Woman explains why many jobs are led by 'mediocre' leaders who lack skills and talent

If you work in a corporate environment, you probably know how harsh it can be for a person's mental well-being. Individuals working in such environments often find themselves doubting their abilities when they see less qualified or talented people get ahead. However, do not worry because you are not alone in this, Chelsea Fagan—who goes by @faganchelsea on TikTok—shares her perspective on the matter with a recent video. The post is hilariously captioned, "Free yourselves from impost syndrome ladies. We do not need to do this!!!" and has gained popularity over the platform. Fagan offers a reassuring perspective for many people who think they are not growing in their corporate journey.

She starts the video by saying, "So one thing about me is that I never have imposter syndrome. And it's not because I think I'm automatically great at anything I try." She then highlights how many incompetent people across different industries survive for decades. Individuals within the corporate realm do not seem to realize that a lot of people who seem largely successful are "mediocre."

She proceeds to pinpoint all the external factors that make up a successful person, such as having good social connections and possessing enough generational wealth to get a specialized degree. We then get to hear about how cisgender males have an inherent privilege when it comes to job opportunities and finding growth in any career. She then points out how in most corporate settings, people in senior positions do not know how to write a proper email.

A lot of these executives also offload a lot of their work to their administrative assistants. Fagan then talks about the creative industry, where there seem to be many successful people who do not really possess any significant talent. She shares that she uses a similar mindset to convince herself that she can do something better. The video ends with a positive note, with the creator saying, "Whether or not you're good enough to be doing it, you're probably already better than most of the people there." Individuals on the platform found the video very relatable and shared their views in the comments. @metrazol commented, "I've figured out that being good at Excel is enough to take me to the moon."

A corporate employee, @bex0r1, said, "Case in point- my last boss' annual salary was $450K and he needed me to rotate a PDF for him. Repeatedly, like weekly!!!" Another corporate worker, @crystalv102, shared, "I've found that the people at the top aren't necessarily better at the actual work; they're just really good at navigating office politics."

@toadinreallife provided a reality check, saying, "It also helps to realize everything is made up. Granted, there are jobs with real impacts, but the slide deck I create literally impacts nothing." So if you think you are struggling at your corporate job or looking to make a change, reconsider and take a look around. It's more than likely that the people who seem successful are just privileged and happen to have the right connections rather than the skills or talent.