Imposter syndrome is real. Many people go through this phase of feeling like an imposter especially if they are put in a position or have reached a status which they don’t feel they deserve.
I went through this feeling in 2005 when I was asked to teach a software class after having learned the material just a couple of months ago myself and having been using this product (Microsoft SharePoint) for only a couple of years before that.
The master trainer for this class was a guy named Jeff Cate. I was the secondary trainer and not very confident in my capabilities as a trainer. Jeff asked me to introduce myself to the class before we begin.
I said something to the effect of:
“Hi, my name is Asif Rehmani. This is the first time I’m teaching this class. I don’t know that much about SharePoint but I’ll do the best I can.”
And then we started the class.
During the first break we had for the class, Jeff pulled me aside and gave me some advice on the introduction I had given.
I can’t remember his exact words since it was so long ago but they went something like this:
“Do you think you know more about this topic then these people in the class? And if yes, and I know you do because that’s why I invited you to teach this class, why would you not want the students in the class to have confidence in you? The introduction you gave did not instill confidence in your capabilities. I think you should think about that next time you give an introduction.”
That lesson has stuck with me through time.
I have taught literally hundreds of classes since that day to hundreds of thousands of students through in-person or virtual single day, multi-day classes, webinars and presentations at conferences.
Every time I doubt my capabilities as a trainer/educator and feel like an imposter, I remind myself that I don’t have to be a genius, and an all knowing person in the subject that I’m talking about.
I just need to have the right intentions to be able to impart at least some knowledge that the receiver did not have before. If they benefit from having listened to what I’m teaching, I’ve done my job. That’s it.
That simple fact has helped me throughout decades now.
My advice to anyone feeling like an impostor is to dig deep inside and ask yourself:
Are you adding value to your audience?
If you are, then you are not an imposter. It’s as simple as that.