What do you do if your product marketing career is plagued by self-doubt and lack of confidence?

The Imposter Syndrome Many-a-times when we break into a new role, more often than not we are plagued by the "imposter syndrome" . A feeling of thinking that we dont belong where we have worked so hard to reach. This phase is characterized by self doubt , lack of confidence and a sense of not being enough. While it is important to acknowledge these fears , it is also equally important to segregate the true obstacles from temporary challenges . Speaking to seniors and peers helps share the emotional burden of such a predicament , when our own judgement is biased. For the truly daunting problems we may need the helping hand of an mentor , whose wisdom in the industry may guide us navigate these challenges and give us the clarity we crave.

Fear is your brain battling status quo. Humans strive for sticking with what is known. When you doubt yourself, try to take a step back and see if you can attribute it to something tangible. If you can, then you can do something about it. E.g. "I doubt my analytics skills". If you can't attribute it, then work on letting it go. Work out a plan to improve your weak areas and set personal goals and a deadline. And don't be afraid to tell your boss what you want to improve.

They happen in any job. Psychology offers excellent tips, ask chatGPT & Co Instead, I can say that in my experience: “The #1 task is to intimately know your Customers and Positioning: why your product uniquely solves customer problems and why it’s the obvious choice among alternatives. Focus on that, ruthlessly You can’t build a Positioning without Buyer Research. PMMs need to seize any opportunity to talk/interview them with open-ended questions. You need to learn “why buyers cannot sleep at night.” This will boost your confidence and credibility If you are asked to Launch a product that does not sell, you usually can’t solve the root cause. “Lipstick on a pig, still a pig”. You need to dodge such inherently frustrating situations

Understand also what is within your control and what is not. You may think that influencing other stakeholders to accept your ideas is within your control, but if you think deeper, is that really true? Everyone would have their own concerns, baggage and agendas, so it’s not realistic to think that you can control how they decide.

Talk to others, and you often get a sense that you aren't alone in self-doubt. That realisation can be a relief in itself. Another good way is to write and teach because it forces you to think and articulate what you know, which is likely a lot. You will likely also find out areas and topics that you don't know so well, but that is fine too because then you have a chance to learn, and when you do, you have made progress, and that is also a great medicine against self-doubt.