When Imposter Syndrome comes up in conversations among agency leaders, the general advice is to get over it. Stand up for what you know and proceed with confidence.
But the hard truth is that sometimes you feel like an imposter because you are.
I’m not saying most agency leaders would act that way intentionally, but the fact remains that there are times when agency leaders venture a bit too far out of their lane of expertise.
I’ll discuss this a bit more later in this newsletter, but first let’s look at what Jen has rounded up for us this week.
— Chip Griffin, SAGA Founder
Weekly Roundup
Below are some articles, blog posts, podcasts, and videos that we came across during the past week or so that provide useful perspective and information for PR and marketing agency owners. While we don’t necessarily endorse all of the views expressed in these links, we think they are worth your time.
— Jen Griffin, SAGA Community Manager
Latest from SAGA
- What to do when your client contact isn’t the problem (Agency Leadership Podcast)
Articles & Blog Posts
- Quit Claiming the Opposite of What Nobody Else is Claiming (Punctuation)
- Why Healthy Cashflow Can Sink Your Agency (The Bureau)
- The PESO Model© Is the Framework for Trust (Spin Sucks)
- How I derail meetings (over and over again). (Anchor Advisors)
- The Email That Explains Why 68% of Agencies Aren’t Growing (RSW/US)
Podcast Episodes
- Communicating in the Era of Everyday is a Crisis (Solo PR Pro)
- Why Pharma Needs the PESO Model© Now (Spin Sucks)
- You’re Cheating Clients Unless You’re Repetitive (2Bobs)
- Partnerships that End Churn, with Justin Rashidi (The Innovative Agency)
- We Weren’t Built for This with Alexandra Pasi, PhD (Working/Broken)
- Accrual Accounting & Revenue Recognition for Agencies, with Carson Pierce (The Agency Profit Podcast)
- Natasha Golinsky, On Purpose Projects – Mindset Matters: The Key to Entrepreneurial Success (Agency Bytes)
Video
- Cameron Stark on Just Ask Jody Live (The Sutter Company)
AI in focus
- The Em Dash Panic — AI, Writing, and Misguided Assumptions (For Immediate Release)
The hard truth about Imposter Syndrome
Sometimes you don’t need to “just get over” Imposter Syndrome.
You need to recognize when your Imposter Syndrome derives from a lack of confidence or a surplus of self-doubt — and when it is the result of wandering into waters where your expertise truly may not be sufficient.
I see this most often in agencies in two areas.
The first is when an agency becomes enamored with a new potential service offering — often around a hot trend or fresh emerging technology.
In these cases, it can be tempting to dive in and pursue the gold at the end of the rainbow without understanding what it really takes to deliver the results the client wants or needs.
The second is when agencies want to elevate their status by offering business advice in addition to the PR, communications, and marketing counsel they have been providing.
We might be inclined to offer policy or product advice, for example. Or maybe we want to speak to the business impact of our proposed advice to make a stronger case.
Regardless of the circumstances, we must be clear with ourselves — and our clients — when we are going beyond what we actually are expert about.
It doesn’t mean that we can’t venture into new areas or offer advice beyond the scope of our engagement, but we shouldn’t purport to have expertise that we don’t.
For example, before you offer business advice to a CEO, ask yourself whether you are offering that guidance based on actual business knowledge — or instead from your perspective as a communicator or even a consumer.
There’s nothing wrong with offering those views, but it should be done with the understanding by both parties about the perspective that you are offering.
In most of these instances, the client will recognize your expertise — or lack thereof — and account for your advice accordingly.
But when you are offering new services or leveraging new technologies, a bit more disclosure might be needed.
For example, some of you know that I have a photography business in my “free time” where I am often asked to take on projects that aren’t within my wheelhouse.
Normally, I turn down those opportunities because I recognize that it’s outside my lane.
But when I do something I haven’t done before — like the engagement photos I did recently — I make clear that it’s not an area I specialize in, but I still have confidence in my ability to deliver.
That’s not giving in to Imposter Syndrome, but rather being honest with myself and with my clients.
If you actually have the expertise, you can overcome Imposter Syndrome.
If you are selling expertise you lack, the Imposter Syndrome will overcome you.
