As i read this article, I could completely relate to it. I have suffered from Imposter syndrome right from childhood. From School to college to my first job and then subsequent roles, I have always felt that I have been lucky to get those roles. Thus my effort is always to ensure that I do my job really well. My 360 feedback projects me as sincere and modest.

Only those who are humble and modest suffer the self doubt Gill defines rightly as imposter syndrome. In business in recent years such qualities have been seen as flaws. I am happy to see a shift back to better values. Today many very successful business leaders choose self effacement and avoid showy consumption in favour of a philosophically balanced style. Regretfully those who are proud and greedy do not suffer imposter syndrome. They believe they are better than others. I welcome the news that those who have self awareness such as James are no longer condemned as weak.

Many years ago I worked with a young man who had remarkable self belief and determination. He had no doubts that he was destined to go far. But he was careful to disguise this ego and ambition. He knew that he had limited talent, compared with many of his peers. However he did not let that hold him back and has had a successful career. Others, who had more innate ability but were wracked by imposter syndrome, have foundered.

I agree and definately empathesize and relate to the scenarios written above. I find myself an engineer at the moment although I was educated in Japan as a social science major; I was hired mainly due to my language or the small amounts that got me through 4 years of college. I felt like a fraud when I was sent to go through training in Japan with many technically educated engineers and technicians. I spent 11 months in Japan until a year ago training. Despite all that I still feel fake and I wish that I could just be a member of an engineering team rather than be an engineer.

Recently, an executive from our Japanese mother company audited the US facility where I am working now, I felt myself out of place translating with my limited proficiency in Japanese engineering terminology. The executive I translated is very wise and rampant with innovative knowledge; I struggled to translate the technical terms but with my social science background I felt that I was able to translate with resonance that I felt in the words of the speaker in the Japanese language. I feel that I am a fraud as a bilingual engineer, but I feel very confident as a social scientist working as a bilingual engineer. This is how I have learned to operate to get around my fake syndrome. I was not meant to be an engineer, but it does not displace from being a social scientist.

I still feel I don't belong though recently I am being headhunted for a similar job in a different firm. I feel more confident, but I still think that every day is an experience guided by luck.

Gill, I search for balance between self confidence, self awareness and self criticism. I veer towards the last to the detriment of my career. Family and friends tell me that I am too hard on myself. I prefer to miss out on a promotion rather than become a braggart. Having read your comment I see I am suffering from imposter syndrome since my colleagues tell me I am more than good at my job. I will try to project myself better without losing core humility.

Imposters are often likeable because they are vulnerable. But not always. I have worked with imposters and they can be annoying as they are so prone to hestitation and are reluctant to take decisions lest they are wrong. Those who do not suffer the syndrome have cast-iron belief in themselves and are decisive as they know they are right. Also they can be arrogant but this does not always follow. I have worked with people who never had a second's doubt about their abilities yet who also gave the impression they were consensus managers. Each type of person has good and bad points.

Imposters are often likeable because they are vulnerable. But not always. I have worked with imposters and they can be annoying as they are so prone to hestitation and are reluctant to take decisions lest they are wrong. Those who do not suffer the syndrome have cast-iron belief in themselves and are decisive as they know they are right. I have worked with people who never doubted themselves but gave the impression they were consensus managers. Some were genuinely so and listened before making a decision. Others only pretended to do so to the annoyance of their teams. Each type of person has good and bad points.

I totally can relate to this. Finally this year, I am facing my fears. In 1984 I graduated at the top of my class from a tiny high school of only 80 people. I landed a scholarship at George Mason University. I remember distinctly what my auntie said to me "there will be lots of people much smarter than you there - so it is okay if you can't cut it". Those words set me up to fail. I dropped out of GMU and landed a clerical job in the federal government. I climbed my way to an IT career and was a branch manager at the GS-14 level when left. I constantly compared myself to my peers to make sure i was not the "weak link" yet I often felt like somebody was going to find me out. I had a good mentor there and he spotted it right away - "Kit your problem is that you don't have confidence in yourself". It frustrated me because what I didn't realize was I never strived to be "the best". It always seems as though I strived to "not be found out". Now that I realize it, moving forward I vow to put that "fear" in its respective place and not let it steal my dreams.

This information couldn't have come at a better time. I feel encouraged as I have never heard my disposition so accurately defined and had no idea that so many successful people have been suffering the same thing. I can definitely relate to this syndrome and to James in the testimonials above. I am currently going through it, so much that I want to quit my job rather than pioneer a potential cause, much to the chagrin of my manager. I am not sure how to overcome it though and would appreciate you sharing how you overcame this syndrome.

