While just browsing the web I decided to click on a very interesting article about the "Impostor Syndrome". It's where, and I quote, senior executives feel a "nagging anxiety that the people (who they work) with and for will soon discover (they're) a fraud". First, I have to say this is a great piece of advertising- Wharton has figured out what is really the reason that most people invest in Exec Ed. They have realized that people need certificates and degrees to ratify the skills that they already have- especially if they haven't taken the traditional route to get where they are.
Being someone who has had a diverse career, I can relate to this to a great extent. I work in an Industry which is very fast paced and for a company where the culture is quite competitive and numbers driven. Being a mid-level manager with Global responsibilities for a diverse account, I am often called to provide expertise and opinion on subjects I did not know too much about till 3 years ago. Even as I sit in a room surrounded by my colleagues and the eager client, there is a nagging voice inside me that makes me doubt what I say. It starts with wondering if I am the person who should be providing this input- how can it be me? Surely someone who is more qualified than me should do it? Proceeds to "I didn't even receive any formal training in this subject" and crescendos inside my head with "You are going to break this and ruin it if you don't stop now".
But the good news is that so far when I have relied on my common sense, experience and educated instinct I have not failed too often, and when I have, it has been a lesson learnt and not something to hold me back. In my opinion a certificate from Wharton can help, but there is no way to prevent this syndrome from recurring if you do not build self-confidence and learn to trust yourself. What can also help is a network of your peers to turn to when new situations arise, and above all accept that you are fallible. Even armed with degrees you will make mistakes and when you fail (because you will!) put that down as learning, and if it helps, give yourself self-certification for it!
Being someone who has had a diverse career, I can relate to this to a great extent. I work in an Industry which is very fast paced and for a company where the culture is quite competitive and numbers driven. Being a mid-level manager with Global responsibilities for a diverse account, I am often called to provide expertise and opinion on subjects I did not know too much about till 3 years ago. Even as I sit in a room surrounded by my colleagues and the eager client, there is a nagging voice inside me that makes me doubt what I say. It starts with wondering if I am the person who should be providing this input- how can it be me? Surely someone who is more qualified than me should do it? Proceeds to "I didn't even receive any formal training in this subject" and crescendos inside my head with "You are going to break this and ruin it if you don't stop now".
But the good news is that so far when I have relied on my common sense, experience and educated instinct I have not failed too often, and when I have, it has been a lesson learnt and not something to hold me back. In my opinion a certificate from Wharton can help, but there is no way to prevent this syndrome from recurring if you do not build self-confidence and learn to trust yourself. What can also help is a network of your peers to turn to when new situations arise, and above all accept that you are fallible. Even armed with degrees you will make mistakes and when you fail (because you will!) put that down as learning, and if it helps, give yourself self-certification for it!
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