Are you doubting your skills? Questioning your talents? Do you fear being exposed as a fraud?
That is known as the Impostor Syndrome.
This is a very common feeling, especially when starting a business.
Sometimes, I myself still feel that way… But we shouldn’t. And here is why:
The usual cause of that.
As a trained Quality Assurance Engineer, I have been working in several manufacturing companies.
Most of the time, I was on the field. By “field”, I mean the manufacturing work floor.
I would be spending most of my time in production lines, making sure our customers were happy with the product we were supplying.
It is very unusual to see a female engineer working in production lines of a dominantly-male sector.
At first, I could see my colleagues being a bit hostile to see a young female engineer working amongst them.
That hostility made me feel like an impostor.
Working with men having decades of experience was not making things easier. They had their habits, their beliefs, their strong personalities, etc.
So I started questioning myself. I was full of doubts, and I was second guessing each action and and each word of mine.
When you start a business, it is very rare to have NO competitor in your niche.
Sometimes, your competitors have been on the market for years. And sometimes, the market is overloaded.
So you feel might feel you are not legit to start on that specific niche, because you do not have enough experience.
But then I noticed …
As Q.A. engineer working in huge manufacturing companies, I was bound to face a number of auditors. Both external and internal.
Most of our external auditors were customers. Each time I faced our customers, they were asking me several questions.
But the ONE question they never asked is “how long have you been doing this?”
As long as I could help them with a compliant product, they were satisfied.
When you start a business, the last thing your customer would think of is to ask about your years of experience.
As long as you deliver a product or a service conforming to their expectations, they will be happy.
In fact, the ONLY people who cared about my years of experience were… my competitors.
You can stand out of your competitors by being different, and by offering your product / service in a different way.
Your creativity will make you stand out from your competitors.
I became immune of the Impostor Syndrome!
As soon as I noticed that our customers were satisfied with my service, I stopped second-guessing my skills. I stopped seeking the endorsement of my peers.
I began to assert myself as a valuable and skilled service / product provider.
My key performance indicators were my values and my customer’s satisfaction.
I experienced a healing from that Impostor Syndrome.
Have you ever experienced the Impostor Syndrome? How did you overcome it?
After reading this article, are you still doubting your skills? Let us know in comments below