How Perfectionism and Impostor Syndrome Hold High-Achievers Back in Their Careers.
High-achievers and over-performers are often admired for their relentless pursuit of excellence. Whether in the corporate world, creative industries, or entrepreneurship, high-performers are the ones who go above and beyond, consistently surpassing expectations and setting new benchmarks of success. However, behind the accolades and the impressive results, many high-performers quietly struggle with a deeply ingrained fear of not being good enough. This internal conflict is often fueled by two powerful forces: perfectionism and impostor syndrome.
While these concepts are often discussed separately, they are intricately connected and can be particularly detrimental to high-achievers who are already under significant pressure to perform. In this post, we’ll explore the correlation between perfectionism and impostor syndrome, why they are so prevalent among high-performers, and how working with a career coach can help manage these tendencies before they lead to overwhelm or burnout.
Understanding Perfectionism in High-Achievers
Perfectionism is characterized by the belief that anything less than perfect is subpar. For high-performers, this often translates into an unrelenting drive to ensure that every task, project, or presentation is flawless. Perfectionists are prone to setting impossibly high standards for themselves, obsessing over minor details, and spending excessive amounts of time making sure everything aligns with their vision of perfection.
On many levels perfectionism can be perceived as a strength - having high standards and expectations often creates success and favorable outcomes for those who employ these standards. However, for high-achievers, perfectionism when left unchecked, can have a negative impact on both their productivity and mental wellbeing. The constant pressure to meet their own unrealistic expectations can lead to:
Chronic stress and anxiety
Procrastination due to fear of not meeting standards
Impaired decision-making, as perfectionists overthink every detail
Difficulty in delegating tasks or asking for help
Increased likelihood of burnout, as perfectionism leads to overworking
While striving for perfection might seem like a way to safeguard success, it can ironically set the stage for self-doubt and impostor syndrome, as it’s often impossible to meet such high standards consistently.
What Is Impostor Syndrome?
Impostor syndrome refers to the feeling of being discovered as a fraud and believing that one is not truly deserving of their success or achievements, despite external evidence of competence - whether it's a promotion, winning an award, or receiving recognition. This feeling is commonly associated with self-doubt and fear of being exposed as incompetent, even in high-performing individuals who clearly excel in their fields.
High-achievers who experience impostor syndrome may struggle with the following thoughts and feelings:
Self-doubt: They constantly question their abilities, even when their performance is excellent.
Fear of failure: The belief that any mistake or imperfection will expose their perceived inadequacies.
Overworking: In an attempt to prove their worth, they may go above and beyond, working excessively long hours to avoid "getting caught."
Downplaying successes: They may attribute their achievements to luck, timing, or external factors, rather than their own skills and effort.
The Link Between Perfectionism and Impostor Syndrome
The relationship between perfectionism and impostor syndrome is often cyclical. Here’s how the two work together to create a perfect storm for high-achievers:
Perfectionism fuels impostor syndrome. High-performers hold themselves to unrealistic standards and often feel that their accomplishments are never enough. Even if they achieve success, it doesn’t feel "deserved" because it doesn’t meet their own idealized standards. This can lead to the feeling that their achievements are only the result of external factors or “luck," reinforcing the idea that they are frauds.
Impostor syndrome reinforces perfectionism. High-achievers use perfectionism as the antidote to impostor syndrome. In an attempt to combat feelings of inadequacy, high-achievers with impostor syndrome often overcompensate by setting even higher standards and expectations.
Overwork leads to overwhelm. The combination of perfectionism and impostor syndrome can create a dangerous scenario where high-performers overwork themselves in an attempt to meet impossible standards, leading to heightened stress , exhaustion, and ultimately burnout.
How Career Coaching Can Help High-Performers Overcome Perfectionism and Impostor Syndrome in the Workplace
If you’re a high-achiever struggling with the pressure of perfectionism and impostor syndrome in the workplace, you’re not alone. There are ways to break free from this cycle and find healthier, more sustainable approaches to success. Working with a career coaching can play a pivotal role in helping high-performers manage these tendencies and avoid the negative impact of overwhelm.
Here’s how a working with a coach can support you:
Identifying the Root Causes of Perfectionism. Working with a coach helps you understand the ways perfectionism has historically served you and aided your career growth. Understanding why you hold yourself to such high standards is the first step toward developing healthier habits and strategies for growth.
Redefining Success. A supportive coaching relationship helps you shift your mindset around success. Shifting your perspective of success can help reduce the pressure of perfectionism and introduce a new standard of excellence that promotes balance, growth, and imperfect action.
Managing Impostor Syndrome. With the help of a career coach, you can begin to reframe your thoughts about your accomplishments. Coaching helps you identify and challenge the negative beliefs that contribute to your sense of being an "impostor" and help you recognize the true value of your skills and achievements.
Setting Healthy Boundaries. By working with a coach, you can learn how to set realistic boundaries, delegate tasks, and prioritize self-care without sacrificing performance.
Developing Emotional Resilience. Building emotional resilience is a crucial component to reducing impostor syndrome and perfectionism. Resiliency allows you to quickly bounce back from setbacks and navigate challenges with greater ease. Building resilience can reduce the intensity of perfectionism and impostor syndrome, allowing you to perform at your best without getting overwhelmed.
Perfectionism and impostor syndrome are two powerful forces that often go hand-in-hand, creating a cycle of self-doubt and overwhelm for high-achievers and over-performers. The pressure to be flawless can fuel feelings of inadequacy, leading to burnout and a constant need to prove oneself. However, with the support of a career coach, high-performers can break free from these destructive patterns and adopt healthier, more sustainable approaches to success. By redefining success, managing self-doubt, and setting realistic expectations, you can continue to thrive in your career without sacrificing your mental wellbeing, happiness, and performance.
If you're a high-achiever struggling with perfectionism or impostor syndrome in the workplace, connect with me for a no-strings-attached 30-minute consultation to discuss how career coaching can help you overcome impostor syndrome and perfectionism so you can get back to performing at your peak, but without all the stress and mental chaos. Contact me today to get started.
