February 21, 2023 | Read Online

The Truth About Impostor Syndrome

In a recent Twitter video, Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban shared some important thoughts on impostor syndrome.

“I don’t have what it takes.”

“I’m just not qualified to be here.”

“There’s no way this will pan out.”

They’re sentiments just about all of us have felt at one point or another when rising in the ranks or taking over a leadership position with our respective teams.

But in a recent Twitter video, Dallas Mavericks Owner and billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban essentially dispelled the notion of impostor syndrome because of just how pervasive it actually is.

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"I'm going to tell you a secret," he said. "Me, you, we all have impostor syndrome. We all look at our companies and ask ourselves can this really be successful? Why me, why? Why do I think my company can be more successful?”

"And then you just refocus and remind yourself why you're doing it."

It’s an important message. We often work extremely hard at our craft to obtain opportunities that few others get.

Then, when we get this chance and are in this position, we convince ourselves we don’t really belong and that it’s only a matter of time until we’re discovered as frauds.

Cuban’s point is that while we may feel unqualified or insecure about our skillset at the moment, there’s a strong chance that the person next to us is experiencing something similar, or at least has at some point.

The remedy, he feels, isn’t to deny it or pretend this isn’t impacting us.

It’s to remember our cause and ask a simple question: “Why not me?”

"You go back to work, and when you're exhausted, when you're dreaming about work and you're waking up in the middle of the night, sending yourself emails so you don't forget,” Cuban said.

"That's where you look in the mirror. You say why not me? Why can't I be the person to turn this into not just $1 million, $5 million or $10 million or $100 million or a billion dollar company?

“Why not me?”