Why I Think Impostor Syndrome Could Be Great for Your Career
A couple of weeks ago, a former coworker and good friend mentioned to me and another mutual friend how relieved he was that he had been able to hold his own and meaningfully contribute to a deep technical conversation at work. I paraphrase, but he said something along the lines of, “Turns out I can do this after all!” When he mentioned exactly what the subject matter was, I laughed and said, “But that’s your area of expertise! Seems to me like it goes without saying that you’d be able to do this”. His response to that is the entire basis for this article. He said:
“I know, but sometimes, I need some reassurance for my impostor syndrome.”
Here was a guy, one of the smartest people I personally know, clearly an expert in his field and someone who holds a highly technical job in one of the world’s largest tech companies, a guy who’s received awards and recognition for his work in and out of his current organization, confessing that he was relieved that he’d been able to come out of a conversation he was almost uniquely qualified to have, without being exposed as a fraud.
I immediately thought to the many times over my own professional career that I’ve felt the exact same way. I have had job titles, certified qualifications and received professional recognition and awards that made it almost inevitable that it would be taken for granted that I was an expert, or at least satisfactorily competent in a specific field. I have felt like a fraud more times than I can count, and apparently, so have other people that I look up to.
Impostor syndrome, according to Wikipedia, is the phenomenon in which a person doubts their own capacity, accomplishments and the recognition that comes with them, and is constantly fearful of being exposed as a fraud.
Impostor syndrome has been known to cripple confidence and negatively impact performance and careers, but I think if properly understood and put in the right perspective, it could be one of the most reliable guarantees of success. I think imposter syndrome could fuel your career all the way to the top.
Over my career working in very different industries and organization types, I have become increasingly convinced that no one really knows everything (to the extent that) you think they do. Some people have just become better than others at appearing to have all the pieces, or at telling themselves that they do.
When someone asks you to name the most charismatic and idolized (or vilified) tech expert of the last two decades, do you say, “Steve Jobs”? I might too. In fact, in one of the very few text chains I am a part of, where we’re constantly geeking out about tech / business ideas and developments, we find ourselves talking about / referring to Steve Jobs quite often. But at the risk of being dragged by some more extreme fans of the legend, I said to my friend, “How much of core Apple technology do you think Jobs actually knew? But he was good at learning the features after the product was built so he could do a great job talking about it and getting others excited”.
And that’s the key: learning. There is no shame in not knowing something people assumed you knew. It only becomes a problem if you refuse to learn. How many times a week are you in a room of qualified people, a room in which you clearly belong, and someone says something so matter-of-factly that it’s evident they think everyone there should know what they’re talking about? Do you pull out your phone under the table or maintain a straight face while hiding behind your laptop to do a quick Google search? Or do you at least make a mental or physical note to check later? If you do, I applaud you. I can almost certainly assure you that you are not the only person in the room who doesn’t know. Everyone else, like you, just hides that fact and continues to seem like an expert. We’re all actors, putting on a show of competence.
This doesn’t mean you’re not capable or smart. Being smart is knowing when you don’t know things and doing what you can to learn them. Now think of how many new things you’ve learned this way over the years. The next time the subject comes up, you’re equipped, and you know exactly what they’re talking about.
Personally, I have learned more due to impostor syndrome than from mandatory training / courses. And I’ve been able to apply things learned this way much better to my work because it is driven by a desire to keep up the act. And in acting, I do. Acting, after all, is doing.
People who believe their own hype however, and think they know everything because others think and constantly tell them so, are less likely to keep learning, and at some point, they can rise / expand no further. Letting your impostor syndrome constantly drive you to learn could be the best gift you could give your career.
Two equally profound quotes that I find particularly useful for dealing with impostor syndrome are: “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool” (As You Like It) — William Shakespeare and “You know nothing, Jon Snow” (Game of Thrones) — Ygritte .
