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Unpacking Michelle Obama’s Impostor Syndrome
In a December 2018 talk at an all-girls school in North London, Michelle Obama was asked how she felt about being viewed as a “symbol of hope.” That’s when the former First Lady disclosed something countless millions of women and men worldwide experience, but often don’t have a name for. “I still have a little [bit of] impostor syndrome, it never goes away, that you’re actually listening to me.” Impostor syndrome describes a core belief that we’re not as bright or...
Is the Impostor Syndrome All Bad?
An article in the Abu Dhabi English-edition daily, The National, approached the impostor syndrome from a unique angle. Most articles focus on the anxiety of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Instead this Middle East reporter says impostor syndrome can be an indicator that you care about your work. It’s true that people who feel like impostors do indeed care deeply about the quality of their work. So to ensure they do a stellar job people with impostor syndrome tend to study harder, work...
Inc. Why Do So Many Successful Entrepreneurs Feel Like Fakes?
The Impostor Syndrome Why Do So Many Successful Entrepreneurs Feel Like Fakes? September 2006 By Leigh Buchanan By most definitions, Bud Stockwell has hit the personal-fulfillment trifecta. At 53, he owns a profitable $2 million health food store called Cornucopia. His business is a beloved institution in Northampton, Massachusetts. Cornucopia also satisfies its founder’s activist urges by providing a platform from which to promote natural, healthy living. In fact, Cornucopia is such...
Glamour: Convinced you’re not up to the job?
Are You Suffering from Impostor Syndrome? Convinced you’re not up to the job? Here’s how to beat your internal fraud squad September 2005 You’re smart and successful, so why do you feel like a failure? It may be you have Impostor Syndrome, a term coined by clinical psychologist Dr. Pauline Clance, to describe doubt in your own abilities and fear of not maintaining your success. Glamour reveals some expert tips to ensure you put your trust in your talent. You Land a Promotion You...
The Boston Globe: The Impostor Phenomenon When Even The Most Successful People Have a Gnawing Feeling They’re Fakes
Imposter Phenomenon When Even The Most Successful People Have a Gnawing Feeling They’re Fakes March 22, 1986 By Carol Stocker, Globe Staff A certified public accountant who receives the highest test score in the CPA Boards in the state of Massachusetts attributes her success to the fact that “it’s a small state.” After applying for a job in Boston, a woman is told she is the best candidate the search committee has seen. She attributes the good impression to the fact that the interview was...
Chicago Tribune: Who Do You Think You Are? Big success can make you feel so small
Who Do You Think You Are? Big success can make you feel so small Wednesday, March 30, 2005 By Leslie Goldman All eyes were on Liz Ryan as she took the stage in New York to receive her “Stevie” award — the business equivalent of an Oscar. But as she accepted, Ryan, founder and chief executive officer of WorldWIT, a women’s online discussion community, was filled with doubt. “Bill Rancic (of “The Apprentice”) was handing me the award and I’m thinking, ‘Who the hell am I? I’m just a mom with...
The Sydney Morning Herald: False Negatives
False Negatives March 5, 2003 By Annemarie Fleming The point We all have moments of doubt but feeling you’re not up to the job can cripple your career. Do you ever feel you are a phoney? That, despite the framed diploma on the wall, you are a fake? That success in your job is due to luck, timing or just being liked, rather than how skilled you are? If you answered “yes”, you may be pleased to hear you’re not alone. Studies estimate up to 70 percent of us feel this way at some time in...
Irish Independent: Are You Suffering from Impostor Syndrome? You’re smart and successful, so why do you sometimes feel like a failure?
Are You Suffering From Impostor Syndrome? You’re smart and successful, so why do you sometimes feel like a failure? Tuesday, August 16th, 2005 By Lucy Bowen Did you just get a promotion, a pay rise or even a completely new job but you’re beset by fears that you’re not quite up to it? It may be that you have ‘impostor syndrome’, a term coined by clinical psychologist Dr Pauline Clance to describe doubt in your own abilities and a fear of not maintaining your success. Here are some ways to...
Baltimore Business Journal, Are You an Impostor?
Are You an Impostor? Phenomenon makes executives doubt their own abilities, skills June 20, 2008 By Rachel Sams You look poised. You speak with confidence. You get the job done right.Your colleagues have no idea you lie awake at night, afraid they’ll finally discover how incompetent you really are. If you recognize yourself in those words, the culprit could be something called “the impostor phenomenon.” It’s the tendency of some high-achieving people to discount their...
The Chronicle of Higher Education: You’re Not Fooling Anyone
You’re Not Fooling Anyone November 9, 2007 By John Gravois, New York Holden Caulfield used to hunt phonies a few blocks from here, but times have changed. Now the phonies — or people who think they are, anyway — hunt themselves. Case in point: On a recent evening, Columbia University held a well-attended workshop for young academics who feel like frauds. These were duly vetted, highly successful scholars who nonetheless live in creeping fear of being found out. Exposed. Sent packing. If...
Ventura County Star: Who They Foolin’? From celebrities to CEOs, many successful people suffer from syndrome called ‘impostor phenomenon’
Who They Foolin’? From celebrities to CEOs, many successful people suffer from syndrome called ‘impostor phenomenon’ November 17, 2002 By Kim Lamb Gregory When she asked to be president of the National Association of Women Business Owners of Ventura County, Jerri Hemsworth smiled and accepted but inside she was thinking, “Do they really know I don’t know what the hell I’m doing?” she recalled with a chuckle. The Woodland Hills businesswoman was just as self-effacing about the...