Overcoming Imposter Syndrome at Work

As a psychologist, I’ve had the privilege of working with top athletes, actors, and corporate leaders at the peak of their game. And yet—despite the accolades, despite the success—there’s a common thread I see far too often: They believe that the next achievement will finally silence the voice that whispers, “You’re not enough.” But it never does. Why? Because ambition that’s rooted in inadequacy is a bottomless pit. No matter how much you pour in, it never fills. True ambition isn’t about proving your worth. It’s about knowing you already have it. After years of working closely with high performers, I’ve noticed something powerful: The most fulfilled individuals don’t chase worthiness. They operate from it. And they live by three core principles: They chase mastery, not approval: If your goal is to silence self-doubt with success, it will never work. The inner critic doesn't quiet down. It just raises the bar. But when you focus on mastery for its own sake, success stops being a desperate pursuit and starts being a natural result. They practice ruthless self-respect: Not indulgent self-care. Ruthless self-respect. The kind that refuses to let self-criticism run wild. They don't allow themselves to be treated poorly, especially by their own thoughts. They measure progress by their own growth, not by others' success: Comparison is a losing game. There will always be someone ahead, always a new level to chase. But the moment you shift your focus inward—to your evolution and your growth—you take control of the game. Ambition isn't the problem. But when it comes from a place of emptiness, it will consume you. When it comes from a place of inherent worthiness and true desire, it will elevate you. So ask yourself: Is my ambition building me up or breaking me down? That answer will determine whether ambition becomes your greatest strength or an endless trap. #psychology #success #mindset #learning #growth

What’s really holding you back? Spoiler alert: It’s not your skills. How many times have you felt like you’re not up for the job? That you’re not qualified? Or that someone else could do it better? Here’s the reality: ➡️ 13% of employees and 20% of senior managers admit they frequently feel like a fraud. ➡️ 54% of women report experiencing imposter syndrome, compared to 38% of men. I get it, because I’ve been there. I used to struggle with being visible - giving speeches, creating content online, even doing TV interviews. Despite decades of experience, there was always a little voice in my head whispering: “Do people really want to hear from you? What if they laugh at you?” Here’s the truth: It’s not based on facts - it’s just the noise in our heads. Here’s how you can overcome imposter syndrome and show up like you deserve to: 1/ The Imposter Loop ↳ You doubt every win and question every achievement. ↳ Own your story: You earned your seat at the table. ↳ Write down three wins you’re proud of. Seeing them silences the noise. 2/ The Permission Trap ↳ You wait to feel ready or for someone to say “go.” ↳ Stop waiting: Start before you’re ready. ↳ Set a deadline and commit publicly - action builds momentum faster than waiting for confidence to strike. 3/ The Comparison Game ↳ You stalk others’ success and compare your chapter 1 to their chapter 20. ↳ Run your own race: Their doubts, fears, and failures aren’t in the highlight reel. ↳ Unfollow or mute accounts that trigger self-doubt. Focus on progress, not perfection. 4/ The Perfectionism Loop ↳ You polish endless drafts, overthink every detail, and never feel “good enough.” ↳ Launch at 80%: Fix it in flight. Done is better than perfect. ↳ Set a timer for your next task and stop when it’s ‘good enough.’ Progress beats perfection every time. 5/ The Silence Spiral ↳ You keep your struggles hidden and pretend you’ve got it all figured out. ↳ Share your story: You’ll be surprised how many people say “me too.” ↳ Find a peer or mentor and share one struggle you’re facing. Vulnerability builds connection. 6/ The Safety Net ↳ You stay in your comfort zone and call it “being realistic.” ↳ Take the leap: Growth lives outside your comfort zone. ↳ Identify one “safe” habit you’re clinging to. Replace it with one bold action, no matter how small. 7/ The Knowledge Shield ↳ You hide behind preparation, waiting to know “just one more thing.” ↳ Start doing: Expertise comes from action. ↳ Turn learning into doing: Commit to acting on one idea from the last book, course, or workshop you completed. What would be possible if you silenced those doubts once and for all? For me, it meant saying yes to opportunities I used to avoid - like speaking on stage and sharing my story. ⤵️ Have you ever felt like a fraud despite your accomplishments? How did you work through it? ♻️ Share this post to remind someone they’re not alone. 🔔 Follow me, Jen Blandos, for advice on business, entrepreneurship, and well-being.

