How To Spot Imposter Syndrome In Leaders

What an executive coach can reveal about these warning signs…

Have you ever felt paralysed in a meeting just because you sense the “looks” of everyone staring at you, waiting for you to make a decision?

Being in a position of leadership, the demand for you to be an exceptional communicator, motivator, and manager is real and constant. That demand can cripple you, not because you lack the skills or qualifications to succeed in those areas, but because you might let imposter syndrome get the better of you.

Do leaders suffer from imposter syndrome?

Imposter syndrome has not been given an official diagnosis (like workplace burnout has) and remains unrelated from mental health pathology. Psychologists often describe it as a phenomenon that involves subjective feelings of “phoniness” in people (in this case, leaders) who are bombarded with thoughts that they are not capable or competent enough.

In fact, research has shown that a whopping 70% of people experience such feelings of self-doubt and incompetence that constitute imposter syndrome.

As someone who has firsthand experience with leaders (being in the executive coaching scene), I’ve seen even high-performing leaders succumb to this chronic self-doubt despite their success or accomplishments. It’s almost like they are living in constant fear of being exposed to be a “fraud”, no matter whether their track record shows otherwise.

For anyone in a leadership position, subjecting yourself to imposter syndrome and doing nothing about it will definitely sabotage your leadership journey. This is where executive coaching (aka leadership coaching) comes in, where leaders can take the intentional step to eliminate imposter syndrome and the patterns of behaviour associated with it.

What are the signs?

The problem comes when many leaders might lack self-awareness even to realise they are in need of help. So allow me, having been an executive coach to many C-Suite leaders, to highlight some of the tell-tale signs that you might suffer from leadership imposter syndrome.

Here’s what you need to put on your radar:

You belittle your accomplishments

Leaders with imposter syndrome are too worried that they might be found out to be the fraud that they thought themselves to be. As such, they attribute the success they have experienced to just “luck”, and are genuinely hesitant to believe that their success stems from their ability.

If you catch yourself having the tendency to put yourself down or diminish your accomplishments to anything other than your level of competence, you might be suffering from leadership imposter syndrome!

You struggle with receiving feedback

Leaders who struggle with imposter syndrome are more prone to taking things personally. Because leaders with imposter syndrome either expect failure and disappointment or are already highly critical of themselves, any form of negative feedback can be viewed as an attack.

Likewise, any form of positive feedback would also be taken with a pinch of salt, and they might not even know how to respond to it.

If you ever notice that you do not know how to process and receive feedback well, you might want to assess your own leadership journey to see if you do struggle with imposter syndrome.

You have unrealistic expectations of yourself

Many leaders with imposter syndrome believe that they should be the ones with the answers. They believe that going to others for solutions only reinforces the idea that they are incapable of coming to a solution on their own.

Because of that, you would never find them being able to ask others for help simply due to the high demands they place on themselves. As a result, they might find themselves in a vicious cycle of “self-fulfilling prophecy”, where they are not able to produce to the unrealistic standards that they set.

If this sounds like you in your leadership journey, perhaps it is time to consider approaching an executive coach for a 1:1 session to thrash things out.

You are a workaholic

It is not uncommon for leaders who experience imposter syndrome to exhibit behaviours that are uncharacteristic or detrimental to the team. We’ve seen how these leaders set unrealistic standards for themselves. Just imagine what happens when they impose those unrealistic standards on their team…

You would see such leaders working round the clock to the point of burnout. You might find them obsessing over unimportant details and breathing down the necks of their teams to sort them out. In “professional terms”, you might call these leaders workaholics, perfectionists, or even micro-managers.

If you’ve been OT-ing, or find it difficult to let go of tasks to your team members, now is the time to do a quick self-evaluation and see if leadership imposter syndrome is something you should address.

Are these signs familiar?

Breaking this cycle of self-doubt and negativity can seem impossible to you. But an experienced executive coach can create a safe environment and build trust so that you have the space to process these thoughts and combat your leadership imposter syndrome.

My journey as an executive coach in Singapore has led me to uncover practical tips for leaders, and I’d be more than happy to walk you through it as well.

So if you ever find yourself in need, start your executive coaching journey with me now!