It's easy to fall victim to the "stress of success." That's what happens when you earn promotions, gain responsibility and wield more authority. Self-doubt creeps in. You begin to feel more fear because more is expected of you—and the stakes are higher if you make mistakes.
Your inner voice can work against you. You may begin to feel like an impostor who does not deserve such success—and your anxiety can translate into an ongoing sense that others will discover that you're ill-equipped in your role as supervisor.
There's proof all around. The common response is to ignore such doubts. But they rarely go away on their own. Here's what normally happens: You put yourself through the wringer trying to justify why you're not an impostor. You reread positive remarks from old performance reviews, stare at awards you've won and conclude, “Others seem to think I'm doing okay, so maybe that's worth something.”
- Self-doubt can be cyclical. It's an exhausting and ultimately futile process. Soon enough, the fears and doubts return and you have to replay the whole self-justification game again.
A better strategy is to confront your doubts head-on. Challenge those inner voices and scrutinize the validity of your fears. Acknowledge how they can undermine your life so that you muster the will to overcome them.
It's True! Occasional battles with the impostor syndrome can actually do some good. Some organizational psychologists argue that bouts of inadequacy and uncertainty can motivate you to elevate your performance. But if you surrender to this syndrome-defined as the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite objective evidence to the contrary-then the stress will win out.
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Tip Spend as much of your time as possible with positive friends and coworkers. Create an informal support system of people who inspire you so that you avoid those who chip away at your self-worth with subtle jibes and cynical cracks.
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