When I was promoted from Senior Manager to Director, I struggled with severe impostor syndrome. Then, when I was promoted to Vice President, it was even worse. Here are 4 ways I fought it and how you can too: 1) Normalize it. If you worry that people might find out you don’t fully know what you’re doing, know this: it’s normal. Most people experience some level of impostor syndrome, especially in new roles. 2) Expect complexity. It’s completely normal to be in the biggest, most complex job of your life for much of your career. If you're not, it often means you’ve either stepped back intentionally—or faced a setback like a layoff. Growth means doing harder things than ever before. 3) Ask for help. Be open with mentors about what you need. Discuss your challenges and ask for input. If you're in an environment where admitting “development areas” feels risky, reframe your language and ask for *help optimizing performance and delivery*. No one argues with optimization, and the result is the same—insight and support. 4) Work on your mental game. Hire a coach, therapist, or counselor if you need one. Top performers rely on a strong mental foundation. Pro athletes and performers work with coaches—leaders should too. Who do you know that’s struggling with impostor syndrome? Share this post with them. If you feel comfortable, share your own experiences below.

A highly qualified woman sat across from me yesterday.   Her resume showed 15 years of C-suite experience. Multiple awards. Industry recognition.   Yet she spoke about her success like it was pure luck.   SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT of female executives experience this same phenomenon.   I see it daily through my work with thousands of women leaders. They achieve remarkable success but internally believe they fooled everyone.   Some call it imposter syndrome. I call it a STRUCTURAL PROBLEM.   Let me explain...   When less than 5% of major companies have gender-balanced leadership, women question whether they belong.   My first board appointment taught me this hard truth.   I walked into that boardroom convinced I would say something ridiculous. Everyone seemed so confident.   But confidence plays tricks on us.   Perfect knowledge never exists. Leadership requires:   • Recognising what you know • Admitting what you miss • Finding the right answers • Moving forward anyway   Three strategies that transformed my journey:   1. Build your evidence file Document every win, every positive feedback, every successful project. Review it before big meetings. Your brain lies. Evidence speaks truth.   2. Find your circle Connect with other women leaders who understand your experience. The moment you share your doubts, someone else will say "me too."   3. Practice strategic vulnerability Acknowledging areas for growth enhances credibility. Power exists in saying "I'll find out" instead of pretending omniscience.   REALITY CHECK: This impacts business results.   Qualified women: - Decline opportunities - Downplay achievements - Hesitate to negotiate - Withdraw from consideration   Organisations lose valuable talent and perspective.   The solution requires both individual action and systemic change.   We need visible pathways to leadership for women. We need to challenge biased feedback. We need women in leadership positions in meaningful numbers.   Leadership demands courage, not perfect confidence.   The world needs leaders who push past doubt - not because they never experience it, but because they refuse to let it win. https://lnkd.in/gY9G-ibh

Black women are the most educated demographic in America. Black women are the most underpaid professionals in America. Read both sentences again. Both are true. At the same time. In the same workforce. About the same people. That is not a coincidence. That is a system. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧™ They told us education was the equalizer. So we got the degrees. They told us credentials would open doors. So we collected them. They told us if we just worked harder, stayed longer, proved ourselves more—the money would follow. The money followed. It just followed someone else. Black women hold more college degrees than any other demographic group. We enroll at higher rates. We graduate at higher rates. We credential ourselves into debt trying to close a gap that was never about qualifications. And still. A Black woman with a bachelor's degree earns less than a white man with no degree at all. The system doesn't reward our education. It extracts from it. Every degree we earn becomes another year of underpayment they justify with "market rate." Every certification becomes another skill they get at a discount. Every credential becomes another line on a resume that never translates to the compensation it commands for everyone else. We're not under-educated. We're under-invoiced. The solution was never another degree. It was documentation of the value we already create. It was calculating our replacement cost. It was running the math they never wanted us to see. They built a system where our brilliance subsidizes their payroll. Time to run your own numbers. The Extraction Calculator™ estimates the gap between what you built and what they paid. Five questions. One estimated range. 90 seconds. This is not your Invoice Number™. It's the reason to get one. Link in comments. Thank You; It's True™ #BlackWomensWealthLab #DocumentEverything #TheEducationExtraction

