Coping With Imposter Syndrome in a Leadership Position

Have you ever had the feeling that you simply can’t do something? I recently spoke with a colleague whom I had known years ago—someone I would consider an incredibly successful businessperson who worked in several different industries. In our conversation, he described a plethora of feelings that ranged from being overwhelmed to feeling like he just was not cut out for the work he was doing anymore. It was clear something had affected him. To hear such thoughts from someone who is so successful and respected made me reflect on my own moments of self-doubt and bouts of imposter syndrome.

Oxford’s English dictionary defines imposter syndrome as “the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills.” Often, it will manifest in thoughts such as, “I can’t do this,” “There’s no way this is possible,” or “The people who think I can do this have no idea how unqualified I actually am.” These feelings of self-doubt may creep into our thoughts after receiving a promotion, making a career switch, or trying something unfamiliar or difficult for the first time. Sometimes, these doubts arise in even the most experienced leaders when desired outcomes don’t come to fruition. For example, when you put a lot of energy into improving employee satisfaction, but the new survey results come out and you still haven’t met the mark.

When we have moments like this, it is important to remember a few things. Leaning on your support system, as my colleague did, can restore your objectivity. Sometimes it takes an outsider to remind us of the positive traits we have that enabled us to get to where we are. This can be a friend, significant other, a coworker, or anyone you trust to give you a well-deserved pep talk. Find that person who helps remind you of who you are, what you have achieved, and what you are capable of accomplishing—because they can quiet that insistent voice that says repeatedly, “You can’t do this.”

Another strategy is to spend time reflecting on your successes. For me, when these feelings emerge, I take a moment and think about the ripple effect my actions have had on others. One bad end result or perceived failure does not define my abilities.

But let’s face it, there will be times when a task does exceed our current ability or capacity. As an example, in 2024, I began training for a half-marathon. As I gradually increased my mileage, there were several times when I told myself I couldn’t run that far. Then, to make matters worse, an injury forced me to scale down my participation to “only” running a 10K. I felt defeated. Imposter syndrome was creeping in, and I told myself I wasn’t a runner if I couldn’t do the half-marathon—but then my support system of running friends quickly said, “But you ARE!” They reminded me that just 4 months prior to my injury, I couldn’t even run a 5K. I had improved and I was successful, even though I didn’t meet my goal of completing a half-marathon.

Situations like this don’t take away from our skills or abilities. Perhaps whatever doesn’t match our current ability isn’t a never-ever but is just a not-now. This year I signed up for another half-marathon. My body is much more equipped to run 13.1 miles than it was last year.

In a professional setting, experiencing the not-now can be deflating, especially if you’re an overachiever like me. However, it’s important to remember that our inability to do something does not diminish our value—it simply means our skill set may not be aligned with the specific task at hand. We need to be vulnerable with ourselves and others, to be okay with saying we don’t know how to do something or have never done it before and need some guidance.

In the end, what does self-doubt really mean? That we care. The work we are doing as leaders in cancer care is so meaningful, and we want to do it well. We want to make a positive impact in the lives of others, and for us, failure means we could hurt someone we care about. Let’s remember that despite our self-doubt or feeling like an imposter, we show up anyway—and that’s what matters. So, I leave you with this: keep showing up—for you, your family, your patients, and your community.

In her monthly leadership series, Barbara Schmidtman, PhD, vice president of cancer care operations, at Corewell Health in West Michigan, offers her perspective on addressing workforce-related issues through effective leadership practices. Find all her posts in this blog series on the ACCC website.