Excellent artical, I'd recommend anyone doubting their ability read "Influencer", the authors have a chapter dedicated to research done on "Go" or "Know" responses to stress. The short of it all is that during times of doubt and stress your amygdala (or reptilian) brain function kicks in which in turn drives you to focus on short term issues and effectively drives the fight or flight mechanism. In reality, during this window, most of us would besuited to using the 'know' portion of our brains which dails with rational and logic. Genetically though we are not disposed to that approach and should endeavour to manually force the brain to adopt the 'know' approach in times of stress...

Wish I had read this a few years ago. It might have helped me seek professional guidance through a few difficult years. Ultimately, I didn't get past the issue(s) and did a full crash and burn.
New confidence is currently being gained by further education and networking with people who value my advice.

I experienced some imposter syndrome during my masters degree program in Chemical and Natural Gas Engineering with a background in Mechanical Engineering. It was a challenge understanding the chemical classes I minored in without thinking that I did not have enough chemcial background to pass. But I eventually did. Getting out of school and transitioning into working in the construction industy on a Chemical engineering team, also came with its challenges. But I've come to realize that the fear of making a mistake and being realized is part of what makes one feel like an imposter. A good reminder for those of us who sometimes feel the imposter syndrome is to look back at your success track record and even if you don't believe in yourself, believe in the people who think you're worth it. I sometimes have go over my quite impressive achievements to realise I really am that good.

I am really grateful to have happened upon this article - I now feel like I am not alone. I am 26 and in a managerial position where I need to jump ship for the sake of my career as I am not gaining the experience I need. I find myself relegating myself from applications to positions based on my perceived belief that I will be "in over my head". The mention of perfectionism & anxious personality type is spot on as I am a perfectionist and tend to fret too much about getting things right - making them perfect. I do however attempt to ground my mental spiral with the belief that I will not grow in a position if I know everything...

Thanks for the article for the youngsters. I take counseling when I feel weird or out of place because my father, the psychologist, told me, "You go to the medical doctor when you feel sick. So go to the mental health specialist when you feel depressed, alienated, etc. It's just another illness and it will pass, but talking to a specialist helps it pass faster and with fewer scars." We have a Center for Early Dispute Resolution at FAA where I go to talk about frustrations (I'm old enough to rarely feel inadequate any more) and especially to script hard conversations, especially with my chain of command. It's a hard lesson to learn that facts don't matter as much as emotional tags and comfort levels to many recipients of your messages. It can leave one feeling inadequate. Another aspect - Jim Cloud at Motorola once told me that "It takes seven ways of presenting an idea so that 95% of your audience can understand it. Any one person can only think of three ways of putting the idea, so you better listen to others about communicating it when you get started." Listening isn't taught much any more, and it's a great skill for feeling less inadequate.

It's great that this discussion is continuing for a second week. I would like to post a note I have added to my latest column in response to some of the comments generated there to generate some more crossover discussion. Please keeps your thoughts and comments coming!

Judging by the comments received so far, it seems that it is a timely moment to be talking about imposter syndrome. I am interested as to why that might be - are we suffering from more business pressures than in the past or have our work colleagues just got meaner and more competitive in recent years? What would help you learn more about imposter syndrome?

I am glad that readers have shared their own strategies for dealing with imposter syndrome. Nikhil, in a comment to my latest article has mapped out a marvellous approach to giving ourselves a boost when we feel low. What could be better than giving ourselves some time to relax and revisit our past achievements? As he says, a chat with a high school friend or former work colleague can be a great way to restore our egos and remind ourselves of what we have achieved over the years.

Olufemi, in a comment on my previous post concurs: “A good reminder for those who sometimes feel the imposter syndrome is to look back at your success track record and even if you don't believe in yourself, believe in the people who think you're worth it.” Great words of advice.

I have noticed some interesting themes emerging, including –

• Lack of formal education/certificates can increase the imposter 'quotient' – regardless of whether people have great business experience or a track record, as Stacey and John attest. The idea that an advanced degree or MBA is a prerequisite for business seems to be the norm in the US, unlike in Europe, where people can still advance without higher qualifications.

• Being a woman in a male-dominated environment is an added pressure. Thanks to Jackie for mentioning this, as did others. Women are often susceptible to perfectionism and thinking that they are not ‘up to a job’, as Clara says. However, J. Armstrong also suffers from perfectionism and self-doubt. He says: “I find I am relegating myself from applications to positions based on my perceived belief that I will be "in over my head".

• Self-awareness in sensitive people can quickly spiral down into destructive thinking and self-doubts – as Mike says, “It’s a fine line between humilty and self-deprecation; the former has value and the latter is self-serving.” I know that feeling very well – it’s important to recognise when it is upon you and have a strategy for nipping it in the bud.

