Imposter Syndrome, But Make It Successful
Have you ever had the sense that you are somewhere that you don’t belong? Not like I am a city girl but somehow have ended up in the woods kind of moment - but like how did I pitch a business concept to someone I had no business pitching? For the longest time I have been a firm believer in fake it till you make it but at what point is that becoming detrimental? *Enter Imposter Syndrome* Now every moment is something that is overshadowed by Was that me? Or was that just circumstance?
Scouring through LinkedIn, and maybe a few Instagram reels, I know that I am not alone. Imposter syndrome is defined by a variety of people but most stand behind the fact that a person has a large amount of self-doubt and has an ongoing fear of being exposed as a fraud despite consistent evidence of success. More and more we see a variety of professionals that are good and successful at their jobs but do not step up to the plate and own it. A few of the key characteristics are self-doubt, fear of exposure, perfectionism, and discounting praise.
So what does that mean? Do we stop ‘faking it till we make it’? Do we let perceived luck overshadow measurable success? Well, let's not stop faking it till we make it - let's educate more. Sure you may not be an expert in everything but maybe having a small ego coming in saying I have got this and then in comes the aid of YouTube or other valuable resources. Ultimately faking it got you here potentially so it was not a bad thing but exploring more and ensuring you can increase your confidence can be key to reducing these fraudulent experiences.
Other ways that we (I’m right here too) can change this mindset can come from mentors who will talk through this as well. Celebrate the little wins as well. A while ago I picked up the habit of documenting my wins. Taking the time to start performing a little self-reflection meant that I was able to categorize not only weekly to monthly wins but then I was able to progress into having a large amount of data-driven wins. For me a data-driven review allowed me to feel empowered to no longer fake it or feel like a fraud but to own it. In areas I felt weakness I explore opportunities shifting this from discovering articles or ‘how to’s’ on areas I want to improve upon.
Ultimately it comes down to embracing that Imposter syndrome can be real but there are ways to shift the perspective. The ability to change the perspective and investigate the root cause means that imposter syndrome can highlight doubt but allow for potential areas of growth. When these key growth factors can be highlighted not only can you document the achievements but you can also validate that you do know that. Imposter syndrome might knock, but success still answers the door.
Bribing toddler and briefing bosses - same skillset different snacks.
Dr. Strange