Maya Angelou, poet and winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, famously said, “I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘Uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody.’”
Sometimes, even the most accomplished people in the world feel like they don’t deserve their success. Even CEOs. And that feeling is termed as CEO impostor syndrome.
It is a hidden struggle where high-achieving executives doubt their own competence despite clear evidence of achievement. It can quietly drain you, hinder decision-making, and create constant pressure to prove oneself.
Overcoming it begins with recognising these thoughts for what they are. They are distorted self-perceptions, and if you are a leader, you will need to learn strategies to overcome imposter syndrome. Leaving this issue undealt with will result in poor leadership from your part and will impact everything you do in the workplace.
What is Imposter Syndrome?
Impostor Syndrome (also spelled imposter syndrome) is a psychological pattern observed in high-achieving individuals who doubt their skills and accomplishments and have a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud”, though there exists clear evidence of their competence or success.
The term was first coined in 1978 by clinical psychologists Dr. Pauline Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes in their paper “The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention.”
They described it as an experience of intellectual phoniness observed among successful women who, despite outstanding academic and professional achievements, failed to accept their success and attributed it to luck, timing, or others’ overestimation of their abilities.
Unfortunately, today Impostor Syndrome is no longer a thought pattern that is observed in women alone, but is present in members across the executive class, regardless of their gender.
Do CEOs have Impostor Syndrome?
High achievers across business, politics, sports, music, or performing arts often struggle with feelings of self-doubt, also known as impostor syndrome. CEOs, too, across the financial sector in the UK have dealt with symptoms of self-doubt and the feeling of being a fraud or a phoney.
They struggle alone, given the UK’s unspoken rule of maintaining the stiff upper lip. Executives whose lives involve taking high-risk decisions, sometimes involving millions of pounds, sometimes impacting thousands of lives, often struggle to accept that they are both qualified and capable of taking those decisions.
Unfortunately, there is no “safe space” for CEOs and top execs to speak freely of their internal struggle or to think out their decisions with a trusted person. They lack a competent thinking partner to wrestle with intellectually until they are satisfied with the decisions they have made.
According to a survey by Korn Ferry Consulting, 71% of CEOs in the USA have reported feeling like an impostor at work. It seems strange that those who exude confidence and hold the most power in a company should feel fake while wielding it, yet that is the ground reality.
What is an Example of the CEO Impostor Syndrome?
A well-known real-life example of CEO Impostor Syndrome comes from Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks. Mr. Schultz led one of the world’s most recognizable brands, yet he once admitted that he often questioned whether he truly deserved his success.
Sheryl Sandberg, the former COO of Facebook, has openly spoken about doubting her place among top executives in Silicon Valley, saying she sometimes felt like she was “faking it until she made it.”
Hers is a common sentiment echoed by many leaders in corporate roles. All these are classic examples of impostor syndrome. It involves attributing success to external factors such as luck, timing, and the role played by others, whether through recommendations or referrals.
A person also minimises their own contribution or impact. Many people fear being exposed as someone who is not as competent as others have hitherto believed.
What is the Root Cause of CEO Impostor Syndrome?
The root cause of impostor syndrome in CEOs is self-doubt. And self-doubt can creep into a person through years of work stress, no culture or place to share one’s questions or doubts regarding projects, unreasonable or high expectations without justification, and no evidence-based decision-making.
Most CEOs and top executives often are victims of the arrival fallacy. The arrival fallacy catches us when we are young. We believe that achievements will help us resolve and put to rest any doubts that we may have about our abilities and skills.
For instance, once you make six figures, you’ll tell yourself that the self-doubt will only go away once you earn seven figures. But when you do “arrive” at the seven-figure salary, the doubt doesn’t go anywhere. It only makes you more fearful and stressed about having to prove yourself worthy of the new position and salary. And in the UK corporate set-up, you carry the burden alone.
CEO Impostor Syndrome is also caused by a lack of adequate training for people in top positions and the lack of a support system in corporate setups. People at the top are often lonely and never receive adequate and necessary feedback from their peers or their teams to improve their decision-making skills and grow as leaders.
What are the Symptoms of CEO Impostor Syndrome?
