Empowering Success: Harnessing Imposter Syndrome for Personal Growth

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Welcome to Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass. Jon is the founder and CEO of image group international, an award-winning image consulting and personal branding pioneer established in 1989. This podcast will bring you old-school wisdom, inspiring ideas, strategies and hacks for the new tech world. Here you will learn everything about personal branding: the system, the techniques and the right mindset to have a successful personal brand, image and reputation.

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Hello, and welcome to another episode of my show. As always, we're diving into concepts and tools to help you maximise your career and business and personal life. So, I have a question for you. What do you think of a Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, Howard Schultz, the former Starbucks CEO, and Sheryl Sandberg of metta and what they have in common? Well, they've suffered impostor syndrome, that feeling you get when you feel like a fraud, and that all your success is due to luck. Can you relate to this? Well, today's topic is a particularly powerful one. It's called empowering success. Hi, Allison imposter syndrome, for personal growth. So what is impostor syndrome? Well, it's a feeling that so many successful people have grappled throughout history. It's that nagging self doubt that can make us question our accomplishments and abilities. You know, I've invested over 34 years working with leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, politicians, and changemakers, to build and monetize their personal leadership brands. And let me tell you, impostor syndrome has also visited them. Even the most accomplished individuals have a concept, you know, a framework in a mindset at times that they think they're not good enough? And do they really deserve it. But remember this, if that's a feeling, it doesn't have to define you. It's just a reaction to specific situations. And then, when you're aware of that, you have the power to manage it, and of course, recreate it. So what is really impostor syndrome? It's like an old friend that sort of overstayed their welcome. Remember, you have the power, remember, to transform this into a driving force for success. You know, and this is definitely part of a mindset, you know, because like all mindsets, doesn't matter what they currently our that can be shifted. It's just a story that we're playing in our heads, like every recorded story, What that indicates is that it can also be unrecorded deleted and starting again. So Carl Jung, the famous psychologist once said, until we make the unconscious conscious, it will continue to show up in our life. And that we all just call it fate. And basically, what that really means is, there's no point keeping the mask over the issue, challenge problem, whatever you want to call it, it's about really facing it, you know, and these words really remind us that by acknowledging and understanding our imposter syndrome, we can begin to deactivate its power over us. And this whole approach through some particular work that you have to do, if that's obviously required for you, then we'll get you to a journey, a new journey of really accepting that you're not perfect. And so everyone else also will be similar to you because there's no such thing as perfection. If you've got a story running your head about this imposter syndrome concept, then you can actually transform it. They said how did the activate this, you know, and harness this energy that comes from it or growth. So first of all, identify the underlying causes. But one big warning, you don't need 20 years of psychotherapy and analysis to work it out. recognise that imposter syndrome is often rooted in the fear of failure, or self esteem issues, among others, that can lead to perfectionism. So what is perfectionism? What perfectionism? You know, in this case is striving for perfection, and setting excessively high standards for oneself that can lead of course, the imposter syndrome, fairly common for highly above state, ambitious, and successful people in our community. But at the same time guests great high standards, but there's no such thing as 100% Perfection. It doesn't really exist. Is when individuals inevitably fall short of their self imposed deals, when they perceive themselves as becoming perfect, then they'll see themselves as failures, despite their achievements. Another one is, of course, comparing yourself to others. This is so big now with social media. 

