I got into some interesting discussions after my last post, which made me want to clarify what I meant and didn't mean when I said "faking it."
I am a follower of the "ready, fire, aim" philosophy. I tend to dive into situations that are over my head, and learn to swim in them later. However, I would not recommend this strategy to anyone whose rookie mistakes can lead to serious consequences for the others involved. In short: don't pretend to be a cardiologist.
What I do feel comfortable advocating is faking the confidence necessary to lead until you start feeling that confidence genuinely. But this gets us into another tricky area; if this is okay, then what else is it okay to fake?
I once worked with a company that had three employees pretending to be 10 (because their clients didn't trust a teeny new company); now they have 25 employees. They faked it but then lived up to it. Does that make it okay? Or how about decorating a resume with slight exaggerations if you feel qualified for the job? Or pretending your student group has more members than it does so that more people want to join?
My feeling is that it's better to find an attractive side of your truth rather than make up a new one. A small company can be "boutique style," you can find a company that wants people with little experience but lots of passion, and you can attract new group members to a small group by offering them deeper, more meaningful involvement.
But then again, maybe that's naive... What do you guys think?
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