Embrace the Imposter: Act Despite Expecting to Fail
Stop trying to feel confident; give yourself permission to fail and take the shot anyway.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 82%
A contrarian approach to imposter syndrome: rather than building confidence you may never feel, accept the feeling of being an imposter and refuse to let it stop your decisions. Use it when a big opportunity triggers self-doubt and you're tempted to opt out preemptively.
Origin
Herzberg says almost everything in her career she attempted while fairly sure she'd fail: joining Wiz, the PM role, the CMO role. She traces the trait to her mother, who pushed her (a shy, book-loving kid) toward friction rather than perfecting existing strengths, teaching that 'friction is good.' She reframes the common advice to build confidence as ineffective for her, preferring to embrace the imposter feeling and act regardless.
Core principles
- 01You may never manufacture real confidence; don't gate action on it.
- 02Being okay with probable failure and attempting anyway is a trainable release.
- 03Friction is good: invest energy where you're weak, not where you're already strong.
How to run it
- 1
Accept the imposter feeling as universal
Assume you'll feel like an imposter in any new role and that nearly everyone does; stop waiting for the feeling to disappear.
Pro tip When promoted into a role you've never done, you literally are an imposter at first, and that's normal.
- 2
Give yourself permission to fail
Decide up front that failing is acceptable, which frees you to attempt things you'd otherwise avoid.
- 3
Take the shot and let others reject you
Don't self-reject before trying; if you might not get the role, let them decline you rather than declining yourself. 'You'll never know your limit if you don't try.'
Pro tip Lean toward friction: pushing into areas where you're less confident builds more than perfecting existing strengths.
In the wild
Herzberg, a former engineer and PM who didn't know the word 'pipeline,' was asked to lead marketing. It sounded bizarre and she expected to fail, but she spent the weekend learning from CMOs and podcasts and took the shot.
→ Built Wiz's standout brand; a board member said his marketing leaders should learn from her.
Common mistakes
Trying to fix the feeling instead of acting through it
Chasing confidence you may never feel, and self-rejecting from opportunities before anyone else has the chance to.
Is it for you?
Best for
High-potential operators facing a stretch role or unfamiliar domain who feel unqualified.
Not ideal for
Decisions where the downside of failure is genuinely catastrophic and irreversible rather than merely uncomfortable.
From the transcript
“I'm kind of okay with being pretty sure I'm going to fail at something and still attempting it”
“you will never know your limit if you don't try”
“she always um used to say that like friction is good”
From the episode
Building Wiz: the fastest-growing startup in history
Raaz Herzberg (CMO and VP Product Strategy)