Overcoming Impostor Syndrome as a Consultant

What is Impostor Syndrome?

The term ‘Impostor Syndrome’ was first used in a 1978 journal article by Georgia State University psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes. They used the term to describe the experiences of high-achieving women, who, despite their academic and professional accomplishments, “persist in believing that they are really not bright and have fooled anyone who thinks otherwise.”[1]

Impostor Syndrome usually presents in the form of self-doubt or insecurity about one’s performance. Those who experience it tend to feel that their personal successes are a result of luck or fluke rather than genuine competence, that they are undeserving of praise, and fear that their ‘intellectual fraud’ will eventually be exposed.

As a (Young) Consultant

While Clance and Imes’ study focused on the experience of high-achieving women in particular, the feelings associated with Impostor Syndrome can affect anyone, at all stages of their career.

Despite this, certain aspects of Consulting as a career are particularly likely to provoke feelings of Impostor Syndrome. Consultants typically work on client engagements for a short period, during which they are expected to get up to speed with the complexities of the client organisation and start adding value from the outset. Further, consultants are often expected to justify their fees by demonstrating that they contribute a certain skillset or expertise the company currently lacks, which might cause them to place undue pressure on their own performance.

As a young Consultant starting my first client engagement, I often stopped myself from speaking up in meetings or expressing my opinion for fear of making a mistake or asking a ‘stupid’ question. Ironically, it was this fear of underperforming that ultimately had the greatest impact on my performance.

Tips for coping with Impostor Syndrome as a Consultant

I spoke to a few of our experienced Consultants from across BMT, to understand whether they shared my concerns and hear how they tackle Impostor Syndrome at work.

Acknowledge your feelings. This will help you to do something about them. Lauren Dodden, Senior Consultant at BMT says, “Acknowledging your imposter syndrome is a good way of moving forward with it. To try and suppress your feelings and do the typically British thing of pushing through your thoughts, won’t help you manage them. It will simply keep you suffering for longer. By recognising how you feel, you can then start to help yourself and minimise the negative thoughts you have towards yourself.”

Trust the judgement of those around you. Jos Espouy, who heads up our Defence Business Unit within Technical and Management Consultancy Services, says “Take confidence from the fact that the smart people around you have given you this responsibility based on your current skills and experience. They clearly think you can do it – so believe them!”

Make use of the skills you do have. A good team contains a mix of skills and experience, so don’t compare yourself to others. Ewan Glen, Senior Principal Consultant, says “You are there for the skills you have, not necessarily to be the expert in the field you've been assigned to support. Remember, you can always lean on your colleagues for support in areas where you are less experienced, but don’t forget what you are adding too.”

Ask questions and request feedback. Genuine positive feedback will boost your confidence and constructive criticism will help to identify areas for you to improve on. This will help you to identify weaknesses and take steps to address them. As Cat Savage, Technical Assurance Director at BMT says - “Nobody has all the answers. It’s more important that when you don’t know something you are happy to admit it - and that you know who, and what, to ask to get the best answer.”

View Imposter Syndrome in a positive light. As Chloe Woodger-Smith, Senior Engineer at BMT, recently wrote - experiencing Imposter Syndrome is also indicative of having “a full awareness of your skills and knowledge, awareness of your competency level in a role and awareness of areas in which you lack expertise… feeling imposter syndrome could be evidence that you are actually highly skilled and bloody brilliant at your job. Yes, you do know what you're doing!”

And, finally - Talk about it with your colleagues! While Impostor Syndrome can be a cause for great anxiety in the workplace, steps can be taken to overcome these feelings of insecurity as they take hold. From my perspective writing this article, sharing feelings of Imposter Syndrome with BMT colleagues at all stages of their career has made me realise how normal it is, even after years of experience. It’s also given me some great tips for dealing with it!

References

Overcoming Impostor Syndrome as a Consultant

Araminta Watson

Graduate Consultant