The symptoms of CEO impostor syndrome are hard to catch. While 71% of the CEOs interviewed in the Korn Ferry survey said they felt like impostors, around 85% of the top brass responded that they believed they were competent at their jobs.
Hence, it seems like impostor syndrome has nothing to do with ability or confidence in one’s skills but self-doubt. Some of the more discernible signs of impostor syndrome are:
- The person has unhealthy standards of perfectionism, which creates unreasonable personal benchmarks and unrealistic expectations, coupled with hypercompetitiveness and harsh self-criticism.
- The fear of failure, also known as Atychiphobia, is strong in such people. They become paralysed by their inability to enjoy their work, fearing failure at every instance.
- Achievemephobia or the fear of success, is another sign of CEO impostor syndrome. Some people fear success since it brings scrutiny from others, excessive scrutiny, and even higher expectations. They feel they won’t be able to live up to that expectation.
- Such people suffer from deep-seated low self-esteem, often because of family reaction to early successes, attributing achievement to luck or the favour of others. They discount their abilities, their achievements, their intelligence, and their skills.
- Procrastination is a common symptom of those who suffer from impostor syndrome. They avoid doing work or making important decisions because they fear the consequences of their actions.
Practical Ways to Overcome CEO Impostor Syndrome
Work with a confidence coach or a thinking partner
Working with a confidence coach or a thinking partner can really help an executive. An executive partner will help you overcome any self-doubt you may have. You can work with them to iron out the hitches in your decision-making process. They will provide you with a neutral viewpoint and act as a sounding board. Working with them will help you understand your own decision-making process and take practical steps.
Receive educational content and training from consultant organizations
Several organizations offer training for CEOs, especially for those people who achieve these great positions when they are young. For instance, there are organizations like the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and the World Presidents’ Organization (WPO), and the rather aptly named Chief Executives Organization (CEO). These organizations put these top brass in touch with peers, mentors, seniors, and training programs with good leadership material so that they can make better decisions for their companies and industries.
Conclusion
CEO Impostor Syndrome needs to be addressed, as it erodes the confidence of leadership. It makes the people in power question themselves and the decisions they take, leading to a lack of confidence in committees, no vision, no plans, no proactive decisions, no improvement or growth planning, no corrective actions taken, no forum for open discussion, loneliness at the top, and frustration. It also impacts the way the leader positions the company in the market. They may end up quoting lower prices, negotiating poorly, missing business opportunities, and not appearing confident of success in front of shareholders. Impostor syndrome needs to be tackled through coaching and mindset training. It will help you to speak with a confidence coach today.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the 4 P’s of Imposter syndrome?
The four Ps of impostor syndrome were first described by author Clare Josa in her book Ditching Impostor Syndrome. The first P is Perfectionism, which is setting unrealistically high standards and feeling like a failure when they’re not met. The second is Paralysis, which refers to over-analysing instead of acting because of fear of doing it “wrong”. The third P is People-pleasing, which is seeking approval and letting others’ judgments decide your worth. And finally, we have Procrastination, which is delaying tasks to avoid potential failure or exposure. These are commonly used frameworks for spotting impostor thinking.
2. What is the 321 rule for procrastination?
The 3,2,1 is a simple start ritual. If you struggle with procrastination, all you need to do is count down 3, 2, 1 and begin immediately, even if only for 5–10 minutes. It breaks any hesitation you have to start any work, and it creates momentum, helping you avoid putting it off for later. Using it when starting feels the hardest.
3. Which personality disorders do most CEOs have?
Research shows that some leaders display elevated subclinical traits from the “dark triad”, that is, narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. These are only traits, not the same as full clinical personality disorders.
4. What are the symptoms of CEO syndrome?
Many writers and clinicians use “CEO syndrome” to mean the psychological strains common among senior leaders. Typical symptoms:
- Chronic exhaustion, insomnia, and poor rest
- Trouble making even small choices, impaired concentration often called decision fatigue
- Isolation and loneliness
- Loss of peer-level support
- Emotional detachment, cynicism, or irritability
- Reduced empathy
- Overcontrol or paranoia about stakeholders
- Increasing risk aversion or micromanagement