• The deeper roots of imposter syndrome are also fascinating, as George and Doc Holiday point out. Doc’s idea of weak links in a chain – unresolved relationships or events that can collapse - is most interesting and links in with two very good comments in my previous blog. Pete has sought counsellors and professional advice to rethink his ‘scripts’ and rehearse difficult conversations. Steve wishes he had done so before he crashed and burned. Perhaps counselling is a way to manage the internal pressures of imposter syndrome.

Finally, a great suggestion from Paul who recommends that anyone suffering from Imposter Syndrome or doubting their ability might wish to read "Influencer", where the authors have a chapter dedicated to research done on "Go" or "Know" responses to stress.

What a great article. This timely piece comes to me as I'm seeking some relevance in my professional career and find I too suffer from perceived by myself as an imposter. I've been a successful stockbroker, started up an oil and gas exploration company, (too bad oil wasn't at $120 a barrel back then!), took it public, morphed it into the dot com era, sold out and now have started up a web portal that could be a boon to the deal making world. Big deal! Am I happy? Not so much...I'm afraid that if I ever had to work for someone other than myself, I would be exposed as a great salesman who can get the deal done. My fear is I'm the proverbial "jack of all trades, master of none", so I work for myself, hoping not to be discovered as such. I like the fact many have overcome this fear as I read their submissions. This is really stunting my professional growth as I'm looking at other opportunites and have the chance to move on...but, there's always that nagging doubt about being discovered. Need help, any suggestions?

Coming from a background in Communication Science, I think that a major factor that has contributed to the rise of Imposter Syndrome is due to technology, more specifically, mobile communication technology. We are always contactable in some form, be it through mobile phones, blackberry or laptop computers and hence never have the chance to truly "get away" from work - even when we're on holiday, we're still asked to be kept in the loop via blackberry or regularly scan our emails from a computer somewhere in Thailand, many of us do it by choice because its possible we feel that if we don't, things will collapse at work and then we'll be "found out" as imposters. 20 or 30 years ago, if you weren't in the office, you weren't really contactable and were afforded some real time away. I would summise that this mental, emotional and physical break would recharge your batteries and help you contextualise the situation you're in and the challenges you're facing.

The result:
We are required to respond quicker to business communication and do more in shorter time frames leading to much higher levels of stress and accountability, possibly leading to an increased tendency to start doubting yourself and your capabilities - "I'm not sure I can do this" thoughts.

I think that this syndrome or way of feeling could have a two-fold effect on people. On the one hand, it not only helps you to stay humble but also to strive for higher goals and don't get stuck in mediocrity. On the other hand, it could steal the joy of the ride.

Re: "I am still wondering whether I got here by luck or accident."

I paint abstract "stuff" and have an on-going battle (raging) i.e, I'm waging a war between logic and chaos -- and find your question to be far too finite, because (it seems to me) your puzzle is expanding beyond your ability to understand it.

I think we all are victims of chance, luck and chaos, but in general the events we encounter place us in positions to apply logic and to thus influence the next steps in the dance of life.

It is indeed a complex web we weave!

Hi there,
How about when your professor is the one suffering from the imposter syndrom and turns aggressive to you, as it seems you are the cause of his menace?

Kanada - you've achieved so much in your career, yet are still plagued with imposter feelings. I like Leo Palacio's comment: on the positive side, these feelings keep you grounded and humble, yet they can also steal the joy of the ride. That's a big loss.

I was struck by your comments that you're not very happy and that this is affecting your professional growth. Might it be time to take some time out for yourself to reassess things? Have a look at this site - www.areyoureadytosucceed.com/ - you might get some ideas. Good luck.

After reading doc holiday's post, I remembered: "The more I practice, the luckier I get". Some people say this is just part of the story since the term "practice" should really be "deliberate practice".

A truly fascinating article and one which I can strongly identify with in my previous executive role. However in my case, this did not stem from feelings of under achievement at school, but developed latterly in my career whilst working for a Director who was extremely clever at making everyone in the team feel that they had imposter syndrome. In particular this was targetted at myself as I was seen as a high potential by the Board whereas he interpreted and perceived me as a direct threat to him (rather than take pride in having high potetnials which most good leaders would do!). This led me to a emabrk on a completely new career change - in leadership training and mentoring!! I have had the pleasure of working with some exceptional leaders in my career, however having also been on the receiving on end of truly bad mangement it is a powerful lesson in "what not to do" and one which I can hopefully use in the future. Incidentally the attrition rate for this company in that area is now the highest it has ever ben - I do wonder when he will be "found out"!!