When Kat started her first consulting job, a senior colleague pulled her aside: “You’re going to feel lost for months. Just fake confidence until you actually have it. That’s how everyone does it.”
Six months later, Kat was exhausted. She’d been faking technical knowledge she didn’t possess, projecting certainty about recommendations she didn’t understand, and presenting herself as someone far more experienced than she was. Her anxiety had skyrocketed, her manager was noticing gaps in her work, and the “fake it till you make it” strategy wasn’t making her more confident. It was making her miserable.
“Fake it till you make it” has become one of the workplace’s most popular mantras, particularly for young professionals trying to establish credibility. But here’s what most people miss: this strategy works brilliantly in some contexts and fails spectacularly in others. The difference depends entirely on what you’re faking.
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