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Imposter SyndromeOvercoming Self-Doubt in Success
Heather Downing
Heather Downing
@quorralyne
DigitalLightCycle.Blogspot.com
quorralyne@gmail.com
❖ Technical focus in .Net & mobile apps❖ Experience developing for Fortune 500
companies ❖ Speaker and entrepreneur ❖ Horseback Archery Competitor❖ Elven vocalist with 3 recorded albums❖ Semi-Professional photographer
I’m a fake.
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Definition of Imposter Syndrome
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The problem
Studies have shown that 70 percent of all people feel like impostors at one time or another.
Many people have this issue persist regularly.
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What is it?
Impostor syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist even in face of information that indicates that the opposite is true.
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It is experienced internally as chronic self-doubt, and feelings of intellectual fraudulence.
-Caltech, Wikipedia
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Scientific Studies
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The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Georgia State University, Volume 15, #3, Fall 1978
“Women who, despite outstanding academic and
professional accomplishments, persist in believing
that they are really not bright and have fooled anyone
who thinks otherwise.”
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The Imposter Phenomenon: International Journal of Behavioral Science, 2011, Vol. 6, No.1, 73-92
“For Impostors, success does not mean happiness.
Impostors often experience fear, stress, self-doubt,
and feel uncomfortable with their achievements.”
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The Imposter Phenomenon: International Journal of Behavioral Science, 2011, Vol. 6, No.1, 73-92
“Impostor fears interfere with a person’s ability to
accept and enjoy their abilities and achievements, and
have a negative impact on their psychological
well-being.”
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The Imposter Phenomenon: International Journal of Behavioral Science, 2011, Vol. 6, No.1, 73-92
“...when facing an achievement-related task,
Impostors often experience uncontrollable anxiety
due to their fear of failure.”
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The Imposter Phenomenon: International Journal of Behavioral Science, 2011, Vol. 6, No.1, 73-92
“Burnout, emotional exhaustion, loss of intrinsic
motivation, poor achievement, including guilt and
shame about success are reinforced by repetitions of
the Impostor Cycle.”
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The Imposter Cycle
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Is this a big deal?
To someone who has all the confidence in the world, it is easy to dismiss this as a ridiculous concept.
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“The fundamental cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid are sure while the intelligent are full of doubt.”
-Bertrand Russell
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Feelings vs Reality
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Am I an imposter?
If you often…
● Feel like a fake● Attribute success to luck● Discount your level of
success when reflecting
...the answer is more than likely YES.
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Who is affected?
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50%“Of people who contacted me privately about Imposter Syndrome
were MEN.” - Amy Cuddy
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Imposter Phenomenon among the credible
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"There are an awful lot of people out there who think I'm an expert. How do these people believe all this about me? I'm so much aware of all the things I don't know."
-Dr. Margaret Chan@QUORRALYNE
"The exaggerated esteem in which my lifework is held makes me very ill at ease. I feel compelled to think of myself as an involuntary swindler."
-Albert Einstein@QUORRALYNE
Imposter Phenomenon among celebrities
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At any time I still expect that the no-talent police will come and arrest me.
Mike Myers
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The best advice I’ve ever received is ‘no one else knows what they are doing either.’
Ricky Gervais
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I still doubt myself every single day. What people believe is my self-confidence is actually my reaction to fear.
Will Smith
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Imposter Phenomenon among Authors
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"If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends) ‘Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?’ Chances are that you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self confident. The real one is scared to death."
-Steven Pressfield
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"The first problem of any kind of even limited success is the unshakable conviction that you are getting away with something, and that any moment now they will discover you."
-Neil Gaiman
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"I have written eleven books, but each time I think, 'uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.'"
-Maya Angelou
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Imposter Phenomenon in Tech
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There are still days when I wake up feeling like a fraud, not sure I should be where I am.
Sheryl SandbergCOO, Facebook
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I’ve made a lot of mistakes. Most intelligence comes from failure.
Richard CampbellPodcast Co-Host & Architect
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I feel like a phony sometimes. Sometimes I joke, "Hey, it's a good day, my badge still works" or I answer "How are you?" with "I'm still working.”
