Over the last twenty years I have had the privilege of training hundreds of ambitious executives around the world, representing a wide variety of industries. One common theme keeps raising its ugly head - ‘imposter syndrome’.
To my continuing surprise, many high-profile, high-flyers live in fear of one day being ‘found out’.
I can certainly relate to this. Twenty years ago, I was promoted to the main board of an insurance company. The room was full of accountants, lawyers, underwriting and compliance experts, most of whom were at best ambivalent about marketing. It was a struggle to be taken seriously and have my voice heard.
So how can we overcome ‘Imposter Syndrome’?
Last week, I had what might be described as an epiphany. I caught up with five marketing leaders for our bi-monthly ‘mastermind’ gathering. From our discussions four new Ps emerged that neatly address ‘Imposter Syndrome’.
Among our ‘mastermind’ group is Leigh Simpson - an expert in construction marketing. Leigh sees construction as a force for good and is compelling in his reasoning (check out this blog).
Leigh effectively challenged the group to think more deeply about our roles. Do we really believe that what we do is a force for good?
Once you have a clear sense of purpose, then you must voice opinions and become a thought-leader.
We need to build personal profiles and speak with passion and conviction. It is no good just to be competent, we have to push ourselves out of our natural comfort zones.
Thankfully, Leigh is not alone as a leader raising his game. Alumni from leadership programmes are building their personal brands; talking about subjects such as client centric branding, financial illiteracy and millennial investor behaviour.
So how do you build that profile? You must perform both on and offline. Commit to creating high quality content including blogs, webinars, vlogs and who knows, maybe a book one day.
Leaders must also seek out opportunities to raise our profiles. Practice public speaking in safer environments such as internal meetings before moving on to industry events. Many of our Leadership alumni are learning their craft presenting at the Masterclass sessions we run a Business Schools in London.
Have a longer-term goal. Is there a major industry event that one day you could present at? Have it in mind and start working towards it.
Having a purpose, developing your profile and swallowing a brave pill to perform is extremely difficult to achieve alone. You will need help. You need third parties to coach, challenge and reassure you.
Keep investing in your personal development. As the saying goes ‘if we stop learning, we stop living’. Find programmes and ‘mastermind groups’ that will help you develop as a leader.
You will find that you are not alone, and more importantly you will have a support network to overcome any sense of imposter syndrome you may have.