Barbara Corcoran On Shark Tank (Image Source: IMDB)
Highlights
- Barbara feels insecurity can act as a driving force for success if used as a motivation.
- Barbara Corcoran believes imposter syndrome affects everyone who achieves great things.
- Barbara explains there is no need to fear insecurity, instead she embraces it to stay sharp and competitive.
Barbara Corcoran, a popular Shark Tank investor, recently spoke about a different, albeit unexpected, view of insecurity. On The Jamie Kern Lima Show Podcast, she explained her take on what she refers to as her “Imposter Syndrome Theory.” Rather than seeing insecurity as something negative, Barbara feels it has the potential to be an incredible success tool.
Embracing Insecurity for Success
Most individuals are usually taken aback by self-doubts and insecurities and question themselves do they actually deserve the level of success that they have had. It is also called imposter syndrome, and Barbara thinks it is something that catches almost every person who has done a lot of things in their professional life. “I have never encountered a valuable person who didn’t have imposter syndrome,” Barbara explained. She described that individuals who doubt themselves end up working harder, smarter, and more prepared, qualities that can bring success in the long run.
She acknowledged that even years after the experience, she still has self-doubt. “I’ll do a better job because of the insecurity. So I’m all for insecurity,” she said. Rather than these sentiments being excuses, she would prefer to use these sentiments as reasons for her desire to get better.
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Insecurity Can Be Strength
Barbara had a personal anecdote about how insecurity drives her preparation during the podcast. Even if she’s done something a hundred times already, she still second-guesses herself before entering a situation. “I was thinking, What is she going to say? What am I going to do? And I had very clear thoughts in my head of what I wanted to address. And that comes from insecurity,” she said. Had she been absolutely confident, she would not have prepared as much. Rather, her insecurities make her prepare and perform at her best.
Jamie Kern Lima, who was interviewing on the podcast, was intrigued by Barbara’s perspective. She explained that most people believe insecurity indicates they are not competent or good enough. But Barbara has a different opinion, she thinks insecurity is a universal human emotion that can be a benefit.
Barbara also talked about a psychological approach that has served her to deal with insecurity. She called it the “tape” inside her head, which plays tapes of thoughts that motivate her ahead instead of dragging her back. This inner talk reminds her that insecurity is not a reason to give up, it’s a reason to prepare more, work more, and show herself again.
Insecurity and success are two sides of the same coin according to Barbara. Instead of trying to eliminate her self-doubt, she embraces it, using it as a way of staying at the top of her field. She wants to be “successfully insecure” for the rest of her career.
Entrepreneur, auteur, raconteur. Rob Merlino is a blogger and writer who enjoys the Shark Tank TV show and Hot Dogs. A father of five who freelances in a variety of publications, Rob has a stable of websites including Shark Tank Blog, Hot Dog Stories, Rob Merlino.com and more.
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