Overcoming imposter syndrome as a leader

In a leadership setting, imposter syndrome can arise from self-doubt in your professional abilities. It's more common than you might think, and it's something you can overcome with the right resources and support. Explore strategies and educational programs that can help you leave imposter syndrome behind.

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What is imposter syndrome?

Imposter syndrome can induce deep feelings of self-doubt in one's own abilities, and it can affect successful professionals in high-profile managerial or leadership positions. People with imposter syndrome typically feel like frauds undeserving of the success they've achieved and doomed to suffer a humiliating public failure in their role.

People with imposter syndrome often have advanced or even elite skills and qualifications. They simply feel undeserving of the success they've achieved.

Researchers have not identified specific causes, but studies have linked imposter syndrome to family dynamics in early childhood. Known risk factors include:

• Excessive emphasis on high achievement in the family environment
• Family conflict in early childhood
• Deficiencies in parental support

According to a 2024 systematic literature review published in the Current Research in Behavioral Sciences journal, women tend to experience imposter syndrome more often than men. However, researchers also noted that the phenomenon commonly arises in both men and women.

Why does imposter syndrome happen in leadership positions?

While imposter syndrome can occur in just about anyone, professionals who reach high-ranking positions often experience a distressing psychological cycle that may act as a gateway.

The cycle can begin with deep-rooted feelings of self-doubt, which can in turn spark intense efforts to achieve. Self-doubt may ease when those efforts bring success, only to later return — sometimes with greater intensity. The cycle then starts again, spiraling over time into a chronic syndrome.

Managers and leaders with imposter syndrome often:

• Downplay their accomplishments and brush off compliments
• Avoid seeking help and reject opportunities
• Overwork themselves to excessive degrees

Research suggests imposter syndrome in leadership is very common. In 2024, the global consulting firm Korn Ferry found that 71% of chief executive officers (CEOs) in the United States have experienced imposter syndrome to some degree.

Experts have tracked even higher rates of imposter syndrome among women in leadership. A 2022 study by the accounting firm KPMG of 750 high-ranking female professionals found that 75% had experienced imposter syndrome related to their careers.

How imposter syndrome impacts one's leadership

Professionals with imposter syndrome may struggle to begin or complete projects, potentially contributing to a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure that can endanger their careers. Teams impacted by imposter syndrome at the leadership level may experience productivity and collaboration deficiencies and toxic internal dynamics.

Mentorship, responsive performance evaluation policies, and executive education can all help professionals overcome imposter syndrome. To start, it's crucial to acknowledge the problem and the need to take action.

Tips for overcoming imposter syndrome as a leader

Senior organizational leaders, human resources managers, and professionals grappling with imposter syndrome can all draw on specific resources and strategies for addressing it.

Here are some techniques that may help:

Establish objective performance targets

Tying a person's job performance to specific, quantifiable targets creates a reliable method of measuring their competence. This, in turn, can help people break the imposter syndrome cycle by disrupting the subjective self-doubt narrative with objective metrics that illustrate professional competence.

Connect with mentors

A 2022 Harvard Business Review analysis noted that mentorship can help professionals overcome imposter syndrome. However, the Harvard experts stressed the importance of selecting a mentor who is not directly involved with supervising or evaluating the professional's performance. This approach can remove perceived pressure from the mentor relationship and help relieve associated anxiety.

Share successes

People with imposter syndrome tend to downplay or even outright deny their role in achieving success. Organizations that foster a culture of sharing and celebrating success reinforce positivity in their team members. Over time, people may start to believe in themselves more strongly as that positivity internalizes.

Talk about it

Leaders experiencing imposter syndrome often suffer in silence, believing they're alone and reinforcing a desire to save face with colleagues. This can feed right into negative psychological loops, making it difficult to escape the cycle.

If you're going through imposter syndrome, talk about it with someone — a spouse, a close friend, a trusted colleague, or a therapist. You can also join a support group (anonymously if you prefer) to vent, share feelings, and collect insights from others going through the same thing.

Pursue executive education

Executive education programs help professionals build more effective leadership skills, which can lead to stronger feelings of self-confidence. Your experience with imposter syndrome may then ease as your improved leadership qualities help boost the productivity and performance of those working under you.