16 Examples of a CEO Experiencing Self-Doubt (and Ways to Combat It)

Hey!

If you're coming across this post, I first wanted to say thank you for clicking into it. This is a topic I feel very strongly about.

We all, sometimes, deal with self-doubt - and as an early business owner I think that's fairly common.

However, it IS a constant day-to-day battle and I wanted to share my personal experiences, examples, and ways I remind myself to snap back into real life.

If something hits you, feel free to share the article on your own feed!

Examples of Jake's "Imposter Syndrome" thoughts:

1. "I haven't earned the right to put "CEO" as my job title on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook because I'm only 30 and I haven't done that much to prove myself yet. CEO sounds more successful. I will stick with Owner because it sounds more toned down."

2. "I'm not as successful some of my clients, partners, and people I network with - because my business hasn't generated 7 or 8 figures yet."

3. "I have to keep working today to show others I'm working hard on my business even though I've completed 100% of everything I needed to today."

4. "I don't need to have a mentor, consultant, or coach because I can figure everything out on my own."

5. "I lucked out and got here by accident. I'm not that special for building Brick Media. Sure, it's nice that I took it from zero to a business that makes me more money than I've ever made, gives me more freedom than I've ever had, and puts me in control of my own destiny. It's cool, but I'm not that special. Everything could crumble tomorrow. Who am I?"

6. "No matter how much praise I get, I feel like I'm actually clueless in my head and it's only a matter of time before everybody finds out."

7. "No matter what I achieve in business, I will never be able to truly believe that I'm good enough. That dark cloud that follows me around is always going to be there, reminding me that I've made some good progress but it's not enough."

8. "We can't raise our prices... because, bro, it's just social media posts, and running a couple ad campaigns. Any college kid can do that too. It's not like Brick Media has that much more expertise than somebody who is a senior at USF."

9. "Let me make sure before this sentence on this call I second-guess myself and say: This is probably a dumb question, but..."

10. "How are we ever going to fulfill the expectations this client has? There is no way we will make an actual impact on their business with our nice looking social media posts."

11. "I just purchased this nice new car that I wasn't able to afford before, and we never have to stress too much about spending money at restaurants, but the neighbor has a Range Rover and travels somewhere awesome every month. When will I ever get to that point?"

12. "2020 was Brick Media's best year ever but I have anxiety that we won't continue to grow in 2021. There's no way we will beat those numbers."

13. "Thanks for congratulating me on my business and how far I've come. I'll make sure to brush off and barely acknowledge the compliment. I wish I could tell you how fragile and insignificant it actually is, but I'll just nod and say thanks quietly."

14. "My old colleagues probably laugh behind closed doors saying Brick Media is a joke. They probably talk about how Jake was always more reserved and shy, wasn't great on client calls - no way he's out there driving revenue and building a real business."

15. "My friends think I'm self-absorbed (or oblivious) for posting content on social media all the time. Most of my friends outside of the business world barely ever post anything - and here I am posting every single day. I look desperate and super cheesy."

16. "Who am I to be managing these people and trying to lead them? You don't have that outgoing leadership type of personality. You're probably better as an employee but whatever, keep faking it and drinking more coffee to get you hyped up."

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Alright, now that you are feeling super negative after reading all of my inner thoughts of self-doubt, let me show you how I'm in a constant pursuit of getting over these feelings.

Also, it's important to note: these thoughts sneak in for a quick second, and I quickly bring myself back to reality. I am not in a constant whirlwind of self-doubt that consumes me. However, these fleeting thoughts -- even though they're quick and go away, are still very stressful and can really bring you down over time.

*Here's a picture of me smiling to create a more positive vibe*

Alright, here's how I fight these negative voices.

The key is, for me, is Positive, "Non-Delusional" Self Talk - Being optimistic, but not being in "la-la-land" - and remembering facts.

Reminders to Destroy Self-Doubt:

• Looking at actual math and numbers to remind myself of how far Brick Media has come. For example: Writing down in a spreadsheet or in a notebook where I used to be - in terms of salary at my 9-5 jobs, revenue numbers from past years, and any other numerical stat. Then... realizing where I am now. Numbers don't lie.
• Looking at the difference in my lifestyle and happiness. I used to be chained to a desk every single day and now I can do whatever I want and make all of the rules. I can even fire a client if it doesn't fit what I'm building towards.
• Reminding myself how hard I work and that there's NO way it can be luck. There may be some lucky or serendipitous moments along my journey, but 95% of it = hard work, effort, creating results, and actual talent - day in and day out. Brick by brick. That's what the name Brick Media is all about. Taking the long way and not cutting corners.
• Realizing that... "Yes, maybe some people do talk negatively about me behind closed doors. He's so oblivious with his social media presence, he's not really building anything real, he tries too hard." - It's tough to think about people saying things like this, but I remind myself that for anybody to talk badly about somebody else for no reason at all, it probably means that they're hurting. When I replace the anger and disappointment with compassion and truly wishing them the best, it gets easier. For somebody to talk negatively about you, for no apparent reason, it means they need to bring me down to make themselves feel better, which is a tough place to be in for them.
• Reminding myself of times when my team told me I'm a great leader and they appreciate things I do for them. I had an employee tell me last week that Brick Media was one of the greatest recent blessings in their life. Yet, I still somehow tell myself I'm not fit to be a leader. When I remind myself of things like this, that negative thought quickly goes away. Despite my personality being more reserved and chill, I am a good leader. I may not be the loudest person in the room or want to get up on stage and speak -- but I am often the most empathetic and caring. This goes a long way when you're building a team.
• Reminding myself that even though I post a lot on social media, it's because (1) I like to put my money where my mouth is. I can't suggest to businesses to post consistently on social then not do it myself. And (2) I view social media as something you can either consume, or contribute to. You can either take from it, or give to it. I like to contribute my thoughts, observations, and day-to-day life. If you don't like it, no worries.
• Talking to clients, getting feedback, and realizing the actual results we're creating for them. I have to remind myself that if Brick Media wasn't doing a good job, these clients would just leave and stop paying us. I remind myself that 70-80% of every invoice (ever) in our QuickBooks was the result of a referral, which means we're doing a good enough job to have current clients recommend us to other clients. Again, numbers don't lie. This helps me realize Brick Media is actually doing great work.
• I eliminated the "I can do everything on my own" attitude by actually getting a coach and a business consultant. Until you actually hire those people and see the process, you don't realize how much of a help it actually is. I'm way more willing to get help now.
• Remembering to accept the compliments and achievements, and not being be so shy about everything. Sometimes it's OK to be like, "Yes things are going great and I absolutely love where my company is headed." It's not about being cocky, it's being nice to yourself and letting yourself enjoy a compliment.
• Reminding myself that I'm 30 years old and I don't need to be making 7 or 8 figures right now. More importantly, reminding myself that I should view my success as happiness instead of money.
• Reminding myself that the people around me who are making insane amounts of money have (1) either been doing it for a very long time and earned it over years of effort, or (2) made some very good decisions, got into the right industry, got into the right circles, etc. I've learned to be happy for them instead of being jealous of them. I remind myself that I have time. It's going to take 10 years for me to even hit 40, which is still young. I don't need to compare myself to people whose situations are super different than mine.
• Putting CEO as my LinkedIn title (finally) after multiple years of running Brick Media. It felt good to make that change and not be shy about it.

I hope this helped somebody!

Always feel free to connect with me if I can help you in any way.

-Jake, "CEO" of Brick :)

Email: [email protected]

Company Website: www.brickmediagroup.com