My Experience With Imposter Syndrome

I think I’ve made it pretty clear already that I’m not the most experienced Project Manager.

However, over the past few months I’ve felt a lot more confident in my role.

Flashback to two years ago and I landed my first project with a team of technical experts looking to me for the plan of what to do.

I was completely overwhelmed.

I’d be in meetings with people thinking “I don’t belong here”.

I was surrounded by highly intelligent people who worked incredibly hard to get into a similar position and somehow I just accidentally landed here.

I was waiting for someone to figure this out. But no one did (at least not yet).

As I started getting my feet wet into some project management, my confidence started to build.

Things would be going well and I’d be thinking “huh, maybe I can do this”.

But then an issue would arise; unexpected delays, a misunderstanding between a colleague etc.

Any confidence I had dwindled away.

Here it was — clear evidence that I don’t belong in this job.

Over time, the fluctuations in confidence (or lack thereof) tended to balance out a little bit more.

I still have plenty of periods where I feel out of my depth or just down right stupid.

What I have realised is that I initially overestimated everyone else’s capability.

They’re smarter than me for sure. But they have their shortcomings like myself; they can be wrong and mess up on occasion just like everyone else.

This is enough to ease my feelings of not belonging.

Not to mention the fact that feeling beneath everyone gives me a little bit of a chip on my shoulder.

I use the anxiety to be more diligent and pay extra attention to detail; sliver lining and all that.

Maybe in a few years I will write an article about how I overcame Imposter Syndrome, but for now you can treat this as an update on the journey.

Thanks for reading!