Joey didn’t sleep after a bout of imposter syndrome
Below is a fictional scenario based on real-life events.
Joey was burning the midnight oil. After a five-hour flight, Joey prepared for tomorrow’s sales presentation to a prospective client in their Boston hotel room.
An ACME veteran for several years, Joey has a new role in the sales team, focusing on the healthcare industry. Healthcare is a new market for Joey, and they were nervous. They were up all night reading and trying to memorize data, acronyms, jargon, and anything else that would make Joey “look” smart to a new audience.
Fast forward to the next day. Joey got two hours of sleep and barely made it to the prospect’s offices. Exhausted and overwhelmed, Joey’s typically high confidence was very low.
The feedback after the presentation isn’t great. Joey didn’t land the sale. The response wasn’t “Joey doesn’t know healthcare,” it was “Joey didn’t have the energy to believe in what they were selling.”
Joey had never received this kind of feedback before. Joey is one of ACME’s most prominent advocates.
So what was it? I chalk it up to a commonly used phrase but rarely investigated further: Imposter Syndrome.
I’ve experienced trying to “overwork” confidence. The words used in the presentation. How clean the slides look. The order. And rarely has it made the difference. Instead, it’s been around confidence, feeling energetic, refreshed, and enthusiastic.
We forgo considering these reasons because we’re so focused on the output and often to our detriment. And that’s because of “Imposter Syndrome,” a psychological feeling of self-doubt and “not being enough.”
Data shows that 70% of us have experienced imposter syndrome in our careers. Even if you don’t consider yourself to have imposter syndrome, you work with someone who does.
In a data-rich, research-first-before-doing-anything world, some of us default to reading every book, listening to every podcast, watching every YouTube video, taking every course, and talking with dozens or hundreds of people before we make any decision.
This can delay starting anything — including a business or career shift - for weeks, months, years, or indefinitely.
I’ve had times in my Chasing the Sun journey when I over-researched, but it doesn’t help in the end! Yes, do some research, but I’ve had more success leaning in, trying, learning, and adjusting.
One example: I’ve yet to receive formal public speaker training. Yes, I’ve read best practices and watched videos of great speakers. But I’ve spent more time practicing and speaking in front of audiences.
Getting out of the research spiral, starting something, gaining momentum, learning, and growing is good for your well-being. Momentum from accomplishing things makes you feel good!
How to overcome Imposter Syndrome Expert Mode?
Let’s say you want to become smart enough about an industry to pitch your services in a way that allows you to understand their challenges and position yourself as a unique problem solver.
There are two options:
If you’re trying to learn as much as possible about the industry, consider setting a time limit to learn as much as possible. This can be 1 day, 1 month, or 1 year, but set a time limit and don’t go over a second more!
Another option is proactively setting an asset limit on learning about the industry. Read one book, listen to one podcast, take one course, and have three conversations. Gather the information you need and get going!
And now for your MollyMoh update! Our sweet Molly is gearing up for a rainy fall as we do all we can to help her expend her energy!
