REFLECTIONS ON CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP

THE IMPOSTOR SYNDROME

The more gross the fraud the more glibly will it go down, and the more

greedily be swallowed, since folly will always fi nd faith where impostors

will fi nd imprudence.

— Charles Caleb Colton

Introduction

Throughout h istor y, we have been fascinated by the fi gures of impostors.
People leading fraudulent lives or engaging in fraudulent action always
seem to have had a fatal attraction. One reason for their popularity may
be that there is an element of recognition present in the encounter
between impostors and their audiences. It often seems as if impostors
show us something about ourselves that we may prefer not to see under
normal circumstances. And to some extent (given the differences between
the public and private self ), we are all impostors, we all play roles
(Goffman, 1971 ). Presenting a fa ç ade and misleading the audience is part
and parcel of everyday life.
This stage role becomes more prominent when we move to a public
setting such as an organization (Goffman, 1971 ). Entrepreneurs are more
inclined than other business people to take on elements of the impostor
role, given the inherent drama in the act of creation (in which they are
trying to turn their fantasies into some form of reality). In their intense
need to pursue a vision and convince others of their ideas, they may
r e s o r t t o d i s t o r t io n o f f a c t s , a n d b e c av a l ie r a b o u t w h a t i s r e a l it y. Howe ve r,
the enthusiasm they generate in selling their dreams, unrealistic or ill -
defi ned as they may be, is important because it makes them catalysts of
change and, if successful, a main source of economic development.

CHAPTER 4