Imposter Syndrome - The Silent Nemesis.

Have you ever stepped on the self sabotaging treadmill of career and life where you've knowingly discounted your talents or intelligence out of fear that you were not deserving or not capable of rising to the occasion? Raises hand! Chances are many of you have, as this appears to be a shared nemesis stemming from many sources such as overconsumption of highlight reels on social media, reliance on positive workplace reviews for validation, workplace discrimination and microaggressions, lack of diversity in workforce, loss of employment, lack of training, sexual harassment, retaliation and the list goes on and on. Well this nemesis is certainly not a figment of our collective imagination, it's called Imposter Syndrome.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, imposter syndrome is characterized by persistent doubt concerning one's abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one's ongoing success. This definition is often related to sense of achievement and intelligence but must also include the desire for perfectionism often defined by the dominant societal norms. It's estimated that currently 25-30% of high achievers suffer from imposter syndrome although roughly 70% of adults will experience it at least once in a lifetime. Although this condition can show up in any area of society, as I figuratively read the room on this platform, I'm going to assume that many reading this may have had a personal experience with this condition in the workplace. In my case, this condition has often shown up with me holding myself back from actively pursuing certain roles and opportunities for fear of failure despite consistent evidence of knocking every prerequisite for that role out the park in current or former roles. There has always been an ever-present internal dialogue and questioning around whether I'm doing enough, am I visible enough, and am I meeting the expectations of my job having often been one of very few faces of color in the room. Let's briefly explore how a couple of my personal workplace experiences may have provided fertile ground for this nemesis to rear it's ugly head.

I can recall being extremely fearless and confident about my career and overall presence in the world throughout my undergrad college years which I must admit was often fueled by a rich and nurturing HBCU community where it was often reinforced intentionally as well as subconsciously that your voice, presence and contributions are needed and matter in the world. Consequently, I graduated with an innocent blend of charm, naivety and confidence that I could do and be anything I set my mind to achieve. After four years of undergoing the rigor of marketing, statistics, finance, psychology, and all-nighters researching and writing papers, I figured I deserved a marketing job.. and my ego and pride certainly agreed. Such was not the case the first four yours of my career, in fact, I didn't see a breakthrough to marketing until I completed an MBA program. Even after completing my MBA, I worked another 2 years in sales with a promise from the employer that it was temporary until a commercial marketing role opens. I noticed in that company and former companies that not all of my colleagues, particularly white counterparts, in marketing roles, had MBAs which seemed to be a barrier of entry reserved for me, nonetheless I chalked it up as something I would have pursued anyway. Now although I dismissed this observation consciously, it did leave a subconscious scarring that led me to occasionally doubt the value and validity of my education and work thus far when compared to my white male and female counterparts.

As promised, the aforementioned employer promoted me to a "regional" marketing position which at the time was a huge morale boost given my journey to get there. This position was considered primarily an "urban marketing" role leading marketing and go-to-market strategy for priority brands that over index with diverse audiences, although my plans were often extended to general audiences. I didn't see an issue with the scope of my role because to be quite frank I've always been obsessed with all things "culture" from music, arts, literary, tech, food and beverage, fashion and entrepreneurship. My obsession and innovation in this space led me to be regarded as a go-to thought leader globally and afforded me additional roles, some in fact secondments to existing roles, so yes I had two jobs with the same company in some cases. Sounds great right, and it would be in another world but here's the issue. Although "urban" marketing, now often referred to as "culture" or "multicultural" marketing is the right thing to do given the growing diversification of America's population; it's also a trendy topic and strategic focus that is inextricably linked to societal conditions such as social unrest, holidays (Black History Month, Juneteenth, LatinX Heritage Month, Pride Week, etc) instead of being deeply embedded in the DNA of the company or organizational values and measures of "long term" success. Due to lack of permanency in long term strategy, the degree of importance and investments in human and marketing resources for "multicultural marketing" changes as quickly as the latest Tik Tok challenge.

As a seasoned career professional that has worked primarily in "urban/multicultural/cultural" marketing for now 12 years undergoing two organizational restructures where my role was eliminated despite my monumental impact on the business and elevating the cultural competencies and reputation of the brands I've represented, I'm sure you can see how both anxiety and imposter syndrome might develop. This is not a jab at any former organizations or a prioritization of my experiences over others because I do understand that leadership has an entire organization to lead and some changes are made with the total health of the company in mind. However, the challenge that I have grappled with is whether or not companies had placed me in an "urban marketing" box that they didn't see me extending beyond or had I placed myself in the box out of fear that I would not be accepted or successful in other roles thus not fighting hard enough for them based on previous experiences and observations. This ladies and gentlemen, is exactly how imposter syndrome works on a daily basis and can often be the difference maker between where you are and ought to be in life.

Although I'm still struggling with imposter syndrome during the in-between phase in my career and am not a subject matter expert by any standards, below are a few tips that I've noticed had inspired some breakthrough mindset shifts in my life on the road to recovery.

• Start first waking hours of every morning with a playlist of motivational talks, aspirations, inspirational music, or mindfulness meditation in order to get command of your thoughts early before negative and doubtful thinking sets in.
• Celebrate small wins often and document your process and as much behind-the-scenes as possible to remind yourself of your dopeness, how far you've come and your capacity for even higher heights. Don't be afraid to tell your story. Check out my LinkedIn article - "Promoting Yourself is Self Care".
• Reduce your highlight-reels scrolling on social media. Master the algorithm by focusing on following accounts that reinforce your positive thinking and unfollowing overly curated, boastful accounts that drive you to compare your real life with curated highlights. Please note that there is a difference in content that is tastefully curated for aspirational purposes versus arrogant, braggadocious content intended to make you feel less than. Use discernment.
• Seek therapy or share your feelings with trusted individuals that have your best interest. It's quite common to sink into isolation and depression when suffering with imposter syndrome but I've found that sharing helps keep the irrational beliefs from festering.
• Take small steps toward your goals. Don't focus on being perfect, simply focus on doing things reasonably well, self assess, solicit feedback from mentors or trusted peers, and reward yourself for taking action.
• Create a trap music, amapiano, afrobeats or any high tempo playlist and hit the gym. Just 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise is enough to trigger the release of beta-endorphins which are chemicals that lower stress and anxiety while increasing positive feelings of well being.
• Join and actively participate in ERG groups in the workplace or external organizations that create a safe space to discuss common challenges and galvanize around solutions to address within your organization and peer community.
• Question your thoughts regularly? Does it make sense to feel this way given all of your contributions and investments you've made in developing yourself? Instead of wondering if you are a good fit for the company, ask yourself if the company is deserving of your time and contributions. There must be a mutual value exchange.

Please share any additional tips, personal stories or perspectives in the comments and let's continue the journey of defeating imposter syndrome permanently.