Sonia McDonald* has advice for all those who’ve found themselves in a senior job and wonder how on earth they got there.
I wrote my book, Just Rock It, for my teenage daughter and everyone else in need of a little courage and kindness to see their inner greatness.
There have been times when I thought the talent police will come and arrest me, and even the best leaders I have coached have experienced the Imposter Syndrome.
When you experience a meteoric rise (or even a small, incremental rise over time) toward success, you really do sometimes need to pinch yourself to make sure it’s actually happening.
When you confirm that it’s indeed happening, you might possibly feel like you don’t deserve to be there — that you’re an imposter.
Just recently, someone brought more of an awareness of Imposter Syndrome to the world.
Mike Cannon-Brookes, founder of Atlassian, an Australian collaboration software company, suffers from Imposter Syndrome.
He said in his Sydney TEDx Talk that he’s had Imposter Syndrome for 15 years.
He asked: “Have you ever felt out of your depth, like a fraud?
“Have you ever guessed/bullshitted your way out of a situation, petrified that someone’s going to call you out?
“It’s more a fear of getting away with something; a fear of being ‘discovered’.”
As I watched his talk, on my iPad I cheered and agreed loudly — kind of embarrassing, I know.
He went on: “Internally, you know you’re not skilled, experienced or even qualified enough to justify being there — yet you are there.
“You have to figure a way out because you can’t just ‘get out’.”
He mentioned how he had spoken to another successful Chief Executives who felt the same way.
“Most days, I still feel like I don’t know what I’m doing,” Mr Cannon-Brookes said.
Well, how’s that for comforting? It’s sort of a relief to know that wildly successful people are bewildered sometimes, too.
The fact that Mr Cannon-Brookes suffers from it at all makes him that much more likeable.
Who can resist a guy that is successful but is that down-to-earth? I mean, the guy wears a baseball cap every day, for crying out loud.
The fact he fully admits that he feels out of his league? Makes you want to give him a hug, doesn’t it?
Is Imposter Syndrome a good thing? Does it keep a successful person grounded and maybe just a little bit humble?
I think so.
Mr Cannon-Brookes said: “Successful people don’t question themselves; they question their ideas and their knowledge.
“They’re not afraid to ask for advice. They don’t see that as a bad thing.”
This beats a leader who’s a total know-it-all. Have you ever felt the unease one feels whilst suffering from Imposter Syndrome?
Or, if you do feel it, maybe you didn’t have a name for it until now.
Here are some clues that Imposter Syndrome has meddled its way into your conscience.
You work hard
So much so that you’re trying to squash all feelings of inadequacy and prove your worth.
You ask for validation all the time
From friends, family, your boss, co-workers — whomever you think needs to ‘approve’ your work.
You procrastinate
Because you wonder if you’re really qualified to complete a major task.
An example: “I have to give a presentation at the company annual meeting… Whaaat?”
Then you put off writing your speech because you’re not sure you ‘deserve’ to be the one to actually do it.
Just remember, successful people feel the need to fake it, too — and at some point, they’ve likely felt like imposters, too.
Ultimately, do you really think everyone knows what they’re doing all the time? Of course not.
To some degree, we’re all making it up as we go along.
No university degree, no previous job in an unrelated field — nothing can prepare you for everything you’ll encounter out there.
So get going, and do the things we all know you can do. If you need to fake it, don’t worry, we’ll keep it between us.
Name five things (or more or fewer) that make you feel like an imposter.
Then, promptly remind yourself that feeling out of your depth may mean that what you’re doing is unequivocally worthwhile.
I mean, you could be changing the world for the better.
*Sonia McDonald is the Chief Executive and founder of Brisbane-based LeadershipHQ and McDonald Inc. She can be contacted at soniamcdonald.com.au/
This article first appeared on LinkedIn.
