t substitute one criticism
with another (e.g. I will not criticize myself anymore), change the topic and shift your focus to one of your strengths / successes
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Self reflection exercises cont…• Stop comparing yourself to other ‘successful’ people –
respect you own experience and achievements – define your own notion of success.• Speak up, vocalize “It’s Impostor Syndrome” – face
down the imposter by naming it.• Remind yourself that no one bats a thousand –
everyone strikes out at some point, being wrong does not make you a failure or fraud.• Speak to what you know, not what you think or imagine
others expect you to know – avoid bulls**ting and admit it when you don’t have the answer, but you can find it.
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Thoughts? Further action?
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Next Time at Evaluation Café!• Toward Common Ground is a collaborative project
with 13 local organizations partnering to strengthen the way they collaborate; plan; gather, use and share local data and information; understand and talk about our community’s needs; seize opportunities to take strategic collective action and understand collective impact. At our next session you will have an opportunity to learn more about TCG and to share your thoughts and ideas on the project.