The Fraud Police
We are all intimately familiar with the concept of “impostor syndrome”, but I’m not a fan of the term. I think it reinforces the idea that there is something wrong or broken — a syndrome is, after all, a kind of pathology. But feeling insecure is not an illness, it’s an unavoidable consequence of forging a unique path!
I came across an expression in Amanda Palmer’s book The Art of Asking that I find much more useful: the Fraud Police, which she defines thusly:
The Fraud Police are the imaginary, terrifying force of “real” grown-ups who you believe–at some subconscious level–are going to come knocking on your door in the middle of the night, saying:
We’ve been watching you, and we have evidence that you have NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE DOING. You stand accused of the crime of completely winging it, you are guilty of making shit up as you go along, you do not actually deserve your job, we are taking everything away and we are TELLING EVERYBODY.
What I love about the term is that it others the feeling of inadequacy. Rather than owning the voice that says you’re not good enough, you get to blame it on them. For me this distinction makes all the difference. No matter how much noise they make, the fraud police only have the power you give them. Lock the door and ignore them, because winging it or making shit up as you go along are actually critical skills for an effective leader.
In fact, Amanda goes on to say that “the difference between the amateurs and the professionals is simple:
“The professionals know they’re winging it.
The amateurs pretend they’re not.”
So actually, the presence of the Fraud Police is not evidence that you are failing — it’s the complete opposite! The trick is learning to tune them out, which we can’t do by ourselves. It’s like saying “don’t think about a pink elephant” — the more we try to ignore them, the louder they get…
But it’s not impossible. We can make that shift in thinking with practice, support, and affirmation. I can’t tell you how often I get to play that role for my clients — hearing their big ideas & brilliant instincts and reflecting their genius. I love to drown out the Fraud Police, so if you find their racket overwhelming, let’s chat!
Email me at Hanna(at)RingmasterConsulting.com.