What the heck is Imposter Syndrome anyway?

Wikipedia describes Imposter Syndrome this way:

Impostor syndrome is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud”.

Sound familiar?

I know I have struggled with bouts of it on a regular basis over my career.

As an Entrepreneur in the Web Development and Digital Marketing space, there is always going to be something I don’t know. The industry moves at the speed of light and the entire world is working day and night developing new technologies and tools.

I have to give myself a break and accept, I can’t know everything.

Although I can’t know everything, I can do a few things to manage the specter of the Imposter Syndrome.

• • Again, I have to accept I can’t know everything
  • I need to realize I don’t “need’ to know everything.
  • I can develop resources that provide me with the information and skills I might need:
    • Simply Googling the subject is a great place to start.
    • I subscribe to a number of How-To YouTube channels.
    • I have subscriptions to learning platforms like Lynda.com and Udemy.com.
    • I belong to user groups and cultivate relationships with experts that specialize in the knowledge and skills I am weak on.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is, it’s OK to say, “I don’t know.”

That said, I block out an hour or two every day devoted to keeping up with the latest developments in my industry and learning new skills. This is crucial. If I’m not moving forward, I’m getting left behind.

And, as I’ve matured in my career, I’ve realized, it’s OK to ask for help. I’ll say that again, it’s OK to ask for help.

On occasion, a special case pops up where a customer wants a feature or service I’m not familiar with. I can swallow my pride and collaborate or contract with an expert and get the work done.

The amount of time and money I might spend on becoming an expert on something I may only need occasionally is not time and money well spent.

If the demand for a new technology or service grows to the point where it needs to be an essential part of my business, then it warrants my becoming an expert.

What I need to be an expert on is how to provide all my customers with a REMARKABLE customer experience.

That is the yardstick by which I measure whether or not I need to know something.

I hope it’s yours too.