The Deepest Darkest Fear of Elite Producers

I’m a fraud and the whole world is about to find out. Everyone is going to realize that I’m really not that smart. On the outside my brand is well dressed and put together, but it’s just a big façade suited up in designer clothes of borrowed ideas and accessorized with luck. Right place, right time. In over my head. Outkicked my coverage. Don’t deserve to be here. An Emmy-winning performance for "lead actor in the role of high-achiever” in the real life depiction of all those who are truly successful. And I have no idea what I’m going to do next. 

Meet your Imposter Syndrome.

Chances are, if you’re successful, driven, creative, viewed as an expert, in a position of authority, or just a millennial, you’re infected. If you don’t know, you can take this test to find out.

By it’s definition, the Imposter Syndrome is a concept describing high-achieving individuals who are marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud. According to Valerie Young, author and a leading expert on the topic, there are five types of the syndrome. But no individual, despite their title, is immune. In fact, in a recent survey by Vantage Hill Partners, the number one fear of CEO’s is being found incompetent. Based on my interviews and research of elite insurance producers, they share the same fear.

Titles, influence, success and expertise can make it even more difficult to deal with, as those in positions of authority feel greater pressure to keep it a secret. There are some famous CEO’s and powerful executives (like Howard Shultz and Cheryl Sandberg), actors and actresses (like Tom Hanks, Emma Watson or Natalie Portman), comedians (Tina Fey), authors (Seth Godin and Maya Angelou), musicians, and athletes who all grapple with it.  

So do I.

And if you are one of us elite performers, you do too. The ironic nature of the syndrome though is that if you do struggle with it, you probably don’t consider yourself one of us. Which is why most feel all alone in their struggle.

It Has A Three-Fold Purpose

Understand that by design, your Imposter Syndrome has a three-fold purpose:

1. To steal your confidence.
2. To kill your action.
3. To destroy your growth.

It’s the paralyzing voice in your head every time you go to take a risk. You have great ideas, but as you start to take action, you’re met with an affront to your confidence.

“Are you qualified to do that?”

“What makes you an expert on that?”

“Why would you risk that?”

“Who gave you permission to try that?”

“Who would start an online business teaching insurance producers how to sell? You don’t have the technical know-how to build a course and where’s the demand?”

It can be debilitating. And left unaddressed, it can result in workaholism, addiction, depression, envy, comparison, self-cricitism, inaction, burnout, and in really severe cases, mental illness.

Because of it’s prevalence amongst the world's highest-achievers, much has been written about the topic in recent years. In my research of the topic, I’ve found the common focus is always on how to overcome it: six tips to deal with it, 21 proven ways to overcome it, three surefire tricks to beat it, ad infinitum.

But what if we’re taking the wrong approach? What if instead of trying to overcome our Imposter Syndrome, we should be celebrating it? Instead of trying to conquer it, maybe we should be cuddling up to it and getting to know it instead.

I believe the cure is not learning to live with your Imposter Syndrome, but learning to love it.

What’s Love Got To Do With It?

I’ll give you three reasons why you should fondly embrace your inner imposter.

1. It’s a mark of membership. You’re not alone. Everybody deals with. This means you’re not abnormal, you’re normal. Which means you belong with those who do. Those who do are high-achievers. Welcome to the club.

2. It’s a mark of success. The very definition of the syndrome applies to elite performers. This means you can be proud of it. Someone who is not a CEO cannot feel like an CEO-imposter (unless they’re crazy in the head). You have got to reach a certain level of success, authority or influence before you can feel like a fraud. It’s more of a trophy than a tarnishment.  

3. It’s a mark of confirmation. One of the reasons elite performers struggle with it so much is they are constantly pushing themselves past the edge of their abilities. Innovating, taking risks, trying new ideas, and setting big goals will always make you feel inadequate. Being uncomfortable is a good thing. It’s confirmation that you’re pushing your limits. It’s confirmation that you’re in the right spot. It’s confirmation that you’re growing.

These are why we can, and should, love it when our Imposter Syndrome flares up. It’s a noticeable reminder to us that we’re among an elite group, we’re in a position to make a profound impact, and that we’re not settling for what feels comfortable.

With a new perspective, the very thing that attempts to steal, kill and destroy you, can be leveraged to lift your sense of community, and confirm your confidence and clarify your course.

So how do we embrace it?

Cuddle It

Get to know your Imposter Syndrome better by getting close to it. Cuddle it. Understand it’s methods. If it’s mission is to kill, steal and destroy, it’s method is pollute your thoughts.

By getting to know it, and love it, you can guard your mind.

How do you guard your mind?

1. Stop comparing. Your beginning is not going to look like someone else’s ending. There are phenomenal writers out there, why would anyone want to read what I have to say? This is the comparison trap.

2. It won’t kill you. Realize that whatever fear is warring against you, won’t kill you. If you fail, you’ll learn something. Treat each risk as a theory to test out. It’s not life or death.

3. But you are going to die.  One day it will happen. You don’t want to regret not taking that risk, not investing in your growth, not pushing your limits or boundaries, not dreaming big enough, not setting audacious goals, not experiencing the thrill of great achievement.

4. So take action. Do what you can. Offer the solution you know. Write the content with the information you know. Reach out with the approach you believe in. Take the risk you want to try. In this business, you are constantly in the position of expert. Take action with the expertise you do have. Action will lead to growth and new expertise. The Imposter Syndrome feeds on inaction.

5. Being wrong doesn’t make you a fake. It just means you’re wrong. Silicon Valley has been built on failures and wrong assumptions. Baseball has a Hall of Fame honoring them. The best discoveries and inventions were found from wrong decisions.

6. Nobody knows what they’re doing. Everybody is figuring it out. So are you. This doesn’t make you an imposter; it makes you an explorer, an innovator and an entrepreneur.

7. So fake it ‘til you make it. Set out in the direction you believe will take you where you want to end up and figure it out along the way. It’s what every high performer does.

8. And celebrate your imposter. It’s your trophy. Your mark of high success. Internalize what you’ve accomplished.

I know your deepest darkest fear. It’s mine too. But you are not an imposter, you are the real thing. You are an elite producer. It may not feel like it, but welcome to the club!