The opposite of imposter syndrome

Imposter syndrome is real. It isn’t your fault, but you have to fix it anyway.

Many people have imposter syndrome, meaning they feel underqualified for the role they are expected to perform. Most of the time, they are correct. We have high expectations for people that isn’t really based in reality, but rather wishful thinking.

If I tell you that this imposter syndrome isn’t your fault, I don’t want to give you the idea that you can skate by and do nothing about it. You have to fix that if you want to succeed, and coddling yourself with false assertions is not the way to do it.

You can be competent and qualified in 1,000 different ways, and still be an imposter for your specific position. But first, let me tell you about the opposite of imposter syndrome.

If imposter syndrome is being given an opportunity without qualification or competency, the opposite is being over-competent and over-qualified without a commensurate level of opportunity. I have experienced this latter frequently.

You can be a master chef, a world class programmer, a expert pilot, and 1,000 other things, but without recognition, that gets you no where. Some activities it is easy to have your skill recognized, for example, chess. If you can beat good players, you will rise to the top quickly.

The solution is to learn to actually be an imposter, but be prepared for a good exit until you gain the potential to…