There's something that comes up quite often in my workshops, particularly when we're discussing supervision, leadership, and professional confidence.
Someone who is clearly experienced, thoughtful and capable admits that they sometimes feel like an imposter.
Perhaps it's a senior clinician who worries they're not as knowledgeable as their colleagues. A newly appointed manager who wonders whether they've been promoted beyond their abilities. Or an experienced supervisor who feels they should have all the answers, despite knowing that professional practice is rarely straightforward. Or a new graduate who feels overwhelmed by how much they still need to learn and consolidate.
What's interesting is that these feelings often arise in people who are highly conscientious, committed to their work and genuinely invested in doing it well.
But I've also wondered whether we're sometimes too quick to label these experiences as imposter syndrome.
Because not every professional doubt is evidence of imposter syndrome. And not every feeling of inadequacy is inaccurate.
When our feelings don't match our capabilities
The imposter phenomenon, commonly called imposter syndrome, describes a pattern in which we might struggle to recognise or internalise our competence and achievements, despite evidence of our capabilities.
First described by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978, it isn't a clinical diagnosis, although the experience can cause considerable distress.
When we experience imposter feelings, we may attribute our achievements to luck, excessive effort or other people's generosity rather than recognising our own contribution.
We may worry about being exposed as less capable than others believe us to be. Even positive feedback can be difficult to accept.
And we may hold themselves to standards they would never expect of our colleagues.
The difficulty isn't necessarily a lack of competence. It's often the gap between our actual capabilities and what we actually perceive ourselves to be.
But what if the uncertainty is justified?
There's another side to this conversation that deserves attention.
In our sector, we work in increasingly complex environments, managing challenging client needs, evolving evidence, funding constraints, competing responsibilities and expectations that aren't always realistic.
Sometimes we feel uncertain because we're undertaking work we haven't been adequately prepared or supported to do.
I’m sure many of you can relate to these experiences. A clinician who’s managing presentations beyond their current experience. A new manager promoted without leadership training. A supervisor expected to support complex professional development without having had the opportunity to develop their own supervisory skills.
In these circumstances, uncertainty may be an accurate response to the situation.
Calling it imposter syndrome risks overlooking what the person actually needs.
Perhaps they need additional training or supervision. Perhaps their responsibilities need clarification. Or perhaps the organisation needs to address unrealistic demands and inadequate resources.
We shouldn't automatically turn a workplace or professional development problem into an individual confidence problem.
When learning becomes evidence of inadequacy
One of the things I've noticed over many years of working in our sector is how readily we can confuse uncertainty with incompetence.
A clinician encounters a challenging situation and thinks, I should know what to do.
A supervisor is asked a difficult question and worries, I should have an answer.
A leader faces an unfamiliar organisational problem and wonders, Shouldn't I be better at this by now?
Notice the repeated word: should.
It carries an assumption that competence means knowing, being certain and getting things right.
Yet experienced professionals often understand more clearly than those newer to the profession or their role just how much complexity and uncertainty their work involves.
Recognising what we don't know can reflect professional maturity rather than inadequacy.
The question is whether we interpret that awareness as an opportunity for learning or as evidence that we're somehow deficient.
When reflection becomes self-criticism
Reflective practice is central to our learning and growth. We examine our decisions, consider what worked, recognise what could have been better, and identify opportunities to improve.
But there's an important difference between reflecting on our practice and judging ourselves as practitioners.
Healthy reflection might sound like:
"I wasn't sure how to respond to that situation. What could I learn from it?"
Self-criticism sounds more like:
"I should have handled that better. Maybe I'm not very good at this."
Both begin with the same experience, but they take us in very different directions.
One opens the door to curiosity and learning. The other can lead to shame, anxiety, and diminished confidence.
I sometimes ask workshop participants a question that generates considerable reflection:
Would you still have a job if you spoke to your colleagues the way you sometimes speak to yourself?
Most of us would never tell a respected colleague that one difficult conversation or imperfect decision meant they weren't competent.
Yet we can be remarkably comfortable applying that judgement to ourselves.
What can supervisors and leaders do?
When someone expresses doubts about their competence, reassurance is often our first instinct.
"You're doing really well."
"You're much more capable than you think."
Although well-intentioned, reassurance alone may not help someone develop a more accurate understanding of their capabilities.
A more useful conversation might explore:
What's informing their self-assessment? Are they recognising their knowledge, skills and achievements, or focusing predominantly on perceived shortcomings?
What is the actual learning need? Is there a genuine gap in knowledge, experience or skill that needs to be addressed?
How is the environment contributing? Are expectations clear, resources adequate, and opportunities for learning and support available?
Good supervision creates space to explore these questions without judgement. It helps people recognise their strengths while remaining open to learning and development.
Leaders also have an important responsibility to create a learning culture where acknowledging uncertainty isn't automatically interpreted as weakness.
When people feel safe enough to ask questions, seek guidance and discuss mistakes, they are better positioned to develop sound professional judgement.
Confidence doesn't require certainty
Perhaps one of the most valuable shifts we can make is to stop treating confidence as the absence of doubt. Professional confidence can coexist with uncertainty, humility and a willingness to ask for help.
We can be capable and still learning. Experienced and occasionally unsure. Respected by others while continuing to develop our own knowledge and judgement.
And sometimes, the most professionally responsible thing we can say is, "I'm not sure. I'd like to think this through or seek some guidance."
Rather than trying to eliminate every moment of self-doubt, perhaps we can develop a more accurate, balanced and compassionate understanding of ourselves. One that recognises both our capabilities and our limitations, without confusing the latter with personal failure.
This week, if you notice yourself questioning your competence, consider asking:
Am I overlooking evidence of my capabilities, recognising a genuine learning need, or responding to expectations that may be unreasonable?
The answer is important, because each calls for a different response.
We don't need to know everything to be competent. But we do need the wisdom to recognise what we know, what we're learning and when we need support.
References
Clance, P. R., & Imes, S. A. (1978). The imposter phenomenon in high-achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15 (3), 241–247. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0086006
Bravata, D. M., Watts, S. A., Keefer, A. L., Madhusudhan, D. K., Taylor, K. T., Clark, D. M., Nelson, R. S., Cokley, K. O., & Hagg, H. K. (2020). Prevalence, predictors, and treatment of impostor syndrome: A systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 35, 1252–1275. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-019-05364-1
Gullifor, D. P., et al. (2024). The impostor phenomenon at work: A systematic evidence-based review, conceptual development, and agenda for future research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 45 (2), 234–251. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2733
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The aim is not to stop caring about what sits beyond our control until we care only about ourselves. It is about directing our energy wisely without becoming indifferent to what matters.