Amy Zimmerman: 'Imposter syndrome' at work

What would you do if as an employer, you learned that some of your most trusted and high-performing workers lived many of their days in great distress? How would you react if you found out that these seemingly happy and productive people perceived themselves as fraudsters, compromising the forward progress of your company and creating distrust in the process? Would you be shocked? Because this is how “imposter syndrome” can affect individuals, and, according to the data, 70% of workers struggle with it at some point during their careers.

Hyperbole aside, imposter syndrome is real and can negatively impact everything from team cohesion to product delivery. That “little voice” sufferers hear telling them they’re not good enough or smart enough (cue Stuart Smalley) can have a material impact on an organization if it’s not recognized and addressed. And it all starts with culture.

To do their best work, employees need to feel safe — safe to take risks, make mistakes and ask questions. A good way to achieve a culture where people feel safe is to adopt the practice of “continuous feedback and no surprises.” The application of direct, consistent, timely and contextual feedback will foster that sense of safety workers need to thrive while cutting off oxygen to the insecurities that grow from guesswork. That way, people don’t have to wonder where they stand. They don’t have to second guess their work. Course corrections can be made when appropriate. Even hard conversations are more kind than staying silent.

Here are some tips for employees to overcome thoughts and feelings of imposter syndrome when they creep in:

• Recognize there’s nothing wrong with you; it’s normal to carry self-doubt and usually means you’re on the cusp of a growth opportunity.

• Reflect on your achievements (Keep a record!) and celebrate your accomplishments.

• Be brave and take risks. If not, there are missed opportunities.

• Prepare for important meetings and presentations — knowledge is empowering and builds confidence.

If a company is serious about creating a strong culture to drive high performance, it needs to acknowledge that the vast majority of employees doubt their abilities on occasion, and worse, feel like a fraud from time to time.

Turnover is an incredibly expensive proposition, skyrocketing right now as people are looking for purpose and a mission they can align with. To inspire and retain good employees, companies must ensure they feel safe. Then they will stay committed, they’ll feel empowered and confident, and they’ll produce their best work.

Amy Zimmerman is chief people officer at Relay Payments.