McCartney Times

“I think people worry about things. And it doesn’t matter how elevated you get, or your reputation gets, you still worry about things.”

So said Paul McCartney to Sharyn Alfonsi on CBS 60 Minutes. He added that people tell him, ‘You must have no insecurities.” That’s a notion McCartney dismisses. “Just like anyone else, you have insecurities. ‘Cause everyone has them. And no matter how high and great and wonderful you get, there’s still something will make you worry.”

Call it the “imposter syndrome,” the feeling that perhaps we don’t really belong, that we have not earned what we have accomplished, that somehow someway will be found out. Relax: if Paul McCartney, the legendary Beatle, and rock supernova for more than six decades, now age 76, can feel “insecure,” then all of us can. McCartney’s trick to overcome this feeling– as evidenced in the 60 Minutes piece — is this: keep working. McCartney continues to write music as well as perform to sold-out audiences around the globe.

McCartney’s admission reveals a level of vulnerability that stems from his humility. He is not caught up in what people think of him. What matters to him is how he perceives himself. Doing such keeps him grounded in reality.

Leaders in high places would do well to emulate some of McCartney’s persona. One of the dangers of being in charge is that everyone defers to you. Unless you surround yourself with people who will challenge what you say as well as question what you do, then you can fall prey to the flip side of the imposter syndrome – overconfidence.

While confidence is an attribute that every leader must manifest, taken in too large of a dose can cause the ego to inflate. That can lead to a sense of misplaced invincibility, that you can do it all. The challenge is to find balance. Know that you must continue to earn your keep, as well as maintain the sense of accomplishment that you belong.

Source: Paul McCartney: Keeping It Real