The upsides of imposter syndrome
Imposter syndrome has attracted a lot of study in recent years, especially in the context of
race and gender. It appears that the more people feel they belong in an environment, the
less susceptible they are to imposter syndrome1
. And of course, vice versa, which is why
attention to imposter syndrome is so important in the context of diversity and inclusion. In
reciprocal mentoring, for example, educating both sides about the signs and effects of
imposter syndrome and how to manage them plays an important role.
As so often happens in the coincidence of ideas, the idea that there might be an upside to
imposter syndrome arose for me from two sources simultaneously. The first was a discussion
during coach supervision of the role of self-doubt in how coaches approach assignments.
Having what we might call balanced self-doubt keeps coaches on their toes and constantly
curious.
The second source was a short section in the latest book from Adam Grant at the Wharton
School, in his book Think Again. Grant points to studies that suggest a strong positive link
between performance and self-doubt. He outlines three key benefits of self-doubt:
• It makes us work harder and avoid complacency
• It makes us work smarter, by prompting us to rethink our strategy
• It makes us better learners, by seeking support and ideas from other people
On the other hand, there is plenty of evidence that dysfunctional reactions to self-doubt lead
us to:
• Micro-manage in vain hopes of asserting control over outcomes
• Work less smart, because we are afraid to admit our fears and weaknesses
• Learn less, because we are afraid to ask for help
The four Cs of great leaders and great coaches – Compassion, Courage, Curiosity and
Connectedness – have a role here. Having compassion for ourselves gives us freedom to be
wrong. It takes courage to ask for help and curiosity to seek better ways of doing things. And
it takes connectedness to build around us a support network of people, who will give us both
honest feedback and guidance.
So, what does it take for coaches and mentors to achieve balanced self-doubt? Some useful
questions to ask in our reflections before and after coaching sessions include:
• What am I in danger of becoming complacent about?
• What assumptions about myself and my practice have I not challenged for a while?
• How can I increase my self-compassion and be kinder to myself?
• What conversations could I usefully have with my idealised self?
• How effective am I at using self-doubt to stimulate continuous learning?
• What would help me feel a great sense of “I belong here”?
• How can I cultivate and nurture my network of collegial support?
1
See references in the bibliography

• How will I know when I have a reasonable balance between complacency-arrogance
and self-doubting humility?
• What experiments are waiting for me to try out, for my benefit and that of my
clients?
• Where is the laughter in the system that is me and my professional practice?
© David Clutterbuck, 2021
Canning, EA, LaCosse, J, Kroeper, KM (2019) Feeling Like an Imposter: The Effect of
Perceived Classroom Competition on the Daily Psychological Experiences of First-Generation
College Students Social Psychology and Personality Science (Nov 19) Vol 11 issue 5, 647-657
Cokley, K., Smith, L., Bernard, D., Hurst, A., Jackson, S., Stone, S., Awosogba, O., Saucer, C.,
Bailey, M., & Roberts, D. (2017). Impostor feelings as a moderator and mediator of the
relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health among racial/ethnic
minority college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 64(2), 141–154.
Grant, A (2021) Think Again, Penguin Random House, London
Muradoglu, M., Horne, Z., Hammond, M. D., Leslie, S.-J., & Cimpian, A. (2021). Women—
particularly underrepresented minority women—and early-career academics feel like
impostors in fields that value brilliance. Journal of Educational Psychology.