When you feel like an imposter
For when: you've got the role, and part of you is waiting to be found out.
Tilen Višnjevec · Finance director, Copenhagen · At 25, I was asked to become a CFO. Honestly, not very. I kept waiting for someone to notice I was too young for the job.
Today I am responsible for a USD 17bn cost base and a team of 13. The feeling hasn't fully gone. It comes back with every bigger role, but it's quieter now, and I've learned it usually means I'm growing.
How to think about itCheck the feeling against the evidence
Imposter syndrome is a forecast too: a prediction that you'll be found out. Like any forecast, it should be checked against the data.
The data is usually kinder than the feeling. Someone chose you for the role, based on what you had already done. And the feeling tends to show up at the edge of what you know, which is exactly where you grow.
So what does this mean in practice?
Write down the evidence. Five things you've delivered that the role needed. Read the list when the feeling is loud.
Say “I don’t know yet” out loud. It is the fastest way to learn, and people trust it more than bluffing.
Find your peers. Others at your level feel the same. Hearing it from them takes most of the weight off.
What helped meWriting down the evidence: what I've actually delivered, and what people have said. When the feeling shows up, I read the list and get back to work.
Feeling out of your depth usually means you are growing.