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The concept of Impostor Syndrome has been discussed for a while in several different contexts, it is also something some colleagues and I have talked about from time to time recently and it is a phenomenon which can impact on the way many people in both collocated and virtual project teams are able to function and bring the best skills to the table.
So, firstly, what is Impostor Syndrome? Wikipedia defines it as “An inability to internalise ones successes”, such that regardless of how successful an individual may be in accomplishing things in their life, they still feel somewhat inadequate, and as such are often reluctant to publicise their successes and skills, to their colleagues, their employer or to society as a whole, thinking that they are not really as accomplished as their qualifications or experience may suggest.
Individuals with this personality trait, when working in a team or an organisation, since they are not comfortable advertising their abilities are the hidden assets of the project team, they will often quietly sit in the corner in a meeting, knowing the answers to some of the project issues but may not be confident enough in their own knowledge to speak out in the meeting, instead, at times whispering their experiences to colleagues in the hopes that these insights may make it into the overall project consciousness and become part of the execution methodology.
These hidden assets are often times easily intimidated by the braggarts and empty vessels in project teams who are at the diametric opposite of these impostor syndromes, in many cases simply being just impostors who think they know the answers to the problems and quite happy to tell the whole world their beliefs, when in reality their knowledge and experience may well be a façade with no substance behind it.
So, how to identify them and get the best from these people in your project team…
In my experience, these people will work hard not be become the centre of attention, however, they are usually identified through their consistent effort and achievement, so your projects group of quiet achievers would be the place to start looking. Examine the kind of tasks they take on and the quality of the work they have done for you, look at their backgrounds, both inside and outside of the organisation, where they have worked and lived and often whet they spend their spare time doing, they may be the person who reads a different kind of book on the daily commute to work and could easily sit across from you in the bus to the office every day and you may not realise the value they will bring to your team, your project or your company, one thing can be pretty sure however, they will rarely advertise their own abilities since they think they know no more than their colleagues on any given subject and don’t want to be exposed to the light of day as they fear the possible failure this could expose them to, however, they are usually more capable or more knowledgable on their specialist theme then many others in your group, you just need to find them, and then find a way to use their skills that will give them the confidence to step out into the daylight and to become all they are capable of.
Leaving these undiscovered and very modest specialists hidden by the noise of the empty vessels who often fight for the limelight of a project is neglecting your responsibility as a manager to the organisation, the individuals, your client and yourself, so get out there and look for your hidden treasures.
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