Many leaders in their quiet moments (who ever has those?) think that they are impostors. This is a phenomenon, Impostor Syndrome, that prevents people from accepting their own accomplishments. They feel that somehow they bluffed, got lucky, or deceived others on their way to the top and never feel confident of the decisions they are making or how they are leading others. What would amaze many employees, and many citizens, is that this is not uncommon.
Perhaps more amazing is that most of these leaders are anything but impostors. They have worked hard, taken calculated risks, and made many smart decisions in their rise to the top. And despite their lack of personal confidence, they continue to be successful. Perhaps it is not in spite of, but because of, the way they see themselves that they are able to rely on others more easily for help and demonstrate great leadership by not going it alone.
If you are interested in learning if you you suffer from this and are not sure you can take a quick assessment .
Additional Research on where this originates: Impostor Phenomenon, Impostors Love Company, The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women.
