A couple weeks back, I was fortunate enough to get to go to an event marking the ending of a career journey that is the embodiment of service for a dear friend of mine. It was supposed to be an opportunity for a few of the thousands of people he had impacted to say thank you and offer up some reflections on the work he's done over the past 30 years.
Kevin wasn’t supposed to be working that night; he was supposed to be enjoying the evening as the main attraction for the event. It was supposed to be a time to allow people to express their thoughts on the amazing impact he has had on them with his actions throughout the years, and many did. Hearing the stories from over the years of all he guidance and advise he had given, all the encouragement and praise, the occasional stern face of disappointment and everything in between was supposed to be the highlight.
And all of that happened, but I’ll be damned if he didn’t step up to the mic and offer another gem of advise and encouragement for all of us in the crowd. Kevin was directing his parting message to current and soon to be board members of the not-for-profit he has been guiding. But really those words were appropriate for so many more, and especially poignant to anyone who suffers from what is called “Imposter Syndrome.”
The term Imposter Syndrome dates to the late 1970s. Amid disco and the Carter administration came the articulation of the concept by Pauline Clance and Susanne Imes. Clance and Imes found that many accomplished individuals could not fully enjoy their success, believing that they did not deserve the success they were achieving, and were in fact a fraud or imposter in their particular career or line of work.
I don't think Imposter Syndrome is any more prevalent now than in the past, but I know that it has been a more frequent conversation topic with peers of mine recently. In the past year or so, I’ve talked with several friends and family members about this strange phenomenon. Honestly, up until fairly recently I thought I was alone in this feeling. So hearing from people I love and respect that they too had this same feeling made me feel better. I guess misery loves company, right?
Diving into the topic a little further, I was surprised to find that 84% of entrepreneurs experience moderate to intense feelings of imposterism according to a recent story in Forbes Magazine.
The words of my friend Kevin offered on this topic is a simple reminder to combat this issue. And based on conversations I’ve had with people and that survey, I think a lot of people need to hear the statement Kevin laid down on this topic:
You are enough.
Simple words that pack a powerful punch. When you are sitting in a meeting with people talking about strategy, looking to you for input or for you to provide the leadership to the team so that strategy can be implemented – you are enough. Your inner voice might be telling you no, but it is promoting false news. You are enough.
Instead of reviewing your resume or reading through your LinkedIN profile to see all the accomplishments and experience you have that has placed you where you are and still questioning whether you are good enough to be doing what you're doing, just keep saying that simple phrase. You are enough.
Imposter Syndrome is pretty normal, and even healthy if handled properly and you channel it into motivation for future growth. I read recently on LinkedIN a post from Adam Grant – a Wharton professor and best-selling author who wrote: “Imposter syndrome isn’t a disease. It's a normal response to internalizing impossibly high standards. Doubting yourself doesn’t mean you’re going to fail. It usually means you’re facing a new challenge and you’re going to learn. Feeling uncertainty is a precursor to growth.”
If reminding yourself with that simple phrase isn’t enough, then perhaps a more visual reminder will do the trick. Stefanie Sword-Williams is the founder of the F*ck Being Humble platform and movement. From what I’ve seen and read online, she is an expert on Imposter Syndrome, or at least a well-articulated spokesperson for it. In a recent article in Vogue, she offered two visual opportunities to help combat self-doubt.
Her first trick is to use your phone and all the photos you have stored on it. With your phone, create a photo album called “Moments I'm Proud Of” and start tagging current photos and snapping new ones to fill that album. Fill that album with all the big and little moments that represent all the positive things happening in your life. As the article stated, “From now on, whenever you doubt your own worth, look at this photo album."
Trick number two is a simple step as well. Write down all those negative thoughts on a piece of paper, then crumple it up and throw it away. You can also burn it, which is something I did once for the first staff meeting of the new year. After a particularly rough previous year, on that brisk January morning I took the team out to the parking lot and ceremoniously burned the calendar, pointing out to everyone that the new year meant a new start and positive opportunities in the future.
Whatever works for you, do it. Because as my friend Kevin reminded me, “You are enough.”
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