Don’t Be a Victim of the Imposter Syndrome

Written by Becky Sheetz-Runkle Friday, November 25 2011

Sun Tzu for Women is the businesswoman’s guide to success, based on the masterpiece of military strategy, The Art of War. Sun Tzu’s classic has shaped Eastern military and business thinking. An excerpt of Sun Tzu for Women, Chapter 10, “Authenticity,” appears here.

Overcome “Imposter Syndrome”
Unfortunately for many women, including highly successful achievers, the journey through their careers is filled with self-doubt, fear, and insecurity. In researching this phenomenon, now known as “Impostor Syndrome,” Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes studied 150 highly successful professional women. They found that even very accomplished women carry high levels of self-doubt that made them feel like, well, imposters.

While both men and women can be Imposter Syndrome victims, it’s most often discussed in relation to women. If you suffer from this syndrome, each new achievement, rather than affirming your status, actually exacerbates your fear of being discovered as a fake. This deep lack of self-belief is naturally accompanied by an inability to internalize and reconcile successes.

If this describes you, you tend to believe you’re getting by because of your contacts or because you’ve simply been lucky. Certainly, you believe, it’s not because of your talent or skill. Imposter Syndrome goes far deeper than a normal case of self-doubt. Not only can it rob you of confidence and keep you from recognizing your achievements, it can also cause you to overwork to compensate for your perceived shortcomings.

There’s no place for self-doubt for Sun Tzu. He commands decisiveness, preparation, and brilliance. Ultimately, it’s about performance: It is a doctrine of war that we must not rely on the likelihood of the enemy not coming, but on our own readiness to meet him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but on the fact that we have made our position invincible.

Don’t Lead Like He Does; Lead Like You Do
It’s tempting for women who report primarily to men to believe they have to emulate men’s management, leadership, and interpersonal styles. But you don’t have to lead, or follow, like he does. You have to do it like you do. This means always being your authentic self.

Geraldine Laybourne, the co-founder and former chairman and CEO of Oxygen Media, sees simplicity in authenticity. For her, it’s about being who you are—no matter what. She remembers seeing all the books in the 1980s about how women in the corporate world were supposed to act, dress, and talk. She said she never went down that look-alike path. “I just figured, You know what? I’m me. And I’m a much better me than anybody else. And if I try to be something I’m not, I’m not going to succeed. I can’t be a man. I’m going to do a lousy job at being a man.”

Sun Tzu says that leaders should have no conflict about what they’re to do or who will believe in them. Act decisively, even in the most hostile scenarios, and people will follow you because of what you know, how you act, and who you are: Therefore, when those experienced in war move, they are never bewildered; when they act, they are never at a loss. Thus the saying: Know the enemy and know yourself, and the victory will never be endangered; know the weather and know the ground, and your victory will then be complete.

Show Authentic Strength
The practical application of this passage from Sun Tzu may not be immediately clear: A master of war wins victories without showing his brilliant military success, and without gaining the reputation for wisdom or the merit for valor.

To illuminate this, let’s look at an example from a chapter in American diplomatic history. This episode, recounted in Mary Beth Brown’s biography of Condoleezza Rice, Condi: The Life of a Steel Magnolia, occurs in 1989, late in the Cold War. Rice was thirty-four years old and working at the National Security Council in the White House. At the time, President George H. W. Bush wanted to encourage Boris Yeltsin’s growing democratic movement in what was then the Soviet Union. But the president had to be careful not to offend his ally, the Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.

The United States conceived a plan to bring Yeltsin into the White House through the west basement to meet with National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft. This would avoid media attention. President Bush would then drop in for an unofficial, impromptu meeting. Everyone would be happy.

The Russian leader arrived at the entrance. He was met by Rice, who was supposed to escort him to Scowcroft’s office. But the plan wasn’t agreeable to Yeltsin. He was used to getting what he wanted. He demanded a meeting with the president and wouldn’t settle for anything less. About meeting with Scowcroft, Yeltsin said, “I’ve never heard of General Scowcroft. He’s not important enough to meet with me.” He demanded to meet with the president and told Rice that he wouldn’t leave until she guaranteed him that he would.

According to Rice’s biographer, the standoff and stare-down lasted about five minutes, with Yeltsin “infuriated” and Rice “resolute.” That’s a long time to be staring down a Russian leader during the Cold War. Rice ultimately began to turn away and advised that he return to his hotel. She’d let Scowcroft know there wouldn’t be a meeting today.

“Then,” writes Brown, “Yeltsin blinked. The duel was over. Yeltsin conceded, agreeing to meet with Scowcroft.” Rice then escorted him to Scowcroft’s office, President Bush dropped by for a few minutes, and Yeltsin was pleased. Rice was calm, controlled, and confident throughout the entire encounter.

This incident made an impression on White House aides and others. President Bush remarked later, “Condi was brilliant, but she never tried to flaunt it while in meetings with foreign leaders... . . Her temperament was such that she had an amazing way of getting along with people, of making a strong point without being disagreeable to those who differed.. . . She has a manner and presence that disarms the biggest of big shots. Why? Because they know she knows what she is talking about.”

That’s how she was known for dealing with even the most difficult foreign leaders. She didn’t puff herself up or put on a display of false strength. She didn’t need to feed her ego or pander to gain the favor of others. Rather, Rice was respected and achieved victories like this one because she understood the challenges she faced and knew she was equipped to meet them.

Boris Yeltsin didn’t walk into that confrontation with a high regard for the brilliance, wisdom, and valor of the adversary he would face. He didn’t know who or what he was up against. Rice’s team, on the other hand, had calculated their plan well—and just as important, executed well. This passage, first mentioned in Focus, bears repeating: Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means that he conquers an enemy already defeated.

If you’re authentic, everyone will know it. If you’re authentic and excellent, you’ll be invaluable to an organization that’s worthy of you. You will embody Sun Tzu’s assessment: The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only purpose is to protect his people and promote the best interests of his sovereign, is the precious jewel of the state.

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Becky Sheetz-Runkle is a business author and writer, speaker, strategic marketer and communicator, and martial artist. She co-founded Q2 Marketing, a technology marketing agency, which was sold to the Borenstein Group this year. Becky has 20 years of experience in communications and marketing strategy. She’s a recognized authority on critical topics for women in business. She’s a former Washington Business Journal columnist who is frequently published in and interviewed by national print, web, radio, and TV media.

Her hobbies include fitness, writing, traveling, gardening and enjoying animals (she’s a big fan of pit bulls). She’s also on a quest to find the world’s perfect beer, which she thinks she’s found in Duck Rabbit’s Milk Stout, but she’s not a quitter.

She lives in Woodbridge, Va., with her husband, David, the cat who would prefer to be anonymous, and Buster, the pit bull the anonymous cat terrorizes. She’s a member of Toastmasters International and the Authors Guild and is an ordained deacon at Lake Ridge Baptist Church. She graduated with honors from Temple University and has bachelor’s degrees in political science and history.