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I’m a Total Fraud, and So Are You
Making imposter syndrome work for you in the world of design.
‘Imposter Syndrome’ is sometimes used as a catch-all term for self-doubts that can plague us at work. According to the International Journal of Behavioural Science, 70 percent of us suffer from the feeling of being a fraud. Take Nobel laureate Maya Angelou, who once said, “I have written 11 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.’” If winning a Nobel prize doesn’t make these feelings go away, then it’s time to accept that they probably never do, but that might not be a bad thing.
Maybe instead of trying to ignore these feelings, or somehow ‘beat them,’ we should acknowledge them and then put them to work for us. Here’s how to turn those nagging thoughts into something useful:
“I don’t deserve to be here”
Well maybe you don’t, but does that really matter? You are where you are, so unless you’re planning to quit, you should make it your job to be as useful as possible. When someone asks you for help, take the time to do what you can. I’ve had several roles with “director” in the title and still found myself doing basic production work, proofreading copy, and occasionally cleaning out the fridge…
