Feel Like a Fraud? Here's How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome as a Black LinkedIn Creator

I don't want to tell tales out of school, but I've heard the word on the street about Imposter Syndrome and it's not good.

Imposter syndrome loosely defined as doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud.(hbr.org)

If you ask people if they've ever experienced imposter syndrome, you would be surprised at the number of persons who say yes. Ask me that question and I would tell you that was my biggest fear when I joined LinkedIn.

I mean, I come from an obscure island that's just a few square miles bigger than the FBI's Quantico headquarters. Add the fact I do not have a US nor UK accent, was just getting started in my online journey and the struggle was real! I did not feel that I "knew" enough to make a contribution that mattered, and I felt all alone because I knew absolutely no one.

Now to be clear, these were thoughts that ran through my head and were not fuelled by anything anyone said or did.

Over the years, I have gotten better at being open on LinkedIn but the Imposter syndrome rears its head ocasionally. And to highlight this issue, Lakrisha Davis held a live event (Overcoming Imposter Syndrome as a Black LinkedIn Creator) on LinkedIn about a week or so ago where she shared the stage with black LinkedIn creators who talked about their "bout" with this fiend.

I don't know, but listening to people talk about their own experiences had me wondering: is this a rite of passage for people who create for a living, or is it just a pyschological thing?

And since we're being honest, can we talk about the effect it has on black folks -whether they're African American, African, West Indian, from wherever? I'm not North American and won't pretend that I've experienced all of the issues faced by my sistren and brethren in that part of the world; but this one right here, Imposter Syndrome

Take some time and go through your LinkedIn feed and I can guarantee you'll also find it to be a theme that crops up every so often.

Even as I type this newsletter, Seren Seng and Tiffany Zamot are live with an event: The Superwoman Myth: Why Imposter Syndrome is Such a Problem for Women, so I know I'm on the right track with this train of thought.

Now that's just one type of Imposter Syndrome that one may experience at one point or another. Here are some others.

So you see, this syndrome holds many prisoners unfortunately.

But back to Lakrisha.

I decided to write about this event which was right up my alley and wanted to share some highlights from the event because this was a night to learn.

Now normally, I’m a 3 questions kinda girl but this night I wanted to hear what “they” had to say: people who had experienced exactly what I had experienced, and were willing to share on how to overcome these issues.  So these are the takeaways from an engaging and enlightening evening with people like me.

My Key TakeAways:

Be authentically you!

There’s no need to do what everyone else is doing.  What uniqueness do you bring to the table? Bring it without fear and without reservation. Being authentic is contagious.  It allows you to be bold and courageous. Once you can answer these two questions: "Who are you? What purpose do you serve in other people’s lives?" you've earned the right to do what you do best.

Show what’s important to you

Not everything that you share will resonate with everyone but someone else will pick it up and because resonate with them.  Be confident in what you share and others will be impacted by it.

Trust What you know 

In other words, trust yourself. The more you create, the better you will get and become an an expert in whatever area you’re in and in doing so you will attract the right people that you want to work with in your business.

Find your voice

LinkedIn is about finding your voice and sharing your life story. Show up! Find the flow that you naturally have and work it. There are 100 different ways to educate your audience about your topic so get your groove on..

Nix the comparison

This one happens a lot but don't compare what you bring to the table, be confident that you know what you’re doing. Share your unique perspective about the world, your world and what you do and the rest will fall into place.

Position your content to drive engagement 

You may have great content but if nobody knows you then you'll be posting in a vacuum and nobody wants that. It's important to engage and build relationships so people can engage with your content. Additionally, you should post content and take advantage of the ripple effect that comes from posting and engaging.  That may mean engage in comment section on your post and the posts of other people that you're following.

Listen to the numbers

There are a few apps compatible with LinkedIn where you can do your analytics and see your most popular posts. Once you know what drives the most engagement, you can build on that to create more content that will resonate with your audience.

To wrap up the session, Lakrisha shared some ideas as to the type of content that works well on LinkedIn which I summed up in this neat little graph. When you focus on different types of content it can help to bring a balance to what you share.

One downside to the event was that I was unable to catch everyone's name who shared although I followed them while on the call. Hopefully I will better navigate the app when I hop on another live audio event.

Now, over to you. Have you ever struggled with Imposter Syndrome? How did you overcome it?

🔺🔻

Can you do me a favor? If you found this newsletter helpful, can you please share it? It would help to attract more subscribers. and I would really appreciate, thanks!