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5 steps to shake the impostor syndrome once and for all.

Many successful managers and leaders have one thing in common: they suffer from the impostor syndrome. Unbeknownst to those around them, they feel like frauds, believe they don’t deserve their position or success, and think that others are much better than they are. This often leaves them depleted, sleepless and constantly on edge of ‘being found out’; certainly neither a satisfactory nor sustainable state.

Authentic leaders are genuine and positive individuals with truthful self-concepts who promote openness within their environment. By building trust and generating enthusiastic support and inspiration from their teams, authentic leaders are able to improve individual and team performance to achieve win/win outcomes. Authentic leadership is a powerful approach to leadership with an emphasis on building legitimacy through honest relationships with self and others who value their input and are built on an ethical foundation.

In order to live and work congruently, you can implement the following 5 steps to shake the impostor syndrome once and for all:

1  Release the need to be liked by everyone

Most people are walking the tightrope between their need to express their own identity, and their need to fit in. Authentic leaders have the ability of self-love as they live congruently with their authentic self, so they don’t need to be liked or loved by everyone, which provides great acceptance and freedom.

“I’d rather have the whole world against me than my own soul.”
Dr John Demartini

2  Create more self-awareness and embrace who you are 

We are all unique and bring our own set of experiences, values, attitudes and personality into our leadership style. Creating more self-awareness and embracing who we are is an early step in the creation of the life that we want. It helps us pinpoint what our passions and emotions are, and how our personality can help us to live in harmony with ourselves and others.

With healthy self-awareness, we’re better equipped to deal with sticky situations in an effective way - due to our ability to come up with creative solutions. People with a strong sense of self are the ones who are seriously motivated to make their lives easier, better and more fulfilled.

3  Know and accept your values (including hidden values)

We all have values, whether we are aware of them or not. Unfortunately, most people (unless they read blogs and articles like this one), are never even aware that there is such a thing as values, and what role they play in the quality of their lives. If you know your values, you know who you are and what you stand for. Your life is owned and shaped by you on your own terms.

The ‘value of values’ can’t be underestimated because most people who live with a sense of value, know their true self, they know where to draw the line and how to set healthy boundaries. They generally, experience a more profound level of mindfulness, self-worth and fulfillment.

4  Build honest relationships with self and others

Ultimately, authentic leadership is about creating and nurturing an interdependent environment, where independent people work together in a smart way by contributing and sharing their resources for a greater outcome, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (1 + 1 = >3).

5  Live your true authentic self - Because everyone else is already taken!

Authentic leaders are genuine and show their true self. This does not mean they share with the world every detail about their personal lives or something that’s irrelevant to others. But they are open and truthful about the challenges they face and allow others in, to work together and find solutions to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones.

“I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I’ve become. If I had, I’d have done it a lot earlier.”

Oprah Winfrey

Authentic leaders are confident yet humble. They can be an authority without using an authoritarian way. They fully believe in themselves and their abilities, yet they are down-to-earth and strive to find the balance.

“Dare to make a difference!”

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