Scott HanselmanSpeaker & Architect
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Healthy concern or illogical doubt?
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"Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less."
-C.S. Lewis
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Humility vs. Insecurity
If you feel humbled and stunned by the world around you, then it’s a sign you should embrace what you don’t know.
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Is this detrimental to my career?
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“Fear can utterly dominate our behaviour. It stops us thinking, helping, learning, discovering and sharing; the things we need in abundance.”
-Anonymous @QUORRALYNE
"Fear is the mind-killer."
-Frank Herbert, Dune
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What is the true meaning of ‘fake it til you make it’?
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Every one of us are in various stages of not knowing what we are doing
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Convert curiosity into CONFIDENCE
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Convert curiosity into CONFIDENCE
Interpret fear as excitement.
It's good to know what you lack. Find a
mentor in your field to study under and
work at it. Speak confidently that you
don't know yet, but you will.
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Convert curiosity into CONFIDENCE
Interpret fear as excitement.
It's good to know what you lack. Find a
mentor in your field to study under and
work at it. Speak confidently that you
don't know yet, but you will.
Don’t compare yourself to other people.
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"...by being able to identify these imposter feelings and recognizing them for what they are, I’ve been able to know that they are just feelings and not facts."
-Maryam Pasha @QUORRALYNE
"The story you are telling yourself about your competence or incompetence... it’s all invented."
-Seth Godin
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Case Study: Successful Thoughts from Successful People
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How do you approach having to deliver something you’ve never done before?
Karen Brad Heather Preston
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How do you approach having to deliver something you’ve never done before?
KarenFirst step would be to get with someone who knows.Collaborate with others for known stumbling blocks,
and be honest about what value you can provide.
Brad Heather Preston
How do you approach having to deliver something you’ve never done before?
KarenFirst step would be to get with someone who knows.Collaborate with others for known stumbling blocks,
and be honest about what value you can provide.
Brad HeatherAsk for appropriate
discovery time and pad your estimates.
Emphasize parts you know and be political about parts
you don’t.
Preston
How do you approach having to deliver something you’ve never done before?
KarenFirst step would be to get with someone who knows.Collaborate with others for known stumbling blocks,
and be honest about what value you can provide.
Brad HeatherAsk for appropriate
discovery time and pad your estimates.
Emphasize parts you know and be political about parts
you don’t.
Be transparent so you don’t offer to hit a bar you can’t
reach quickly.Tap other resources to do know how. Being diligent
goes a long way.
Preston
How do you approach having to deliver something you’ve never done before?
KarenFirst step would be to get with someone who knows.Collaborate with others for known stumbling blocks,
and be honest about what value you can provide.
Brad HeatherAsk for appropriate
discovery time and pad your estimates.
Emphasize parts you know and be political about parts
you don’t.
Be transparent so you don’t offer to hit a bar you can’t
reach quickly.Tap other resources to do know how. Being diligent
goes a long way.
PrestonTry not to make
commitments to set yourself up for failure.Take stock of existing
strengths and weaknesses to see if they apply.
What was your most memorable mistake that led to growth?
Karen Brad Heather Preston
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What was your most memorable mistake that led to growth?
KarenA bug was released into production and I didn’t
catch it.Things that seem minor to you can be a big deal to a
client.
Brad Heather Preston
What was your most memorable mistake that led to growth?
KarenA bug was released into production and I didn’t
catch it.Things that seem minor to you can be a big deal to a
client.
Brad HeatherAccidentally deleted years worth of database records.
If you are going to mess up, mess up big! I learned the art of CYA - play the
game creatively.
Preston
What was your most memorable mistake that led to growth?
KarenA bug was released into production and I didn’t
catch it.Things that seem minor to you can be a big deal to a
client.
Brad HeatherAccidentally deleted years worth of database records.
If you are going to mess up, mess up big! I learned the art of CYA - play the
game creatively.
Thought I could do everything on a project
myself and failed. Learned to outsource work to others so I was freed up to focus on the right thing.
