As originally published in B&T.
In this monthly column with NGEN, the MFA’s training program for media professionals with less than five years of experience, oOh! Media’s Noah Lines tackles the perennial challenge of impostor syndrome and why we should shift our focus from how others perceive us to what we’ve achieved.
Throughout my professional career, I’ve struggled with impostor syndrome – a challenge that many successful professionals face despite clear evidence of their achievements. I’m sharing my story and insecurities in the hope that it helps you overcome your own feelings of self-doubt and realise you’re not alone. To my current and future bosses who may read this: I do belong in my role, even if there are moments when I don’t always feel it.
I’m an OOH baby about to clock up three years at oOh!. I’ll willingly acknowledge that I’ve led a privileged life, with opportunities and a lifestyle not available to all. But it’s not something I take for granted. I’m a big believer in practising mindfulness and being grateful for what I have.
While those who know me know I’m not particularly knowledgeable about celebrities, there is one person I always appreciate – actor and former football player Terry Crews. Asked on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon how he always stays so positive, Terry Crews revealed that gratitude is his key to a happy life.
This idea of mindfulness made me unexpectedly realise that I often felt disconnected from the person others perceived me to be. When I entered the professional world, I began to feel like I wasn’t enough, setting unrealistic standards for myself as I tried to adapt to my new environment.
Over the first two and a half years in my career, I slowly began to understand I wasn’t alone. Impostor syndrome affects many professionals, but because of the nature of this insecurity, it often goes unspoken.
This leads us to believe that it’s just us – everyone else is confident, while we’re the only ones doubting ourselves. But the reality is far different. In fact, approximately 70% of adults experience an episode of impostor syndrome at least once in their lives, and about a third of high achievers regularly grapple with it. Impostor syndrome has been linked to mental health issues like anxiety, burnout, and even reluctance to pursue promotions due to fear of failure. It’s found across a wide range of professions, from college students and academics to medical students and – most relevant here – marketing managers.
The Impostor feeling refers to an “internal experience of intellectual phoniness” in individuals who can’t fully internalise their success. These individuals often attribute their achievements to external factors like luck, environment, timing, or unsustainable effort, rather than their own abilities. I’ve felt this way countless times – whether it was a successful brief, an award, or a personal achievement, I’d always find a way to downplay it, attributing it to something outside my control.
To give you a specific example, after just six months at oOh! I won a sales support award. At the time, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t truly earned – that it was due to external circumstances or some fluke, and that I didn’t deserve the recognition so early on. But over time, as I confronted my own impostor syndrome, I learned to accept that the award was a reflection of my own actions. Now, it’s something I take pride in.
So why am I sharing this here? Why expose my insecurities for B&T readers to see?
Because I wish someone had told me that it’s normal to feel this way and reassured me that what I was feeling wasn’t true. Sometimes it takes someone else opening up for us to overcome our own doubts.
While I can’t say I’ve fully moved past this lingering feeling, I’ve learned to shift my focus from how others perceive me to what I know I’ve accomplished. I am no Nobel laureate, but I have achievements I’m proud of, and that’s enough.
