Combatting Imposter Syndrome: Creating a Supportive Environment in Mentorship

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We’ve all been in a situation where we’ve felt overwhelmed and underqualified for a new role or task. You may even have felt like a fraud yourself after landing a new job or gaining a promotion that you feel you don’t deserve.

For most people, this sense of imposter syndrome (IS) settles down after some time in the new role. However, others struggle with a sense of imposter syndrome for weeks, months, and years.

Effective mentorship can break the imposter syndrome cycle and help folks feel like they can tackle their new responsibilities. Offering guidance and support to less experienced peers can improve mental health in the workplace, too, by giving folks a chance to vent their frustrations and share their stressors.

Imposter Syndrome and Burnout

Folks who feel like imposters at work are typically more stressed than their peers. This is understandable, as people who feel underqualified are likely to overwork themselves to make up for any perceived inadequacy. Oftentimes, it’s actually high-achievers who believe they are a fraud, despite strong evidence to the contrary.

Understanding the link between IS and burnout is crucial for mentors who want to make a difference. Oftentimes, IS and burnout go hand in hand, as folks who are overwhelmed typically overwork, and folks who overwork report feeling overwhelmed.

This sentiment is echoed by Dr. Sahar Yousef, a cognitive neuroscientist at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Dr. Yousef explains “When you see an individual who's suffering from imposter syndrome, they're more likely to burn out. And the folks who are burned out are more likely to be suffering from imposter syndrome.”

Failing to account for the burnout IS causes is a major issue for managers and mentors. Left unchecked, burnout can have a lasting effect on the health and well-being of workers. This may include issues like:

• Increased risk of cardiovascular disease
• Digestive issues like IBS
• Depression and anxiety
• Decreased self-esteem and confidence
• Impaired cognitive function

These risk factors are a real problem for employees and employers alike. Without proper intervention, they can impede people’s career progress and undermine their productivity. This underlines the importance of mentorship, as more experienced peers can alleviate fears and help folks work more efficiently.

Mentorship Interventions

Every modern professional deserves to gain the guidance of a more experienced mentor. Effective mentorship does wonders for employees and boosts productivity in the workplace. In general, folks who receive mentorship report experiencing:

• Increased career satisfaction
• Enhanced skill development
• Wider professional networks
• Improved mental health

Effective mentorship programs turn regular employees into leaders at work, too. This can be transformative in workplaces that have plenty of experienced, knowledgeable employees. Promoting mentorship can also improve retention and help build buy-in amongst new hires.

Mentorship interventions don’t necessarily fall squarely on you, the mentor, either. Instead, you may refer mentees who clearly struggle with their mental health to support services that your company offers. For example, if your firm pays for services like therapy, put your mentee in touch with a coworker who can schedule appointments on their behalf. This can be transformative for new employees, who may mistakenly overlook the benefits and perks on offer to them.

Timely mentorship interventions can alleviate the symptoms of IS. Trusted mentors can assuage fears related to feeling like a fraud and help folks understand that they’re supposed to grow into a role. Well-timed advice can help folks avoid some of the common mistakes associated with their new position. This can make a world of difference to folks who are disproportionately afraid of failure.

Creating a Safe Space

For mentorship to work, leaders must create safe spaces for employees to share their thoughts, fears, and emotions. Creating these kinds of safe spaces is crucial for new employees or folks who have been recently promoted. Many will be afraid that sharing their IS will undermine their professional image and reduce their reputation amongst their peers.

Building a safe space is straightforward. Begin by letting folks know that the meeting is private and confidential. Follow up by telling them that, as a mentor, you aren’t there to judge or assess them. Rather, your sole purpose is to support them and listen to them. This sets clear expectations for your meetings and creates a clear distinction between the roles of managers and mentors in the workplace.

Before mentorship meetings begin, consider conducting some research of your own. Get in touch with your mentees’ manager and find out more about how they’re doing. Note down any performance highlights and take stock of any potential shortcomings. This information will help you anticipate your mentees’ questions and may help you direct the conversation toward more positive outcomes.

When preparing for a mentorship meeting, consider what kind of leader you want to be and how you’d like mentees to feel. Do you want to bring a laissez-faire attitude toward mentorship, or will you play a more hands-on role? During this time, it’s important to understand your own skills, experiences, and knowledge. Self-awareness is crucial when providing mentorship, as you shouldn’t overstate your skills or undersell your experience. Instead, focus on being relatable and allow your mentee to do most of the talking.

After a meeting concludes, make a few notes to help guide your next session. Did your mentee share some common fears related to IS? Were they particularly worried about a particular task that they did not feel prepared for? If you decide that your mentee could use some additional training, get the ball rolling by referring them to your HR or Operations department. This will help fill any genuine skill gaps and show that you are genuine in your support of your mentee.

Conclusion

Combatting imposter syndrome should be among your top priorities as a mentor in the workplace. Alleviating IS early is crucial, as some employees will develop an unhealthy overworking habit to overcome their perceived inadequacies. As a mentor, you can play your part in improving the mental health of your mentees by creating a supportive, safe space for folks to share their fears and challenges. This will help folks feel supported and will give you a clear direction for future mentorship sessions.

This article was guest written by Indiana Lee.