Park Perspective: Imposter Syndrome and the Best Decision I’ve Ever Made

This Park Perspective was written by Johnson School Park Leadership Fellow Zach Sabadosa, MBA ’24, a graduate of the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Imposter Syndrome is something that grips even the most confident people I’ve had the opportunity to meet here. The feeling does not penetrate everything you’re doing at the Johnson School but it’s nearly impossible to go through the first or second year without finding yourself way out of depth. For me personally that came in my first week during a dinner with the rest of the Park Leadership Fellows class of 2024, [then-]Dean Mark Nelson, and Ezra Cornell ’70, BS ’71, the great-great-great grandson of Cornell University founder Ezra Cornell.

About halfway through dinner, each of my classmates stood to introduce themselves to the larger group and share our appreciation for the opportunity to be at the school. I remember, as my classmates were speaking about what they had done in their lives thus far and I looked to my right to see the namesake of the university sitting next to me, a feeling of panic hit me. Was I supposed to be here? Is this where they realize they made a mistake?

I stood up and stuttered through introducing myself and finishing with “Quite frankly, I never thought I’d find myself here with people like you all, and I appreciate you letting me slip through the cracks.” Humor has always been a defense mechanism to me, so I was relieved when the group chuckled. But inside I was not joking.

This feeling was compounded during the first semester recruiting cycle, when—after coming in thinking this is where I could prove I belonged—I received only two interviews after submitting over 80 applications. Was this the moment? Are they going to realize that I don’t belong here?

It was going into winter break when a classmate of mine and I were talking about sports that he turned me onto a path that changed my Johnson experience completely. Sports had always been a big part of my life—something that my dad and I had shared and that my family had spent a lot of time carting me around to participate in. I’d always thought about a career in sports, but it certainly wasn’t going to be on the field. After that conversation with my fellow classmate, I realized that the career wasn’t out of reach at all; in fact, this was the perfect opportunity for me to run at it. I was successful at this because of that conversation and the following things that I found to be most important to enjoying this gift of a two-year experience.

1. The worst thing that they can say to you is “no”

I’ve reached out to hundreds of people who have treaded this “non-traditional” career path that I’m looking to go into in sports and spoken to dozens. I’ve been so fortunate that the business world in which they operate is small, and by being curious and vulnerable as a student, and not asking them for anything but perspective, I’ve learned more than I could’ve ever imagined.

A long time ago, my dad and I saw one of my favorite athletes at a tournament. I wanted an autograph, but at the time I was 8 or 9 and to me, approaching this person seemed like the most terrifying thing that I could possibly do. But in that moment, my dad said, “The worst thing he could possibly say to you is no,” and I learned a lesson that has steered me my entire life.

Some might think this wasn’t profound, but I’d be happy to show you the receipts and the autograph that says otherwise. Despite what we may think, most people in positions of power were once just like us. Now that they find themselves in a different role, most jump at the opportunity to help or guide someone looking to tread a similar path. This applies especially to students, which leads me to my next point.

2. You’re only a student for two years. Take advantage.

Whenever I’ve had conversations with either fellow Johnson students or prospective ones, the inevitable question comes up: “What advice would you have for someone in my shoes?” While I couldn’t possibly know the things that are absolutely the most important to you or what your life passions are from a brief conversation, the answer will always be to take advantage of these two years.

Before business school, I had a career in which a good portion of my time was spent cold calling on enterprises to try and meet to sell consulting services to them. When prospecting, we’d consider anyone who had a 3 to 5 percent calls-to-meetings hit rate a superstar – even though we often wouldn’t even be speaking with the right people.

Since getting to Cornell as a student, I’ve sat in a room with the CEO of Procter & Gamble, the former CEO of State Street, countless sports team owners, and have spoken one-on-one with dozens of founders and cofounders of incredible businesses. Often, I’ve found myself thinking that even if I worked in these organizations, I wouldn’t have access to the types of people I have access to as a student.

Less than two years from the time any one of us steps onto campus, they head back into the workforce. Once that transition back happens, the ability to explore and reach out tempers, as you’re no longer “just a student looking to learn” but a client or someone who could be selling their firm’s product.

Do not underestimate the power of running a conference, reaching out to leadership and C-suite executives, or attending a conference as a student. That experience has set my career and life on a completely different trajectory than it was after those two failed consulting interviews last winter.

3. The only person who thinks you’re an imposter is you

As I mentioned above, everyone I know has felt like an imposter at least once during this experience. There is an obvious reason that you are here, even when it’s not so obvious to you. As long as you press towards what means the most to you, that will become apparent.

It’s easy to fall in line in recruiting or just expressing what makes you unique when you join a cohort of 300 high performers. This is magnified when you’re also at a university whose alumni include unicorn founders, Fortune 500 CEOs, and New York Times best-selling authors. It’s important to remember that doesn’t diminish you at all; it empowers you to take the same risks to achieve your goals that they did.

The past year and a half has been rocky to say the least, but I wouldn’t trade it. Don’t take for granted the time you have in school and if anything use this time to get out of your comfort zone and “leap” towards the career you want to explore most.

About Zach Sabadosa, MBA ’24

Zack Sabadosa is a graduate of the Two-Year MBA program at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell. Following graduation, he joined OC&C Strategy Consulting, the firm where he did his summer 2023 internship, as a consultant. Before business school, he worked in business development for a technology consulting firm in New York City. He was responsible for enabling cloud transformation and scaling data analytics capabilities in some of the largest financial institutions in the U.S. He interned with Park Lane, a boutique sports investment bank, January through June 2024. Sabadosa holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and mathematics from Fairfield University.