Imposter Syndrome: The Quiet Performance Blocker We Need to Talk About

“They’re Going to Find Me Out”

One of the things I shared in the interview was how imposter syndrome has shown up for me throughout my career.

Every new job. Every new role. Every new opportunity.

That familiar thought would appear: they’re going to find me out.

Not because I wasn’t capable. Not because I hadn’t worked hard. Not because there wasn’t evidence that I could do the work. But because imposter syndrome has a way of dismissing evidence and amplifying doubt.

It makes you question whether success was luck. It makes you minimise your own impact. It makes you feel like you need to keep proving yourself, even when you have already earned your place.

Imposter Syndrome Is Not Just a Confidence Issue

It is easy to assume that imposter syndrome is simply about low confidence, but it goes much deeper than that.

When someone is constantly questioning their ability, it changes how they work. They may overprepare, overthink, avoid visibility, delay decisions, hold back ideas or struggle to accept praise. They may work twice as hard just to feel half as secure.

From the outside, they may look like they are performing well. They may be delivering, achieving and keeping everything moving. But underneath, they may be carrying a level of pressure that is exhausting and unsustainable.

That matters because performance is not just about output. It is also about energy, confidence, clarity and the ability to keep delivering without burning out.

The Hidden Impact on Performance and Delivery

Imposter syndrome can quietly affect the way people manage their workload and responsibilities.

Someone may spend hours perfecting something that was already good enough. They may avoid asking questions because they fear looking inexperienced. They may say yes to too much because they believe they need to prove their value. They may struggle to delegate because handing work over feels risky.

In management roles, this becomes even more significant.

A manager who feels like an imposter may avoid difficult conversations. They may micromanage because control feels safer than trust. They may hesitate to make decisions, hold back feedback or overcompensate by trying to be everything to everyone.

This does not just affect the manager. It affects the team around them.

The Employee Experience Also Feels It

When a manager is battling their own inner voice, employees can experience the ripple effect.

They may receive unclear direction because their manager is second-guessing themselves. They may feel micromanaged because their manager is anxious about letting go. They may not get the feedback they need because their manager is worried about saying the wrong thing.

This is why imposter syndrome cannot be separated from employee experience.

It influences trust, communication, accountability and performance. It affects how safe people feel to speak up, take ownership and do their best work.

A manager does not need to be loud about their self-doubt for the team to feel the impact of it.

Success Does Not Always Silence Self-Doubt

One of the things I find fascinating, and honestly frustrating, about imposter syndrome is that achievement does not automatically remove it.

You can have years of experience and still question yourself. You can be qualified and still feel unsure. You can receive brilliant feedback and still focus on the one thing you could have done better.

For me, even being awarded British Skydiving’s New Skydiver of the Year 2025 did not suddenly make me think, “Right, that’s it, I am now officially confident forever.”

Because imposter syndrome does not always respond to logic.

It can sit alongside success. It can exist in people who are highly capable, highly committed and delivering really strong results.

Workplace Culture Makes a Difference

This is where organisations have a real role to play.

Imposter syndrome may be experienced internally, but workplace culture can either reinforce it or ease it. When people are expected to simply “step up” without support, guidance or development, self-doubt often grows.

This is especially true when people move into management roles.

They are suddenly responsible for people, performance, conversations, expectations, decisions and delivery. Yet many are promoted because they were excellent at the work, not because they have already built the skills to manage others confidently.

Without the right support, they can feel exposed. And when people feel exposed, they often protect themselves through overworking, controlling, avoiding or staying quiet.

Encouragement Is Not Fluffy

Something Gemma and I touched on in the conversation was the power of encouragement.

Encouragement is often dismissed as something soft, but it can be the thing that helps someone take the next step before they fully believe they are ready.

Sometimes another person sees something in you before you can see it in yourself. That does not magically remove the fear, but it can create enough belief to move anyway.

And that matters.

Because confidence is not always built before action. Sometimes it is built because of action.

Development Needs to Build Capability and Belief

If we want people to perform well and deliver consistently, we cannot only focus on technical skill or task output.

We also need to build the capability, confidence and self-awareness that sit underneath performance.

That means helping managers understand their impact. It means giving them practical tools to handle conversations, delegate effectively, make decisions and lead with clarity. It means creating environments where people can ask for support without feeling exposed.

It also means helping people recognise the difference between genuine development needs and the inner voice that tells them they are not good enough.

Both matter. But they need different responses.

We Need to Talk About It More

The more we talk about imposter syndrome honestly, the less power it has.

Not in a way that turns it into a badge of honour or another thing people are expected to push through silently. But in a way that helps people understand they are not alone, and that self-doubt does not automatically mean they are incapable.

Some of the most capable people I know have questioned themselves deeply.

The issue is not whether self-doubt appears. The issue is whether people have the support, skills and environment to keep moving without being ruled by it.

Final Thought

Imposter syndrome is not just a personal confidence issue. It is a performance issue. A delivery issue. A management issue. An employee experience issue.

When people are quietly battling the belief that they do not belong, it affects how they work, how they lead and how they make decisions.

That is why conversations like the one I had with Gemma matter.

Because when we unmask the inner voice, we give people a better chance of understanding it, challenging it and leading from a place of greater courage, clarity and capability.