Do years of professional experience correlate with an ability to lead?
Imposter syndrome – defined as a behavioural health phenomenon affecting high-achieving individuals who begin to doubt their own intellect, skills or accomplishments – is rife within the leadership population.
A YouGov survey found that nearly three in five (58%) workers have experienced imposter syndrome, with 20% of leaders admitting to always or very frequently feeling like a fraud in the workplace. Research from NerdWallet then found that 78% of business leaders experience imposter syndrome, and that it has directly led to over half of them considering leaving their role.
On top of this, KPMG found that 75% of female executives have experienced imposter syndrome throughout their career.
When experiencing these feelings of self-doubt, many leaders see their performance and relationships at work suffer. They’ll likely work longer hours to try and prove themselves, demonstrate a reluctance to ask for help and even avoid engaging in challenging work.
Without understanding what these individuals are experiencing internally, as an outsider, it’s all too easy to assume they’re simply shying away from the responsibilities of their role – and so the cycle of paranoia surrounding imposter syndrome continues.
Unfortunately, support for those struggling with these feelings is patchy. While two thirds of leaders experiencing imposter syndrome said they would confide in their friends and family members, a huge 94% said they haven’t discussed their feelings at work, with 61% saying they fear it would present them as ‘a less capable employee’.
The research from NerdWallet generated similar results in that just 21% of leaders said they had discussed their feelings of self-doubt with peers or other business leaders. Clearly, there is still stigma surrounding imposter syndrome that is leaving far too many leaders feeling unsupported at work, and at the mercy of their already deteriorating mental health.
However, despite all this, our research found that most leaders still believe they should be a leader, with 91% of respondents saying they have earned their position. For many, this perception of status is likely the culmination of years of experience and hard work – and in most cases, you cannot argue with them. But it does beg the question: does having earned the right to a leadership position equate to being able to lead effectively?
Our research states that only some people possess a natural disposition to lead, which may go some way to explain why self-doubt is so prevalent at leadership level. However, the contradiction within these findings also suggests that a key step is being missed by organisations.
The vast majority of leaders are struggling to find a sense of self-belief in their abilities despite having years of professional experience under their belts – presenting what many would see as a natural progression towards a position a seniority. But the reality of the matter is, today’s VUCA environment demands a seriously robust skillset from leaders, all of whom require skills training and access to ongoing development support to ensure they’re properly equipped to handle the challenges of leadership – even if they are innately suited to it. In some cases, individuals will have been shoehorned into their role out of necessity – perhaps as a result of an organisational restructure – and it's likely they represent the 9% who have doubts or feel some element of confusion about their position as a leader. However, with imposter syndrome affecting so many, there’s a very clear suggestion that a bigger problem is at play, and that most businesses simply haven’t got sufficient processes in place. Talent pipelines, knowledge transfers, stretch projects, mentoring and access to ongoing development support are all key components to building a healthy and effective leadership population, whereby future leaders feel ready to step into the role when the time comes, and existing leaders can keep pace with ever-evolving workforce trends and employee demands.
Without these steps being taken, leaders will continue to struggle with anxiety and burnout as their feelings of self-doubt hinder their decision-making abilities, impact their productivity and increase their stress levels.
So, is it not time we put an end to the stigma surrounding imposter syndrome and instead, offered leaders the support they so clearly need?
“It’s impossible for leaders, or any employee for that matter, to operate within an environment where they do not feel psychologically safe. With the pressures that come with work, and particularly those within leadership, maintaining wellbeing and mental health is crucial. But without sufficient support and a culture of trust in place, leaders will continue to struggle in silence and businesses will be left scratching their heads as to why such talented individuals aren’t achieving their full potential.”
Sector: AutomotiveOrganisation size: 2k employeesChallenge: Creating a more collaborative and psychologically safe environment for leaders
Keyloop wanted to support their leaders in becoming better equipped to innovate, include and inspire – their key leadership behaviours. They partnered with us to define what made a successful leader at Keyloop, and created a 9-month development programme that was mapped to their organisational values.
95% of participants said the support was useful and relevant to them and their development needs
95% said it improved their ability to be an effective Senior Leader at Keyloop
87% said they acquired new knowledge and skills.
The support also helped to create a culture of collaboration and psychological safety, where siloed working became a thing of the past and leaders felt comfortable sharing their challenges and concerns with their peers.
Keyloop's Director of Learning, Talent & Performance said, “The IGNITE programme has been a real success. As well as the excellent learner feedback, the improvements in people metrics speak for themselves. Amongst this cohort, voluntary attrition has reduced significantly. Employee Engagement increased by +20 NPS points. Their teams’ scores have also improved across management support (+4 NPS), a sense of autonomy and freedom (+3 NPS) and confidence in direction and strategy (+6 NPS)”.