If you’ve been in a new role for six months and still feel like you’re about to be ‘found out’ — you’re not behind. You’re exactly where most people are. A KPMG study found that imposter feelings peak during promotions and transitions — not on day one, not in year three, but right when you’re deep enough to see everything you don’t know yet. And a Korn Ferry study found that 71% of U.S. CEOs experience imposter syndrome. 71%. The people who’ve supposedly ‘made it’ feel it just as acutely as someone in their first management role. Here’s what I’ve learned researching this for years: Confidence isn’t the absence of self-doubt. It’s learning to operate alongside it. When I wrote Cues, I interviewed executives who told me their secret wasn’t feeling confident — it was having systems for when they didn’t. Three that work: Keep an evidence file. When someone gives you specific praise, screenshot it. When you nail a presentation, write down what went well. Not to boost your ego — to counter the narrative your brain invents at 2 AM. Name it out loud. Saying “I’m feeling imposter syndrome about this meeting” to a colleague often triggers them to say “me too.” The research shows this normalizing conversation is what helps people move through it. Reframe effort as data. If something feels hard, your brain will whisper “you don’t belong here.” But effort is actually information. It tells you where you’re growing — not where you’re failing. The people who advance aren’t the ones who never doubt themselves. They’re the ones who keep going while doubting. What helps you when imposter feelings hit? I’m genuinely curious — I think we need more practical tactics in this conversation. Sources: - Imposter feelings peak during promotions/transitions — KPMG (2020). “Advancing the Future of Women in Business.” Survey of 750 high-performing executive women. https://lnkd.in/gfNWwRq8 - 71% of U.S. CEOs experience imposter syndrome — Korn Ferry (2024). Workforce 2024 Global Insights Report. Survey of 10,000 global employees. https://lnkd.in/gqXvVRKu - “When I wrote Cues” — Van Edwards, V. (2022). Cues: Master the Secret Language of Charismatic Communication. Portfolio/Penguin. https://lnkd.in/gJKb2uvz

Stop Calling it Imposter Syndrome: "5 Hidden Signs You're Underestimating Your Leadership Impact" Recent studies show 85% of leaders experience imposter feelings, with women and minorities reporting higher rates (Harvard Business Review, 2024). BUT HERE'S THE TWIST: MIT Technology Review's Leadership Center research suggests these feelings often correlate with high performance, not inadequacy. A 2023 McKinsey & Company study revealed that leaders who question their abilities are 32% more likely to foster innovation and 47% more likely to create psychologically safe environments. --> It's not about being an imposter - it's about having high standards. Here are 5 Signs & Solutions all people leaders must embrace: SUCCESS ATTRIBUTION BIAS:  ↳ Crediting luck for wins, taking full blame for setbacks Action: Keep a "Leadership Impact Log" - document weekly wins with specific evidence of your contribution. Research shows this practice increases leadership confidence by 40%. FEEDBACK DEFLECTION:  ↳Dismissing positive feedback as politeness rather than truth Action: Create a "Feedback File" documenting specific praise, results, and impact. Review monthly to identify patterns of strength. TOXIC COMPARISON:  ↳Measuring your behind-the-scenes against others' highlight reels Action: Implement the "3R Rule": Record, Reflect, Reframe. Document your daily challenges and solutions. Studies show this reduces comparative thinking by 65%. OVERWORK AS PROOF:  ↳ Working excessive hours to justify your position Action: Set "Impact Hours" - define 2-3 peak performance hours daily. Focus on outcomes, not hours. Leaders using this method report 35% higher productivity. STRATEGIC SILENCE:   ↳ Withholding valuable insights despite expertise Action: Practice the "First Five Minutes" rule - commit to contributing one insight in the first five minutes of every meeting. Research indicates that this builds confidence and momentum. The next time that voice of self-doubt creeps in, remember: 85% of leaders feel it, too, but only a fraction use it as fuel. Ready to ignite your leadership? ☎ Book Your Coaching Discovery Session Today: https://lnkd.in/eKi5cCce Joshua Miller #joshuamiller #leadership #executivecoaching #careeradvice #mindset #dei #bias #impostersyndrome #professionaldevelopment #getahead

