You know the feeling you get when you get the big assignment orthe big promotion, that you have fooled your boss into believingyou are more qualified than you really are. You know that you aresupposed to accept the challenge but wait for the moment that youwill be exposed. You feel like a fraud being credited with rewardsthat you don't deserve. We have all experienced the insecurity ofpotentially saying the wrong thing, making the wrong decision, ornot having the answer to the tough problem.

We have been told how hard it is to achieve success and that thechallenges sometimes seem insurmountable, so when you arerecognized for something that didn't seem to require the avalancheof effort success seems to require, you feel like you haven'tdeserved it. There has been a mistake, and you will be found out.You feel like an imposter.

Imposter feelings can hold you back, keep you on the edge, andprevent you from being your best and adding value. Listening to thenoise of this phenomenon will affect your behavior in a negativeway, and prevent you from enjoying future success. It may show upas moodiness, not speaking up, not sharing valuable information,becoming belligerent when you feel people are questioning yourcompetence, stalling rather than making decisions, fearing askingquestions or taking on the full responsibility of your newposition. These actions are, in effect sabotaging your success. Youreceived the recognition because you can provide a perspective, askill, insight or because you have the unique quality required forthe position. The expectation is that you step up to participateconfidently.

There is a cost to companies when qualified employees areinfluenced by imposter feelings -fearing risk, fearing beingexposed, procrastinating or getting caught in perfectionism –rendering them less effective, less engaged and causing them tocontribute less. Read the complete article in Positively Magazine tolearn the steps needed to move past the fear toempowerment.