Imposter syndrome: you do belong here

Imposter syndrome is that gap between what you’ve actually achieved and how qualified you feel to have achieved it. You did the work, you got the role, you delivered the result — and a voice still whispers that it was luck, timing, or that everyone is about to realise you’re not as capable as they thought. It’s incredibly common, and it shows up in some of the most accomplished people Joanne works with. The first thing to say is the kindest: this is a shared human experience, not a personal defect. It’s a feeling to manage, not a diagnosis to carry.

Know the masks it wears

Imposter syndrome rarely announces itself plainly. It wears masks. There’s the perfectionist who can’t ship anything that isn’t flawless; the superhero who overworks to prove they deserve their seat; the expert who never feels they’ve learned enough to begin; the natural genius who panics the moment something is hard; and the soloist who believes asking for help would expose them. Recognising your own mask is the first step — you can’t loosen a grip you haven’t noticed.

“Understand that imposter syndrome takes various forms — perfectionism, the superhero, the expert, the natural genius, and the soloist. Knowing the mask is the start of taking it off.” — Joanne Lockwood

Why it’s amplified for under-represented people

Here’s the part that often gets missed: imposter feelings aren’t spread evenly. If you walk into rooms where almost no one shares your background, identity or lived experience, the thought “I don’t belong here” has a great deal more to feed on. That’s not weakness — it’s frequently a reasonable read of an environment that wasn’t designed with you in mind. Imposter syndrome thrives precisely where belonging is thin and psychological safety is low. For people from under-represented groups, the volume is often turned up by the context, not by any shortfall in ability. Naming that is liberating: sometimes the problem genuinely is the room, not you.

Attribute your success accurately

One of the most useful habits is to own your victories. When something goes well, imposter syndrome rushes to credit luck, other people, or good timing — anything but you. So chart your success: keep a quiet record of your accomplishments and the positive feedback you receive, and revisit it when the doubt is loud. Your results are not an accident; they’re the product of your hard work, talent and dedication. This is also why the difference between credentials and credibility matters — you earn trust by what you do, not only by the letters after your name.

Set realistic expectations and reframe failure

• Aim for achievable. Unattainably high goals manufacture feelings of inadequacy. Set expectations you can actually meet.
• Perfection is a myth. Making mistakes and not knowing everything is part of learning and growing — not evidence of fraud.
• Failure is a teacher. Treat setbacks as a natural part of the process, not proof of your inadequacy.
• Normalise not knowing. Embrace the gaps in your knowledge as opportunities to grow rather than signs of failure.
• Embrace uncertainty. Not knowing everything is inevitable — it doesn’t make you a fraud.

Stop comparing — run your own race

Comparison is rocket fuel for imposter syndrome. You measure your behind-the-scenes against everyone else’s highlight reel and conclude you’re falling short. Everyone has a different set of skills and a different path to success; the only useful comparison is with where you were yesterday. Pair that with a growth mindset — seeing challenges as chances to learn rather than tests you’re destined to fail — and the inner critic loses its best ammunition.

Be kind to yourself, and break the silence

Treat yourself with the same kindness and understanding you’d offer a friend in the same situation — you’d never speak to them the way the inner critic speaks to you. And talk about it. Sharing the feeling with colleagues, mentors or friends who have felt it too does something remarkable: it normalises the experience and drains its power. Half the spell of imposter syndrome is the belief that you’re the only one in the room feeling it. You almost never are.

“Share your feelings with people who may have had similar experiences. Sharing can normalise these feelings and reduce their power.” — Joanne Lockwood

Practical habits to keep it in its place

• Identify and challenge the critic. Catch the negative thought, test whether it’s actually true, and reframe it into something realistic.
• Seek constructive feedback. Genuine feedback is your friend — it helps you tell real input from your own overly harsh self-assessment.
• Celebrate small wins. Recognising small achievements regularly builds a steady sense of competence.
• Set personal boundaries. Overextending yourself to prove your worth only feeds the feeling. Draw your lines.
• Mentor others. Teaching someone in an area where you feel like an imposter reinforces your own knowledge — and your confidence.

The leadership angle: build cultures where it’s less likely

Imposter syndrome isn’t only an individual’s job to fix. Leaders set the conditions in which it either grows or fades. Managers reduce it by going first: saying “I don’t know” out loud, attributing success accurately and publicly, giving specific feedback instead of vague praise, and making it genuinely safe to ask a question or admit a mistake. When people feel they belong and won’t be punished for being human, the fraud feeling has far less room to take hold. Want a sense of where your team stands? Try the Emotional Intelligence self-check or the Psychological Safety & Belonging self-check for an honest starting point.