Big Fish, Little Pond
Maybe it's time to find yourself a bigger pond to swim in
Shortly after I joined Amazon I mentioned to my brother (also an Amazonian at the time) that my imposter syndrome was kicking in big time.
I was surrounded by people with amazing resumes, colleagues who had done some cool sh*t—served as diplomats … founded companies … commanded troops … invented new technologies.
Before joining Amazon, these folks had achieved at the highest levels—they were former state CIOs and CISOs, military generals, Fortune 1000 CEOs, researchers and inventors … and more.
And then there was little ol’ me.
My brother shared something a co-worker told him shortly after he joined Amazon …
“Amazon is where smart people go to feel bad about themselves.”
Which was, in a weird way, reassuring.
Big fish, little pond.
Amazon hires people who have demonstrated their ability to raise the bar in their current environments and, by extension, will be able to do the same at Amazon.
All of us had reached peak levels of achievement in our previous roles and industries—we were big fish in (relatively) little ponds.
Then we came to Amazon, which operates on a scale that is difficult to comprehend. And suddenly, we were driven, type-A, high-achievers surrounded by thousands of other driven, type-A, high-achievers.
We were—possibly for the first time in our lives—little fish in a ginormous pond.
(Enter imposter syndrome on a scale of Amazonian proportions.)
You’ve reached the top. Now what?
There’s something to be said for reaching the top … being recognized as a leader in your role, profession, or industry.
For some people, this is enough—they enjoy the recognition and status that comes with being on top. (Not gonna lie, going from well-known CIO and EDUCAUSE board member to mid-level cog in corporate America was a huge hit to my ego.)
But what do you do when you realize that there’s nowhere else you can go, nothing else you can achieve where you’re at … when you look around and realize you’re the smartest person in the room?
You do the only thing you can—you look for another room.
You lean into your discomfort, your fear, your imposter syndrome … and you go find yourself a bigger pond to swim in.
Bonus Read: How do you know when it’s time to move on? This post offers three questions you can ask yourself to help guide your decision:
