Imposter Syndrome? Welcome to the Club!

In my 20+ years leading K-12 ed-tech organizations, I’ve witnessed—and personally experienced—imposter syndrome. Some of the most brilliant, impressive leaders at various levels of seniority share a common struggle with self-doubt and insecurity. 

I've been struck by how often leaders can be frozen by imposter syndrome, and never realize that most of their colleagues feel similarly. With this article, I hope to normalize the uneasiness many of us have likely felt about our readiness to lead and provide some helpful strategies.

What is Imposter Syndrome? Who is impacted? 

Imposter Syndrome is a sense of self-doubt and insecurity felt by many professionals. A feeling that—despite their knowledge, abilities, and accomplishments that have qualified them for their leadership role—they are, in fact, a fraud and have fooled everyone into thinking they are qualified to do the job. The concept was introduced in 1978 by clinical psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes, who described it as “Imposter Phenomenon” and defined it as “an internal experience of intellectual phoniness.” 

Although it has become more commonly known as “Imposter Syndrome,” describing this phenomenon as a “syndrome” is incorrect. As Dr. Kevin Cokley (Univ. of Michigan) points out, describing it as a “syndrome” implies an abnormal medical condition, and doing so may be something that people find stigmatizing and pathologizing. Dr. Cokley reminds us to use Drs. Clance and Imes’ original term by referring to this as "imposter phenomenon” (IP). 

In the last decade, there has been a tremendous increase in the amount of research and discourse on this topic, including on the ways in which IP shows up based on gender and race. However, when considering how this impacts those in historically marginalized populations (including race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, or language), we must bear in mind the very real, systemic barriers that prevent them from confidently achieving their goals—as opposed to self-imposed feelings of insecurity and doubt. Otherwise, IP has the potential to blame the individuals, without taking into account the historical and cultural context affecting them.

Studies suggest that at least 70% of individuals will experience IP at some point. Women are shown to experience this at a slightly higher rate, while men who experience IP feel greater levels of anxiety and “react significantly more negatively under conditions of negative feedback and high accountability.” 

In this article, I will not attempt to address the deep and complex issues of what causes IP or how it impacts individuals. Although I’ve experienced IP first-hand, I certainly don’t claim to be an expert. My goal is to shed some light on its prevalence among K-12 ed-tech leaders and to provide some techniques that I’ve found helpful for myself and those whom I’ve coached.  

Mentoring Relationships Are Key

What’s so challenging about IP is that we truly become our own worst and only “credible” critic. When we’re assessing our own skills vs. those around us, we allow ourselves to play both sides of the argument—but never in our own favor. Organizational psychologist and Wharton professor Adam Grant summarizes this quite well: 

“There is a complete contradiction in saying on the one hand, ‘I do not believe in my own skills,’ but on the other hand, ‘I believe in my own judgment of my lack of skill, more than the judgment of all the other people who know better than I do.'”

As irrational as this may sound, most of us, including me, have fallen into this pattern at some point in our careers. We believe our ability to fool others about capabilities is far better than the judgment of our peers and executive leadership. 

Having a trusted mentor—who is preferably not your manager—can make a tremendous difference. A mentor creates a safe environment where you can talk about your insecurities, anxiety and performance struggles. They can provide feedback and critique in a supportive dynamic that helps you understand your actual gaps vs. what you may perceive as skill gaps. Based on their experience, they can contextualize some of your unfounded self-criticism.

Bottom line: When self-doubt begins to creep in and you’re asking yourself the question, “Am I good enough?” They can answer with a resounding “Yes, you are!” 

Don’t Let Your Gaps Be Self-Defeating

As Adam Grant suggests, you can use your insecurities to help you prepare for success. Those who successfully manage their IP are able to harness their anxiety as motivation.  

If you’re feeling uneasy about your capabilities, take stock of where your strengths and weaknesses are, and then be intentional about how you address those gaps. Lean on your mentor to help you make an accurate assessment of your capabilities. 

When considering individual strengths and weaknesses, I think about leadership capabilities in three main areas (which were explored in a recent webinar). The three areas are: 

• Functional expertise - skills and knowledge related to your specific department (sales, marketing, curriculum, product, customer success, etc.)  
• Domain expertise - skills and knowledge related to the industry in which you work (K-12 ed-tech, biotech, fintech, telecomm, etc.) 
• Managerial expertise – skills and knowledge related things such as setting and managing metrics-based goals, situational analysis and decision-making, delegating and empowering team members, managing across, etc. 

When I work with coaching clients, we have an explicit “Leadership Growth Plan” that includes—among other things—specific work in the areas of functional, domain and managerial expertise. Too often, leaders don’t distinguish between these three areas of expertise, leading to over-indexing in the wrong areas. (Typically, people over-index on functional expertise because it feels more “tangible” and it’s easiest to find professional development resources in those areas. However, managerial expertise is the most common skill gap). 

By being clear about your gaps and intentional about how you will address them, you can take some actionable steps towards bolstering your capabilities and your confidence. 

“Wait... You’re Feeling This Way, Too!?”

Nearly four out of five leaders have felt IP at some point in their career. However, only 1 in 5 believe that others feel this way. I’ve witnessed numerous times how powerful it is to contextualize one’s struggles with a group of peers… and to see how many others struggle in a similar way. (Just last month, I facilitated a peer group where all four members were comforted to learn that everyone else in the room struggled with IP). 

Leadership is a very lonely job, especially when expectations increase for more senior roles in the organization. Not surprisingly, 72% of ed-tech VP and Directors have a desire to engage with peers in other organizations. Peer-to-peer connection is an excellent way to learn best practices, conduct problem solving, and gain new perspectives when facing an obstacle to success. This, in turn, helps boost your confidence when making decisions and executing on your plans. 

In addition, having a group of peers or colleagues that you engage with regularly can provide a healthy way to ground your feelings of insecurity. Sometimes you need others who can “hold up the mirror” and help you see your performance as they do… and help you break the cycle of self-doubt.

Whether you consider engaging with peers informally or perhaps participating in formal groups like Chief, Vistage or the Ed-tech Leadership Collective, having that trusted group of peers can be transformative, particularly when you are experiencing IP. 

Conclusion

Imposter Phenomenon has affected the majority of K-12 ed-tech leaders at some point in their career, undermining their self confidence despite their evident qualifications and achievements. However, by recognizing this phenomenon is widespread, leaders can take comfort in knowing they are not alone in their feelings of uneasiness. Mentorship and peer support play crucial roles in mitigating these feelings, offering validation and constructive feedback. Ultimately, by fostering open discussion and building supportive networks, leaders can combat imposter phenomenon and confidently embrace their roles.