It’s interesting to me that we all talk about imposter syndrome as if it’s a bad thing, a challenge to be overcome, a feeling to be ignored. In my experience, the folks who find a way to embrace that feeling are the ones who deliver the most value. Imposter syndrome makes people more conscientious of their choices, lowers egos and makes them more open to other points of view. When someone tries to ignore or suppress their imposter syndrome, the result is typically overcompensation – they run over their colleagues and insist on being right because that’s what someone who wasn’t an imposter would do, right? By trying to be better, they accidentally wind up becoming less effective and, a lot of times, alienating to their teammates.

Personally, I love the imposters. I love the way they’re driven to collect feedback on how they’re doing almost constantly. I love how they second guess (or double check) themselves, because they’re truly considering the problem and are open to being wrong. I love their curiosity and how they push themselves to learn new things and take on new challenges in order to try to prove they aren’t imposters. I love how humble they are, and how kind they are to others, knowing they have a lot to learn from everyone around them.