Preston
What was your most memorable mistake that led to growth?
KarenA bug was released into production and I didn’t
catch it.Things that seem minor to you can be a big deal to a
client.
Brad HeatherAccidentally deleted years worth of database records.
If you are going to mess up, mess up big! I learned the art of CYA - play the
game creatively.
Thought I could do everything on a project
myself and failed. Learned to outsource work to others so I was freed up to focus on the right thing.
PrestonNot paying attention to
signs of an unrecoverable situation got me burned. Normally once things go bad they don’t get much
better. Move on.
What keeps you going after a major failure?
Karen Brad Heather Preston
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What keeps you going after a major failure?
KarenEven if you fail, things still
need to get done.Evaluate what you did and alter your approach. If you don’t change anything you
will fail again for sure.
Brad Heather Preston
What keeps you going after a major failure?
KarenEven if you fail, things still
need to get done.Evaluate what you did and alter your approach. If you don’t change anything you
will fail again for sure.
Brad HeatherEverything you do is a tiny drop in the bucket of life.You can’t do everything
right. You learn from failure. Put things into
perspective.
Preston
What keeps you going after a major failure?
KarenEven if you fail, things still
need to get done.Evaluate what you did and alter your approach. If you don’t change anything you
will fail again for sure.
Brad HeatherEverything you do is a tiny drop in the bucket of life.You can’t do everything
right. You learn from failure. Put things into
perspective.
The stubbornness to not quit. I constantly have something to prove.
I never give myself another plan besides plan A.
Preston
What keeps you going after a major failure?
KarenEven if you fail, things still
need to get done.Evaluate what you did and alter your approach. If you don’t change anything you
will fail again for sure.
Brad HeatherEverything you do is a tiny drop in the bucket of life.You can’t do everything
right. You learn from failure. Put things into
perspective.
The stubbornness to not quit. I constantly have something to prove.
I never give myself another plan besides plan A.
PrestonFailing at something does not mean you are failure.
Look at ways to improve or decide it is not in your wheelhouse. Become
self-aware.
The leaders weigh in
“Do everything to become the expert even if you don’t feel that you will reach it.
Let it drive you, and find the joy in discovering.”
JohnSoftware Architect
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“You have to have a level of fearlessness to do what you do.
More than anything you have to listen to others and realize that people want you to succeed.”Debbi
Manager of Creative
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“There is a fine line between humility and lack of confidence and pride.
If you think it’s luck, you will stop being able to repeat successes.”
JonCEO
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“Nobody is useless. Everyone can have a role on a project.
The people I know will succeed own up to failed attempts and actively demonstrate they learned. They are relentless in their pursuit.”
How can you tell if someone who fails has the potential to ultimately succeed - versus it being out of their wheelhouse completely?
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“An attitude of positivity and ability to visualize success. Good leaders can see the eventual positive outcome in a person.
I look for someone who does not remain frozen by their failure.”
How can you tell if someone who fails has the potential to ultimately succeed - versus it being out of their wheelhouse completely?
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ImpostersHandbook.com - Rob Conery
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SHIFT FOCUS
Team up with a friend or partner at work who can talk up your skills and call out your achievements for you - and you can do the same in return. This is called co-bragging...
...and it works.
Give Encouragement
Get Encouragement
Repeat
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Be kind to yourselfThe technology world is hard on people. Luck only gets you so far. YOU were the one that acted on the opportunities you were presented.
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You’re not an impostor for trying something that might not work. You’re a hero.
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The solution
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The solution
Discover how to be self-aware and recognize these emotions
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The solution
Discover how to be self-aware and recognize these emotions
Update your view of failure as an intense growth opportunity
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The solution
Discover how to be self-aware and recognize these emotions
Update your view of failure as an intense growth opportunity
Fake it until you become it - and pay it forward
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"You don't have to attain perfection or mastery to be worthy of the success you've achieved."
-Margie Warrell@QUORRALYNE
Stay curious.
Heather Downing@quorralyne
quorralyne@gmail.comwww.quorralyne.com
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