Confession time! I suffered from feeling like an imposter when I worked at GLAAD. Yes, me.
I still have it sometimes when someone comes up to me and refers to me as an expert in nonprofit leadership. I think to myself, “I wonder where the real leadership expert is. Why don’t we get that person in here to answer that question?”
So, feeling like an imposter is a real thing. Especially for nonprofit executive directors. In fact, I polled my community of nonprofit leaders to find out what it feels like for them. The response was overwhelming.
They said things like:
“I need to work longer, harder, and more hours to do this job because I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“My job is to know all the answers.”
“It is hard to trust my gut.”
“Other executive directors know how to do this. I’m never going to be that good.”
“Why did the board hire me to begin with? Clearly, the person they really wanted dropped out.”
Oh boy. This is a major problem because when you have imposter syndrome, it can truly impede your leadership and your ability to really shine.
So, if you’re riddled with imposter syndrome, tune into this episode to discover the 6 things you can do to conquer imposter syndrome.
Know that you are not alone.
Oh—and don’t forget to check out the Imposter Syndrome Quiz to find out where you are on the imposter spectrum and what to do about it!
TUNE IN TO LEARN:
- 6 Ways You Can Overcome Imposter Syndrome. It’s real. But, it doesn’t own you.
- My Mouth-Open Moment as an Imposter. 7 years into my tenure at GLAAD, I had imposter syndrome even as we were about to do something amazing!
- You Are Not Alone. Imposter syndrome is rife in the community of nonprofit executive directors. Hear their real words!
RESOURCES:
- The Nonprofit Leader’s Imposter Syndrome Quiz
- Nonprofit Leadership Lab
- Joan Garry’s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership – 2nd Edition by Joan Garry
- FREE WORKSHOP: 3 Reasons You’re Not Raising More Money
- FREE WORKSHOP: Let’s Build the Nonprofit Board of Your Dreams!
- FREE WORKSHOP: The 5 Practices of Outstanding Nonprofit Leaders
- Music by Jukebox the Ghost
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