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What do Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Maya Angelou, Sheryl Sandberg Tina Fey, Tom Hanks and Howard Schultz all have in Common?

By | Nov 18, 2019

What would a Supreme Court Justice, a Corporate Executive, a Nobel Laureate and an actor have in common? If you guessed that they have all felt like Impostors, you are right! 

In a 2017 article in Entrepreneur these 6 incredible people all confused to having impostor feelings. As I have said consistently, the impostor syndrome doesn’t just impact, women or people of color or any group in particular, it is an equal opportunity issue. In the article in Entrepreneur these six highly successful people describe their impostor feelings.

 

Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg has often admitted to feeling like an imposter at times. In her book, Lean In, she shares that when she was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society at Harvard, she didn’t feel like she deserved to be there. She wrote in her book: “Every time I took a test, I was sure that it had gone badly. And every time I didn’t embarrass myself -- or even excelled -- I believed that I had fooled everyone yet again. One day soon, the jig would be up.”
The civil rights activist, author, poet and Nobel Laureate Maya Angelou admitted that at times, she often felt like a fraud, once saying, "I have written 11 books, but each time I think, 'uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.'"

When it comes to leading a major company or being in an executive role, Starbucks’ Howard Schultz admitted to feeling undeserving and insecure. In an interview with The New York Times, Schultz said, “Very few people, whether you’ve been in that job before or not, get into the seat and believe today that they are now qualified to be the CEO. They’re not going to tell you that, but it’s true.”

Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, also had admitted to feeling like a fraud and not fitting in throughout her life. Growing up in the Bronx in a modest home with her single mother and brother, Sotomayor never thought of herself as a likely candidate for Princeton University. As she once said in a speech, “I have spent my years since Princeton, while at law school and in my various professional jobs, not feeling completely a part of the worlds I inhabit. I am always looking over my shoulder wondering if I measure up.”

After playing a middle-aged American businessman who was sent on a business trip to Saudi Arabia in the 2016 film A Hologram for the King, Tom Hanks admitted in an interview that he related to the character’s sense of self-doubt. "No matter what we've done, there comes a point where you think, 'How did I get here? When are they going to discover that I am, in fact, a fraud and take everything away from me?'”

With the term “fake it 'til you make” becoming so widespread, it’s easy to get into your head that your accomplishments don’t deserve the praise they get. Even comedian, actress and author Tina Fey feels that way sometimes. While she initially imagined herself in a position behind the scenes, Fey has become a Hollywood star.

During an earlier interview, she admitted that she’s often felt like a “fraud.” However, “The beauty of the impostor syndrome is you vacillate between extreme egomania, and a complete feeling of: 'I'm a fraud! Oh god, they're on to me! I'm a fraud!' So you just try to ride the egomania when it comes and enjoy it, and then slide through the idea of fraud.”

When I speak about why I wrote The Empress Has No Clothes; Conquering Self-Doubt to Embrace Success I tell folks I wrote it because I wanted those who suffer with the impostor syndrome to know that they are not alone.Also, it does not mean you won’t be successful, often it is the opposite.  In my book I provide some techniques to help you conquer your impostor. Here are just three of the techniques:

• Don’t stay silent –Find a way to speak about your fears with someone who knows you and can help you see the things you can’t see
• Become familiar with your impostor – What are you trying to prove? To whom? And Why?
• Show up for life as your whole self. Your authentic self!

The next time those impostor fears creep into your mind, remember these six successful people and know that you are alone and that you deserve your success.