Brilliant conman syndrome

Having a heist team is the best insurance I have found against impostor syndrome, because you get to replace it with brilliant conman. Do you belong there? Sure don’t, but you’ve faked your way in and nobody can even prove it wasn’t legitimate. Now the rest of the crew is counting on you, and you’re going to score the big one.

Did Danny Ocean wander around the Bellagio worrying that they didn’t really want him there? No, that’s all part of the plan, and besides, he knew Rusty was depending on him.¹ ⊕ ¹ Laura Klein also writes brilliantly about needing a heist team, not a ‘feature team’ in Build Better Products. It’s a great mental trick to play on yourself to make all kinds of things seem more fun and less intimidating.

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Sometimes when I share this idea, students are appalled. They ask, “Wait, are you telling us to lie?” I am not. I am (possibly) asking you to equivocate by rethinking the question. The question is: “Are you qualified for this position?” And I think people often hear that question as, “Are you sure you can do it? Are you perfect?” The answer to that is, of course, no. You’re not sure. You’re not perfect. The problem is, I don’t think that’s usually the question that’s being asked. When you get an opportunity, the real question is, “Are you game to try?” I want your answer to that to be a resounding yes. a series of lucky breaks, jumps accompanied by the question, “are you game?” not, “are you perfect?”