Black women do not get the same space to make mistakes, speak up or take risks in corporate spaces. It's been a weeeeeeeek on the internet. I've gotten alot of messages about why I haven't said more, done more, been louder. We don't always have the space to yell our thoughts from the rooftops. We are expected to be exceptional at all times, flawless in execution, and tireless in our efforts. One slip-up that would be overlooked, or even forgiven, in others can become a permanent scarlet letter for us. So if you're asking yourself why certain creators aren't as loud as you'd like them to be, remember, we are simply trying to protect ourselves. Every word, every post, every room we walk into has the potential to not only impact us but also ripple out to our peace, our families, and our livelihoods. As a Black woman, you are often held to impossible standards while consistently running up against the last best thing you did, constantly having to outdo and prove yourself, over and over. We're forced to keep receipts just to prove that we aren't imagining it, while leaders try to gaslight us into believing that we are the problem. It doesn’t matter how brilliant, how impactful, or how necessary you were yesterday; today, you’re expected to do it all over again, only bigger, only better. The bar never moves for us; it just gets higher. And yet, we still show up. We still create. We still lead. We still carve out space in systems not designed for us, knowing that every move we make will be dissected under a microscope. You're too much. You're too smart. You're too inquisitive. You're too whatever it is they need to say to help them unpack their own discomfort. So when you don’t hear us screaming from the rooftops, it’s not because we don’t have something to say. It’s because survival sometimes requires silence. Strategy sometimes looks like restraint. Strategy sometimes looks like moving in silence. And protecting our joy, our sanity, and our longevity will always matter more than performing for anyone else’s comfort.

"Black women aren't just doing their jobs. They're performing an exhausting one-woman show where the script changes daily." Let me break down what Black women navigate in professional spaces: We don't just choose our words. We filter them through a racial-gender matrix. We don't just speak. We modulate our tone to avoid the "angry" label. We don't just gesture. We control our hand movements to appear "non-threatening." We don't just dress. We calculate every outfit to seem "professional enough." We don't just style our hair. We make political decisions with each hairstyle. This isn't paranoia—it's strategic survival: When we speak directly, we're "aggressive" When we show emotion, we're "unprofessional" When we assert boundaries, we're "difficult" When we seek recognition, we're "entitled" When we express frustration, we're "hostile" The mental load is crushing: • Constantly scanning environments for potential hostility • Preparing responses to microaggressions before they happen • Developing thick skin while remaining "approachable" • Achieving twice as much while appearing humble • Advocating for ourselves without triggering stereotypes Research shows this hypervigilance takes a measurable toll: Black women experience higher rates of stress-related health conditions Black women report the highest levels of "bringing their full selves" to work Black women face the most severe career penalties for authentic self-expression Black women spend more mental energy on workplace navigation than any other group For those working alongside Black women, here are research-backed ways to help: 1. Amplify Black women's ideas and give proper credit 2. Interrupt when you witness tone-policing or stereotyping 3. Question double standards in evaluation and feedback 4. Create space for authentic expression without penalties 5. Recognise the invisible labour Black women perform daily 📢 When they expect us to carry the world, we choose rest 📢 The Black Woman's Rest Revolution offers: ✨ Black women therapists who understand workplace navigation ✨ Bi-weekly healing circles for processing code-switching fatigue ✨ Expert guidance through professional double standards ✨ Global sisterhood that honors our authentic selves Limited spots available Join our revolution: [Link in comments] ⚠️ Check your spam folder for confirmation Because we deserve workplaces where our expertise matters more than our tone. Because our brilliance shouldn't require constant repackaging. Because our professional value shouldn't depend on our likability. #BlackWomenAtWork #WorkplaceNavigation #ProfessionalAuthenticity #RestIsRevolution P.S. I help Black women heal from workplace abuse & racial trauma through revolutionary rest. 📸 Collaboration between Sarah_akinterwa & leaningorg on IG