I’m An Imposter...
...And one day, I’ll be caught out!
Last year as part of my role as a management consultant, I had been given the opportunity to work with a wonderful executive team to refresh their 3-year Strategic Plan (the Plan).
After many meetings with the executive team to guide and shape the Plan, it was ready to be presented to the Board for endorsement.
I remember the morning of the day I was to present the Plan to the Board:
I was feeling prepared after going over the slide deck and Plan again and again.
I was feeling confident that I had memorised the context and narrative enough to be able present and respond to questions about the Plan and its development competently and confidently.
And I was feeling excited about the fact that I was going to be presenting the Plan to the Board on my own, as part of my first project that I had been entrusted to lead by myself.
However, whilst I was walking into the boardroom I was hit with a wave of nerves, self-doubt and a voice piping up saying some pretty unhelpful things...
"Who are you to be presenting this Plan to the Board?" — despite the fact that I was the consultant who had worked with the executive team to develop the Plan.
"You don’t belong at a Board meeting" — despite the fact that I had been a non-executive director for four years previously.
"You don’t know what you’re talking about" — despite the fact the executive team had expressed that I had gained a great understanding and knowledge of their organisation, in such a short time of engaging with them.
That very unhelpful voice piping up, was none other than…
…Imposter syndrome!
Imposter syndrome is the internal fear of being caught out — even when you’re competent, capable, and doing well.
It shows up as:
Self-doubt, especially when others are confident in you.
Dismissing your successes as "luck" or "timing."
Anxiety that you’ll be "found out" for not knowing enough.
Comparing yourself to others and always coming up short.
And when I was younger I used to think imposter syndrome was something I would just…outgrow — that once I was more experienced, more qualified, more insert anything-enough, it would just disappear.
However, I have since learned it you don’t outgrow imposter syndrome, because it grows and evolves as you do.
Every time you think you have gotten stronger and quashed one of its offences, it evolves and finds another way to press on your insecurities — your knowledge, competence, experience, position, identity etc.
After several years of facing this common foe, I have now become familiar with its tactics and have begun anticipating its arrival every time I stretch outside my comfort zone.
And now, I have learned how to wield my self-leadership superpowers to regulate myself each time I experience imposter syndrome.
Here are three self-leadership tools I use regularly to self-regulate when facing off against imposter syndrome:
1. Create an Evidence Log
Your brain has a negativity bias — it holds onto your mistakes and skips over your wins.
So we need to build proof of our competence, in our own words.
This is where an Evidence Log can help. Track:
Positive feedback from clients, colleagues, mentors.
Wins you’ve achieved (big and small).
Moments you followed through, spoke up, led, learned.
This is not about ego. It’s about memory — reminding your nervous system that you’ve done hard things before.
Because when the voice of "You’re not enough" starts talking, you’ve got receipts to remind you of your wins.
2. Name It to Tame It
When the imposter voice gets loud, don’t try to ignore it — call it what it is.
Say to yourself:
"This is an imposter thought."
"My brain is trying to protect me, but this fear isn’t fact."
Naming your internal experience is a core emotional regulation skill. It brings awareness and calms the threat response in your brain.
Instead of spiralling into I’m not good enough, you shift to I’m having a moment of doubt. I can ride this wave.
3. Anchor to Identity
When imposter syndrome focuses on what you lack — shift your focus to who you are becoming.
Ask yourself:
Who am I becoming as I grow my knowledge and skills?
Am I really needing to be expert here?
Who can I help / what can I do with the knowledge and skills that I have now?
What would the future version of me say to me right now?
When you focus on who you are becoming, it allows you to acknowledge that you, and everyone else, is on a journey and that you are always able to take action or help others with what you have today.
These self-leadership tools won't silence imposter syndrome forever.
But they will help you build the capacity to face it, acknowledge it, and move through it each time you face it.
Remember that imposter syndrome likes to show up just as you’re growing, stretching or playing bigger.
Don’t let it fool you into thinking its presence means you’re failing — instead remember its presence means you are on the edge of levelling up and keep going!
So if you have ever thought ‘I am an imposter! I am going to be caught’, then give one of these tools a go…
And if you’re currently facing imposter syndrome, comment or DM me — I’d love to hear the tool you are going to give a go against it.
Until next time,
Crystal McKendrick
Lead Self | Lead Well