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“We’re Not Worthy”:!Understanding & Escaping!

Impostor Syndrome

Lori Widelitz-Cavallucci Amy Silvers !

IA Summit 2014

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@lwcavallucci!@A_Silvers!

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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:!

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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!