A Brief Note on Imposter Syndrome
Here’s a quick shout out to Chris Grundemann and Zoë Rose of the The Imposter Syndrome Network Podcast. As the name implies, they interview guests and talk about their experiences with Imposter Syndrome. They cover many other interesting topics – tech and otherwise.
Imposter Syndrome is a real thing. I definitely suffered from that foreboding feeling of “I definitely do not belong here” and “I have no idea what I’m doing” at different points early in my career. Some of that is natural and prudent when you’re new in a role or a team. While it still nags at me today, experience and a calmer attitude has made it better for me than it ever has been.
Think about how this holds teams and organizations back. If you don’t have the confidence to ask good or hard questions, you’re probably not addressing issues that need to be addressed. We could get much more done more quickly if we could ask better questions more quickly. Wherever you are, help build an environment where anyone can ask questions.
You might think the opposite it true. Don’t we have a surplus of false confidence all around us? Yes, that’s also a real thing. But both can be true, even in the same person.
Zoë and Chris are great interviewers and make their guests very comfortable. Give them and their many guests a listen. I had the good fortune to be on an episode with them in June 2023 and really enjoyed it – I hope you do too.
I’d love your feedback on this topic – please provide it here. Please share your thoughts and reactions on this episode. I’m particularly interested in your ideas on how to mentor or coach people through dealing with these issues. Thanks!