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#ImpSyn
“We’re Not Worthy”:!Understanding & Escaping!
Impostor Syndrome
Lori Widelitz-Cavallucci Amy Silvers !
IA Summit 2014
#ImpSyn
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@lwcavallucci!@A_Silvers!
#ImpSyn
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“I feel like that every day.”!
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“(T)hese women find innumerable means of negating any external evidence that contradicts their belief that they are, in reality, unintelligent.”!!
—Clance & Imes, from their 1978 study
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“Impostor Phenomenon designates an internal experience of intellectual phoniness.”
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“I’m not as capable as people think I am.”!!
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Any praise and recognition leads to discounting the success.
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“My success is due to luck and nothing else.”!
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Outperform
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Avoid
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“She only got ahead because she's hot and her boss wanted to do her.”
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SERIOUSLY????
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Totally Scientific !Survey Conclusion:!
!
A lot of people in UX-related fields feel like impostors.*
!
!
*At least sometimes.
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17#
29#53#
How#do#you#think#your#skills#compare#to#the#skills#of#the#people#around#you?#
I"am"less"skilled"than"the"people"around"me."I"am"more"skilled"than"the"people"around"me."My"skills"are"on"par"with"those"of"the"people"around"me."
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“I often feel like I'm just making it up as I go along, so worry that I'm not ‘good enough’ to compete with those who've spent more time in teams and have worked with official job titles and the recognition it brings.”
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“I feel more below the mark more with other designers outside of work. I guess I feel that there's so much praise for a certain type of designer, one that is a consultant, works at certain agencies, and/or writes books and blogs.”
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29%$
50%$
21%$
"I$can$give$the$impression$that$I'm$more$competent$than$I$really$am."$$
Does$this$statement$describe$you?$
Yes,%this%describes%me%accurately.%%This%might%describe%me%at%5mes.%No,%this%doesn't%describe%me.%
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“I feel constrained, like I'll never be able to be a "real UXer" -- I don't have ecommerce or product experiences, so how do I know that my skills are really as good as I think they are?”
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“Sometimes, I feel like my career is an exercise in ice skating up hill: there are constantly new skills to learn, new lessons to learn, new tools to master, and there is a lot of pressure to be good at a lot of things.”
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45#
27#
25#
Have#you#ever#worried#that#people#will#stop#respec7ng#you#or#think#less#of#you#once#they#
get#to#know#you#and#see#your#work?#
Yes,%I've%worried%about%that.%
I%haven't%worried%about%that%exactly,%but%I've%felt%something%similar.%%
No,%I've%never%worried%about%that.%
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“It's a sort of continuous feeling that my education and experience aren't good enough, that I don't actually know anything more than anyone else does, and that by writing or giving talks or workshops that I'm just a fraud. And, of course, everyone will realize it soon, or they're just being too nice to point out that I don't know what I'm talking about.”
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48#
51#
46.5% 47% 47.5% 48% 48.5% 49% 49.5% 50% 50.5% 51% 51.5%
Yes#
No#
When#people#compliment#you#on#your#ability#or#performance,#do#you#ever#think#they’re#“just#
being#nice”?#
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“I don't think I am as talented as people tell me I am. I constantly doubt myself. Every year at my yearly review, I'm told I'm doing great when I think I'm doing just ok. You would think I would gain confidence and learn from this but I still constantly doubt myself.”
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“I know that I'm not, but I spend most of my professional life feeling like a complete fraud.”
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Frank Gehry
???
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“There are no information architects. There are no interaction designers. There are only, and only ever have been, user experience designers.”
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“All this talk about being a unicorn I think contributes to a feeling of inadequacy for people who aren't.”
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“There's always something new to learn that pulls you out of your comfort zone and makes you feel uneasy, but to me that's the fun of it.”
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What's the worst thing that can happen?
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Don't equate expertise with infallibility. We can
be both.
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We only see what others want us to see, including
insecurities and fears.
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Behaviors = changeable !
Attributes not changeable
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"just" !
"only"
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Get one! !
Be one!
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Stay humble! !!
Be brave!
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We are all in this together.!!
YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
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–Irene Au
“Put one foot forward at a time. Tune in, listen, be in the moment.”
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–Pamela Druckerman
“Everyone is winging it. Some just do it more confidently.”
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Thanks for listening!