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And of course, it's creating all sorts of problems for people, including young people and mental health, anxiety, and even depression, because constantly comparing oneself to others, especially those who appear more successful or accomplish can breed imposter syndrome, you know, so what you do then is you're trying to compare and then you're trying to fake it like they are, you know, most of them have fake and make no mistakes. And then, of course, that creates all sorts of issues, because that's what happens when you're trying to play the fake guy. So these comparisons get undermine one's self worth this is essential, and make them feel inadequate in their achievements. I can't stress enough what a problem this is. And another one is attribution bias. This is, you know, but these three that I'm mentioning is among many, so attributing success to external factors, like for instance, luck, or help from others, you know, while attributing failures solely to personal shortcomings is a common cause of imposter syndrome. So this skewed self assessment leads to individuals to downplay their abilities and quests that question the legitimacy. Again, this is very important to get to the bottom of this, but as I said, you don't have to psychobabble this. Because the reality is, you know, if you don't want to do any of that, you can just fake it till you become it. And of course, that is also part of moving forward, contrary to what academics tell us. So understanding these underlying causes can help individuals recognise and address impostor syndrome to pass the healthier soft perceptions and of course, self confidence. So, actor Tom Hanks said, no matter what we've done, there comes a point when you think, how did I get here, when I began to discover that I am, in fact, the fraud, and take everything away from me. So that's a normal response to stepping out of our comfort zone, you know, that's recognising some of that it's like, okay, and having a bit of a smaller out that, in your mind, I think is a good start to basically jump out and start recognising that maybe we all have it. To some extent, once we understand that, it's triggers, you can surround yourself with a support network that empowers you, among other things, of course, you can reach out to mentors, close friends and trusted colleagues. So sharing your feelings, realising a lot on loan can be a game changer. 

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Remember, seeking help is not a sign of weakness. It's a sign of strength. My next tip is to nurture your confidence and guarding this and of course, the whole concept of imposter syndrome. Sheryl Sandberg, the billionaire and current CEO of Metsa platforms, Facebook, said this, every time I took a test, I will show it I'd gone badly she's talking now while she was at school, and every time I didn't embarrass myself or even excelled. I believed I had fooled everyone yet to get one day soon. The jig will be all up, though we'll discover There are still days when I wake up feeling like a fraud not sure I should be where I am. So as you can see some natural human condition in so recognising that, of course, is part of this concept of building your self confidence knowing that it's part of life. So self confidence, remember is the what I call the hutzpah antidote to impostor syndrome. set achievable goals, okay, including the financial, please do not ignore this part, and celebrate your achievements and take a holistic approach to tearing yourself. Remember that daring to file is not a dirty word going out there. And specifically dealing with impostor syndrome is also putting yourself at risk because you will at times fail. So what life is too short to be worried about failure, it's about dusting yourself off getting back up, and of course, having another go. So also engage in activities that boosts your self esteem. Now you will experience your imposter syndrome weakened over time, in the face of your growing self assurance. So dark yourself up in a room of course, playing video games, you know, or doing any other activity in solitude for long periods of time without of course going out to face the world because otherwise, how would you know how successful you are if you're not facing, you know, real human beings. So imposter syndrome might sort of knock on your door But the point here is you don't have to invite any. So it's a phenomenon that can be understood, managed, and of course, even conquered. And like some of the most influential, wealthiest individuals in your community, you also have the power to overcome it and thrive. And coding, Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, that said, very few people, whether you've been in that job before or not get into the seat, and believe today that they are now qualified to be the CEO. They're not going to tell you that. But that's so true. Now, this is so important, because in my experience, of course, with a lot of the clients we've worked with, right up to CEOs, chairpersons of boards, of course, and politicians, right up to right up to the top, including ministers, I can tell you, their insecurities behind the scenes is not what you see at times on camera, and some some you do see it on camera, because at times I feel like do I belong here? And the reality is, yes, you do. Because if you've been given a job, you've achieved some sort of benchmark or date, you buy that from that perspective. That's why you've got that job. Okay, so the imposter syndrome concept is just the thing that's playing in the mind and of course can be eradicated and if not, you can still have it and still have a great life. So with that, we've come to the end of today's show. I want to thank you for joining me for this episode. Remember, your journey is unique and impostor syndrome doesn't define you seeking guidance and your business a personal journey and want to explore these concepts further, please contact us you'll find my email address in the episodes description. You can also connect with me on social media. My Twitter is John on the line Michael my LinkedIn is John Michael and you can find me as image Group International Facebook. So let's start thank you and Cheerio.

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Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass Podcast is sponsored by Image Group International, a global team of practical, digitally savvy personal brand and image strategists based in Australia, committed to maximizing your impact, influence and authority in the business world. To learn more and apply for your personal coaching, seminars and group workshops, please visit imagegroup.com.au or call 1800 631 311.