Let’s get this out of the way early: you don’t have Imposter Syndrome. Wait, don’t click away in revolt. This isn’t about dismissing your experiences, your workplace challenges, or the very real imposter-like feelings you may have had. What we want to do with this article is take a closer look at the concept of Imposter Syndrome itself and how it’s been packaged and handed out, disproportionately to women, as a catch-all explanation for the doubts we all feel.
Let’s unpack this together.
It is true, many of us feel like imposters some, if not all, of the time. Studies show that imposter- style thinking is exceptionally common and not limited to women. A 2020 review published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that an astonishing 82% of people experience feelings associated with being an imposter. What is worrying is how associated it has become with women – and detrimental its effects.
Not least because if you unpick its root cause, most are a response to the biased systems, unrealistic expectations and the ongoing continued underrepresentation of women in the workplace.
We want you to read this article as both a defiant stand against Imposter Syndrome and a practical tool to help you move forward.
Taken out of context
The term Imposter Phenomenon was first introduced in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes. They used it to describe a pattern they observed in many high-achieving women who struggled to internalise their success. What is particularly interesting is the way they originally framed the concept. Here’s a quote from Clance and Imes’ original research:
‘Certain early family dynamics and later introjection of societal sex-role stereotyping appear to contribute significantly to the development of the impostor phenomenon.’
This is not about you as a person, it is about the structures against which you battle. Imposter Syndrome has become a weakness women internalise, something that is wrong with us. When in fact, from the very beginning it has been about the effects of external systems, not internal deficiencies.
In short, we have turned a systemic experience into a personal flaw.
An identity catch all
That is the first reason why me must start to dispel the myth of Imposter Syndrome. The second is its inherent catchall status. Imposter Syndrome has become a brushstroke for all feelings of self-doubt, low confidence, insecurity, prevailing fears of being found out, inadequacy and so many others.
Imposter Syndrome has become the ultimate negativity sum.
But what about its many parts? There is no debating that we all – women and men – struggle with feelings of not being worthy. The idea that these individual challenges immediately add up to a syndrome, though, a state that is somehow fixed, named, and worn like a secret shame, is not only unhelpful, it is reductive and dangerous.
In many cases, Imposter Syndrome becomes the dominant part of a woman’s work identity. And when that happens, we risk giving it unnecessary power; we back ourselves into a dark corner that is almost impossible to step out from.
Plus, the term suggests the term something inherently wrong with us; that we have something we must overcome rather than a set of challenges we are able to individually understand and outgrow.
Let’s look at five common workplace challenges that often get bundled under the term Imposter Syndrome but shouldn’t be.
5 challenges that might feel like Imposter Syndrome
1) Not Knowing Something in a Meeting
Being unsure of an answer or needing to back to the team on a particular detail is often read internally as failure. The truth is that most confident, competent people say it all the time. This is not evidence that you’re an imposter. It is proof that you are in a dynamic, evolving job.
One simple way to manage negative thoughts is to create a counter mantra and literally recite it to yourself when the volume gets too loud on your negativity. Yours might simply be ‘I’m in a dynamic, evolving job’, the hard part is staying consistent in your internal response. The more often you do this, the quicker your brain will learn to default to this productive place, rather than doom
2) Fear of Public Speaking
This isn’t a secret signal that you don’t belong. It is one of the most common fears in the world, second only to death some say! You’re not an imposter; you are just someone whose nervous system reacts (understandably) when all eyes are on you. Having nerves does not mean you are fraud.
If you really feel like you need help here, start by asking your manager for extra training, or take the initiative yourself and try hosting this or take the initiative yourself and try hosting this Workshop in a Box hat we created for members to use with their teams.
3) Being New (or Still Learning)
If you have just started a role, taken on a new project, or moved into a new sector, some wobbliness is entirely natural. It’s not Imposter Syndrome. It’s the learning curve. Feeling unfamiliar with a task doesn’t mean you’re incapable of it.
Having less experience, or coming from another department/company, is a strength. You will see things more objectively and often aren’t as influenced by internal biases and apathy. Reframe your newness as your strength.
4) Getting Minimal or Vague Feedback
Silence from a manager or team can be fertile ground for self-doubt. But often no news just means busyness or, simply no news. Unclear expectations or feedback loops don’t mean you’re failing; they often just mean the system isn’t working as it should.
Try not to see this as a personal weakness. Rather use it as an opportunity to suggest improvements and position yourself as someone forward-thinking and brilliant.
5) Working with Very Extrovert People
Sometimes we mistake someone else’s volume or polish for superiority. But extroversion isn’t competence and introversion isn’t a flaw. Thoughtfulness, caution, and quiet confidence are your strengths.
Own where you sit on the introversion/extroversion range. For example, introverts tend to be better listeners: a powerful, under-appreciated skill that can help you spot gaps that no one else notices and build trust by making feel heard not just answered.
Dismantle The Imposter Myth
So, there you have it. Yes, there are reasons why you might feel inadequate or insecure at work but calling yourself an Imposter is not the answer. Instead of jumping to a self-defining diagnosis, get specific. The more precisely you understand what’s really going on, the more confidently you can act.
Here are a few practical ways to start:
1) Name It, But Don’t Own It: Rather than declaring your Imposter Syndrome status, explain to others – and yourself! – what you are experiencing. Language matters. Describing rather than diagnosing gives you space to respond, not just react.
2) Track the Evidence: Keep a Brag File, a document or folder where you collect praise, positive feedback, successful projects, and thank-you notes. When doubt creeps in, go to the data; even better, end your week by re-reading the File. You didn’t get here by accident.
3) Challenge Automatic Thoughts: When you catch yourself thinking, I don’t belong here, ask: What would I say to a friend in this situation? Often, we apply harsher standards to ourselves than to anyone else.
4) Reframe Failure: Shift your definition of success. It’s not perfection; it’s progress. Reflect on mistakes with curiosity rather than criticism: What did I learn? What would I do differently next time?
5) Talk About It: Imposter-style thinking thrives in silence. Share your doubts with mentors, peers, or trusted colleagues. Changes are they have been there too, that connection helps dismantle the myth that you are alone and allows space for others to offer advice and support.
6) Watch the Environment: Often the issue isn’t internal, it is cultural. If your workplace consistently undermines your confidence, it likely isn’t you. Consider speaking to HR or at the very least you colleagues about what you have noticed and the impact that is could be having. Be courageous in asking for changes, however small.
3) Seek Development, Not Perfection: If you’re afraid of a gap in your skills, make a plan to close it. Take a course, spend more time on our learning portal, seek feedback, ask for mentorship. Moving forward, even incrementally, will builds confidence because you see yourself achieving change.
In Conclusion
Let’s be bold, you are not an Imposter, you do not have a Syndrome. Many of us, of course, live with doubts: doubts that are often fed by biased systems, underrepresentation, and unrealistic expectations. The danger of the label is that it can trap you in a fixed story about who you are and what you can achieve.
Let’s all agree to stop tagging ourselves with a restrictive label and rather see ourselves as the brilliant works in progress we all are.