Imposter Effect Versus Imposter Syndrome and how to beat them

I was invited to a small event recently and part of the deal was to present a short intro and share some thoughts on any topic. Sort of a mini Ted talk. I was not sure who I would be presenting to but I had a fair idea that they would be leaders in the real estate community.

I shared a bit about myself and Independent Agent, as you do – and then waded into the topic of imposter syndrome which I have spoken about before here: 

Of course, these kinds of events are about giving and receiving. I was fortunate to be introduced to Bronson Wilson. He is all about helping turn entrepreneurs into thought leaders with authentic social media content. He suggested that the theorists who developed the idea of Imposter Syndrome realised they had made a mistake. They should have called it the Imposter Effect. This totally changes the thinking around this phenomenon. Imposter Syndrome is like I have an incurable disease that I have to deal with for the rest of my life. If I have Imposter Effect, it is temporary. And here is the real gem… The Imposter Effect only crops up when you are pushing yourself outside your comfort zone. From here on in I am only going to use the language ‘Imposter Effect’. 

Of course, the moment I decided that I needed to talk about this topic, the voices of Imposter Effect came barreling in. 

“This audience is going to be all high achieving confident guys and girls and my message is going to be completely irrelevant”

Once I dusted that feeling off, I decided what I really wanted to do was focus on what leaders could provide to reduce the negative impacts of the Imposter Effect on their teams. This is what I came up with. 

Vulnerability and Authenticity. 
​​​​​​​
As a leader, I have chosen to try and balance on a fine line. 

On one hand I need to be forward focused, and make sure that I have a vision and that I am communicating that. I need to have the fuel to get there and I need the team behind me. I need to be relentlessly positive, at the same time, have an understanding that the buck stops here – everything is my fault.  

But on the other hand, I want to be able to be true to myself. 

I need to be honest and open about what I am thinking, doing, and feeling. It’s about showing work in progress , it’s about a shared vision, it’s about listening. 

It is promptly dealing with the uncomfortable and addressing the elephant in the room. 

Showing Authenticity and Vulnerability proactively is all about showing compassion, generosity, and understanding. On the more passive front you are letting down your guard and showing hurt, thoughts, and personal information.

When you are showing vulnerability, you are standing on the edge of the cliff and staring into the abyss … and then making a huge step of confidence and you really don’t know how things are going to turn out. 

You are relying on your honesty and vulnerability to connect at a human level, if you get it right then you will get a true connection and a genuine response. And in this space, by showing who you really are, you are opening the door for others to do the same. 

Well what did these other real estate leaders and movers and shakers think of all that? Well much to my surprise I was most certainly not the only one thinking about these things, which came through in the other presentations through the afternoon. Which got me thinking. 

Maybe we are not such a bad bunch after all!