The Secret in Their Success : Psychology: Orange County achievers admit to having ‘impostor syndrome,’ in which an inner voice insists they’ve pulled off a grand hoax. But the feeling is normal.

Margaret Thatcher once said that whenever she entered a roomful of other heads of state, she felt like an outsider gawking at important dignitaries.

If the former British prime minister could experience doubts about her worthiness, then so could we ordinary folk.

Do you react to promotions and praise with the secret cringe, “Boy, did I ever fool them”? Do you privately minimize your accomplishments, crediting them to serendipity?

Rest assured: you’re normal.

It’s a phenomenon known in psychological jargon as “the impostor syndrome.” No matter their level of success, almost everyone will admit to an accusatory inner voice insisting that they’ve pulled off a grand hoax.

Ironically, they might not have gotten where they are today without that stubborn streak of insecurity. “One of the motivating factors in all the effort that leads to success is the sneaking suspicion that maybe you’re not as good as you want to think you are,” observed UCI psychology professor Salvatore Maddi, founder of the Hardiness Institute, an Irvine-based consulting company that presents seminars on career advancement.

Besides, Maddi added, a successful person completely devoid of those humbling fears would be insufferable--and perhaps even self-destructive. “In the natural process of growing up, every one of us has undergone enough failures and criticism to make us wonder if we’re really such great people,” he said. “Retaining some awareness of that as you’re struggling to make it in the world is not the worst thing.

“What’s worse is denying it and deciding that you’re omnipotent. Those are the kinds of people who leverage themselves to the hilt and then suddenly go under because they don’t see the risks they’re taking. They’re incredibly persistent, but they don’t have the best judgment.”

A realistic person understands that the recipe for success calls for a pinch of good fortune.

“Everybody who has become successful and is honest about it realizes things could have gone the other way if not for luck,” Maddi said. “Of course, to be successful you also have to work very hard and not give up when you fail. But still you’re left with the nagging thought: How much of this was just luck?”

We talked with a sampling of successful Orange County residents, who admitted to knowing the impostor syndrome firsthand:

Cathy Rigby, Fullerton, actress and former world champion gymnast: “When I was nominated for a Tony a few months ago (for her starring role in the play ‘Peter Pan’), I had to laugh at myself, because there I was again thinking, ‘Did I fool them?’

“It’s not a constant thing--a lot of confidence has to surround that insecurity if you’re going to get anywhere. But it does rear its ugly head every now and then. However, I think the very thing that predisposes people to be successful is an insecurity in one area that they compensate for in another area. It drives you to continually prove yourself long past the point of needing to.”

Michael Kang, owner/chef of the restaurants Five Feet in Laguna Beach and Five Feet Too in Newport Beach: “I’ve never figured it out. How the hell did I get here? How did I pull this one off? It was by a stroke of luck. I work hard, but there are lots of people who work harder and don’t have as much success.

“I put dishes on my menu that people go crazy over, and I just don’t get it. I always go out and ask the waiters, ‘Are you sure they liked it?’ The best evidence is that they clean their plates. Still, I think that some people are just being polite.”

Garden Grove Police Chief John Robertson: “You want to know how bad my impostor syndrome is? When you told me you’re doing a story about successful people, I thought, ‘Why are you calling me? I’m no one special.’

“Sometimes I stop and ask myself, ‘What gives me the right to make policy decisions that affect so many people? There are a lot of qualified police officers around here--I was just in the right place at the right time.’

“But then other times I’ll think, ‘I better begin looking for a bigger job.’ I’ve got a bachelor’s and two master’s, yet I’ll think, ‘I better get a doctorate if I’m going to make something of myself.’ It’s part of the way I was raised--to always look forward. Nothing is ever enough.”

Martin Benson, co-founder and artistic director of the Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory: “I’ve been expecting for years to be found out. I’m on my way to (direct) a rehearsal right now, and deep down in my mind I’m thinking, ‘OK, I’m going to go out there and fool them one more time. I’m going to strike a confident voice, gesture with enthusiasm, and use all my usual techniques designed to obfuscate the fact that I’m guessing my way along step by step.’ I always assume that everybody else earned what they’ve gained in life, but myself, I’ve faked the whole thing.”

Judith Valles, president of Golden West College in Huntington Beach: “It’s true for all of us. I’ve had that nagging doubt, ‘Everybody believes I can do this job or they wouldn’t have given it to me, so now I’ve got to make sure I’m not discovered.’ There’s always that little something within us saying, ‘Don’t let anybody know you don’t know what the heck you’re doing.’ ”

Robert Englund, Laguna Beach, actor who portrayed Freddy Krueger in the movie “Nightmare on Elm Street” and its five sequels: “I know a lot of talented people who for a variety of reasons have never achieved their goals. I sometimes wonder, “Why me?’--but I more often wonder, ‘Why not them?’ I’ve never understood why lightning strikes some places and not others.

“Luck is the catalyst. You have to be prepared, you have to be well-trained, you have to work hard. But generally, you don’t get that boost until luck comes crashing into you.

“I’ve received thousands of fan letters for doing Freddy. I wish I could take my fans back in a time machine and show them some great pieces of Shakespeare I’ve done on stage. Then I would feel a little more deserving of my success than I do for being the monster of the month.”

State Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach): “I kind of look back and think, where did it all start? With meetings and more meetings, and then the big reward was even more meetings. Then suddenly you look around and you’ve been elected to office. Ninety percent of leadership is being there.”

Dick Engel, president of Costa Mesa-based Powerplant Specialists Inc. and president of Opera Pacific: “Am I grossly insecure? Absolutely correct. A lot of people studied harder, came from better families, went to better schools, are more attractive, run faster, work harder--and have never gotten the breaks I got. I can’t figure it out. Fate just happened to smile on me.”

Peggy Goldwater, Newport Beach, founder of PeggyJane’s Salad Dressing: “You never stop looking over your shoulder, do you? I’ve had such a good time that consequently I’ve never felt I was working hard. So I’ve had the thought, ‘Gee, my success came too easy.’ But when I look back, the reality is that I have put a lot of work and tears into this business.”