Congratulations, coach! Your client made it. They got that promotion! Yet they seem uncertain.
“I got lucky,” they tell you.
Your client may believe they were just in the right place at the right time, and it might all come tumbling down tomorrow when people discover who they “really” are.
You may have heard of impostor syndrome — that “I shouldn’t be here” feeling often attributed to successful women in a corporate or organizational context. But it is NOT just your client, and it’s not just women. Many people at all levels of life and business question their abilities and potential.
Suzanne Imes, one of the psychologists who first identified imposter syndrome, says it is especially prevalent in people embarking on a new endeavor, promotion, or job. If that sounds familiar, your client may be in the full grip of impostor syndrome sabotage. Whether this is their first promotion or their tenth, these feelings can easily rise up and take over.
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To make things even more complicated, there is another factor to consider. Your client is likely more lonely in the new role than where they started. Now that they have moved up, they may feel isolated from the support of colleagues who are now subordinate to them, either directly or on the organizational chart. They might start to feel additional pressure to perform to a new standard and to repeat the past success (which they may believe was a fluke) that got them here in the first place. Each new rung on the ladder can feel narrower and more slippery than the previous ones.
So, how do coaches support clients in this new space? After the high-five and the celebration, where do coaches work with them to address this new level of development they are working to conquer?
Tapping Into Internal Strengths
When clients experience imposter syndrome, Co-Active coaches return to the basics, helping them reconnect with their own Inner Leader and Allies. These parts of the self are internal visionaries and supporters who help clients navigate change with courage, determination, autonomy, and wisdom.
The Co-Active Coaching model has adopted these terms to help clients face the imposter, boost self-confidence, and bring out the parts of themselves they need to be successful and happy in different seasons of life.
The Inner Leader and Allies will never abandon a person who receives a promotion. Those carefully identified and intimate voices that have supported the journey this far are themselves leveling up to meet whatever challenges lie ahead for our clients. Do a roll call or revisit the visualization exercises the client first used to uncover this beautiful assembly of supporters.
Getting Started: How to Talk With Inner Allies
If you are coaching a client facing imposter syndrome, a valuable exercise is to help your client visualize where they feel safe and inspired. Let them describe their whereabouts — what they see, feel, hear, and smell. Invite them to meet their inner allies there. Sometimes a tweak in the language can help a client reconnect with their Inner Leader and Allies. Maybe now it’s their “board of directors” or their “home team.” Internal dialogue with a supportive and authoritative team of allies championing them forward can help them develop confidence in their new role.
Ultimately, our clients are still the naturally creative, resourceful, and vital people they have always been. But in a season of promotion, they are being called up into a new chapter of confidence.
Co-Active Coaching Helps Overcome Imposter Syndrome
Co-Active Coaches bring out the best in others. Whether you want to become a professional coach or to help those you lead become stronger and more vibrant, our Co-Active coach training program will equip you with the needed skills. We help people create meaningful change in themselves, and others in their workplaces and communities.
Choose one of our free webinars to learn more about how Co-Active Coaching can help you and others overcome imposter syndrome and reach new levels of confidence.