Embracing Imposter Syndrome

I’ve never heard anyone say, “I can’t trust that leader because he feels Imposter Syndrome.”

You know that dreaded feeling you feel when you feel like a fraud – when you fear someone is going to realize you have no idea what you’re doing and poke you in your chest and say, “Who the heck do you think you are?” We’ve all felt it. I still do. The majority of leaders I’ve served have admitted they’ve struggled with it. 

I used to think Imposter Syndrome was bad and I should do everything possible to get rid of those feelings and just stay in my lane. But I had a leader tell me I should feel Imposter Syndrome. That if I don’t feel it regularly then I’m not pushing myself enough. It was a paradigm shift I needed. Now I start to worry if I go too long without feeling it. As Eleanor Roosevelt allegedly said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” 

Apply for that job you’re not qualified for. Launch that new project.  Make that big ask. You’ll definitely feel Imposter Syndrome. But do hard things, things that scare you, things that sometimes don’t make any sense.

Head Coach Karla Lawson of the Duke Blue Devil’s Womens Basketball Team gave an amazing talk on making yourself a person who handles hard well.

So often we wait for things to get easier, and that can feed into our imposter syndrome. We say things like when this project gets done then things will finally slow down or I just have to get through spring and then I’ll be okay.

Have you ever waited for the easy bus to pull into the station? Rather than waiting for easy we should learn how to handle the hard. Because if we have a meaningful pursuit in life it will never be easy, but it will be worth the hard. 

Embracing the hard curbs imposter syndrome. One of the hardest things we can do in our leadership is live from our authentic self and know that we are enough for ourselves and those we lead. Lean into the hard and lean into who you are.

Embrace the Imposter Syndrome as a normal part of your leadership.