question their competence. A teamwork environment can be stressful for both the individual and colleagues, especially if the team culture is to collaborate or share the workload. The Superhero feels the need to be better than everyone else to prove they are not a fraud. At work, they must work harder or achieve more than colleagues. Not doing so leads to feelings of inadequacy or stress. Being an ‘over-achiever’ can cause alienation amongst colleagues. The constant selfpressure can lead to working to their limit or experiencing physical and/or mental burnout. Undue self-criticism, negative perceptions, and self-doubt, coupled with procrastination and overpreparing are typical traits and indicators of someone with IS. They often put things off or spend a long time preparing, for fear they will not meet their self-set high expectations or perceived high standards of others. MANAGING IS IN THE WORKPLACE If you wish to tackle IS in your team, the first step is to be proactive in identifying it. Most people suffering with IS do not share their struggles. They avoid advertising their perceived failure, or feel unable to ask for help. Look for the indicators, such as working long hours, withdrawing from the team, or persistently missing deadlines. If you see them, then you can proactively offer support. Avoid competitive cultures and measurements. Frame assessments and targets in objective terms for that individual, built on appreciation, rather than measured against organisational or team-level goals. Acknowledge specifics that have been achieved, their strengths and positive contributions, rather than focusing solely on areas for improvement. Managers should work with individuals to agree what will help them, by empowering them to have a voice you are affirming their capability and moving a step away from helpless or fraudulent feelings. Whilst knowledge or practice skills training is often welcomed by someone with IS, resilience training, mentoring or therapy opportunities may be more effective in tackling the underlying problem. A leader or manager can encourage a culture that surfaces and enables the normalising of imposter feelings, by sharing professional insecurities and failings, and how they were overcome. You can be a positive role model by being open about your own experiences and sharing how you managed these, which has the personal advantage of reminding you of your successes and helping tackle any IS feelings you may have. WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY? Although there is wide research and literature on IS, the majority lays responsibility on the individual for managing their IS, without looking at the responsibility of employers. Yet most agree IS has negative professional and workplace impacts, not just personal ones. Wider workplace impacts include sickness absence, having an underperforming team member, and negative effects on wider team morale and/or productivity. All organisations need to achieve maximum efficiency and financial balance alongside quality of service and delivery, and a healthy workforce with a positive culture is essential to achieve this. Additionally, there is growing expectation that employers support employees’ mental and emotional wellbeing, and provide a positive experience of the workplace. In my own sector, the NHS People Promise aims to improve the experience of working in the UK National Health Service for all staff by 2024. IS, just like chronic absenteeism, is a workplace issue. The socially responsible, ethical employer, leader or manager will not put full responsibility onto the individual to tackle it. Rather, they will assume shared responsibility and support employees and colleagues in identifying and effectively managing IS. FIFTY FOUR DEGREES | 49 Nia-maria Quinlan is a Senior Project Manager at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust. She completed the Senior Leaders Master’s Degree Apprenticeship through the Centre for Executive Training and Development (CeTAD) in Lancaster University Management School. The programme is now delivered as the Senior Leader Apprenticeship.
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