Imposter Syndrome: The Uncelebrated Virtue of Self-Doubt
- Pooja Sachdev
- Apr 21
- 5 min read
Why Questioning Yourself Might Be Your Secret Superpower...
I’ve often been told I “overthink.” Recently, I found myself apologising for it again.
It’s true. I take my time making decisions. I want to understand all angles and anticipate potential impacts. This tendency stems partly from perfectionism (which I’m working on!) and partly from my personality and preferences.
I’m cautious of “snap decisions.” These often arise from what psychologists call System 1 thinking: fast, instinctive, and prone to bias. I make it a habit to pause, think twice, and question myself—especially when it’s a high-stakes decision.
The Perception of Overthinking
The problem? In many workplaces, “overthinking” is treated as a weakness. Leadership capability frameworks often demand decisiveness, firmness under pressure, and rapid action.
Yet, being willing to rethink one’s decision—questioning assumptions or considering new evidence—isn’t always indecisiveness. It’s responsible leadership. The right amount of self-doubt can prove to be a significant strength.
Rethinking Imposter Syndrome
One way self-doubt manifests is through “imposter syndrome.”
Imposter Syndrome isn’t officially a psychological disorder. It’s a term (dating back to 1978) that describes a common experience among high achievers who feel “intellectual phoniness.” They doubt their capabilities, despite having high qualifications and achievements. They attribute their success to luck or timing rather than their abilities, leading them to feel like a “fraud” who doesn’t belong (or deserve to be) where they are.
One important critique of imposter syndrome is that it is wrongly treated as an individual syndrome when it is actually a structural issue. As highlighted in a Harvard Business Review article, the ‘imposter’ thought pattern isn’t an illusion that arises in the individual but a manifestation of systemic bias in their social and cultural environment. There’s a reason why women and minoritised groups are more likely to demonstrate this “syndrome.” It misdirects our focus on fixing the individual instead of addressing workplace issues.
But my point is broader...
What I’m wondering is: Is “feeling like an imposter” necessarily always a negative thing?
Can it be reframed as a sign of humility and self-awareness?
Imposer Syndrome
To answer this, I started thinking about the opposite—the absence of self-doubt—what I like to call “Imposer Syndrome.” This might look like:
Being so sure of yourself that you don’t double-check your work.
Choosing not to prepare for meetings, appointments, or interviews.
Constantly ‘winging it’ and being overconfident to the point of self-delusion.
From an organisational point of view, isn’t this much more concerning?
(And we all know those people… who, y'know, could probably use a little more self-doubt!)
In terms of impact, “underthinking” is just as risky as “overthinking!”
As Amanda Montell writes in The Age of Magical Overthinking: "Modern productivity dogma encourages us to act fast and milk our exceptionalism for all it's worth. Under that kind of pressure, perhaps the truest rebellion is to embrace our ordinariness."
People who make snap decisions may seem decisive. However, their instinctive choices can be overconfident, overoptimistic, or influenced by cognitive biases.
In contrast, those who pause and reflect often make more informed and responsible decisions. Yet, their thoughtfulness can be misconstrued as a lack of confidence or competence.
Extroversion Bias
This connects to a broader organisational pattern: extroversion bias.
In many teams, the loudest and fastest voices dominate, while reflective thinkers are overlooked.
We can counter this by prioritising quiet reflection and reasonable self-doubt. This ensures that decisions are thoughtful, inclusive, and robust, rather than just fast.
The Benefits of Reasonable Self-Doubt
A healthy dose of self-doubt can foster a greater sense of equity and inclusion. It can also drive behaviours that ultimately enhance personal and organisational effectiveness. For example:
Openness to Ideas
Considering perspectives that might initially be overlooked.
Preparation
More careful and thorough preparation reduces mistakes.
Listening Skills
Creating space for others’ insights and more inclusive decision-making.
Humility
Keeping overconfidence in check.
Flexibility
Allowing for course correction, ultimately building greater trust.
Implications for Coaches
For executive and leadership coaches, this reframing has important implications. When a client says, “I feel like an imposter,” the instinct is often to move quickly into confidence-building. However, sometimes, the more valuable work might be to slow down and get curious about what that self-doubt is protecting.
Is it pointing to a real stretch, a new identity, or an ethical tension they are navigating?
Is it a reflection of structural or systemic barriers where they work?
What part of the self-doubt contains useful information?
How can self-doubt and “not knowing” be turned into curiosity and new learning?
Rather than trying to eliminate uncertainty, coaches can help leaders distinguish between crippling self-doubt and productive self-questioning. This builds the capacity to think more deeply and responsibly under pressure.
Embracing Self-Doubt: 5 Key Leadership Behaviours
Here’s how leaders can embrace and role-model ‘reasonable self-doubt.’
Encourage Thoughtful Decisions: Normalise reflection and reconsideration. Play devil’s advocate, consult different stakeholders, and ask the “unusual” suspects for their views—especially those who might have a different perspective from your own.
Counteract Extroversion Bias: Seek input from quieter team members whose insights might otherwise be overlooked. This doesn’t mean putting people on the spot; it could be an email or a quiet check-in after the meeting. Where possible, give people time to reflect independently before gathering to make decisions as a group. This mitigates the dominance of louder members and groupthink in the final outcome.
Model Humility: Show that it’s okay to pause, revise, and adapt. Thoughtfulness should be valued over ego. It’s okay to say, ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I need time to think this through.’ If you’re honest about when you don’t have an answer, people will be more likely to trust your answer when you do have one!
Foster Psychological Safety: Teams are more likely to speak up and share ideas when questioning assumptions is encouraged as the norm. If you’re the senior-most person in the room, speak last. Let others offer their opinions first, before being influenced by what they think you want to hear. Focus on collective responsibility rather than individual glory (or blame).
Balance Speed with Quality: Decisiveness matters, but combining it with reflection ensures decisions are not just fast but also thoughtful and sustainable.
Conclusion
Instead of viewing Imposter Syndrome as a ‘problem’ or something negative to be addressed, we can reframe it as a strength that is part of personal and organisational growth.
Thoughtful reflection, questioning assumptions, and revising decisions should not be seen as signs of weakness. These are healthy ways to balance extroversion bias, nurture open-mindedness, and ensure decisions are considered and effective.
Let’s normalise and celebrate the constructive power of reasonable self-doubt.
Thinking twice can be just as valuable as thinking fast!
NOTE: A version of this article was first published in Coaching Perspectives, the magazine of the Association For Coaching, in April 2026.
About the Author
Pooja Sachdev is co-author of Rewire: A Radical Approach to Tackling Diversity and Difference, published by Bloomsbury and described by the FT as "the most refreshing approach to diversity I have read."
She is a coach, consultant, and founder of Rewire Consulting. Specialising in organisational effectiveness, diversity & inclusion, and leadership, Rewire helps build positive work cultures that enable people, teams, and organisations to fulfil their potential.
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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.
Cokley, K. (2024). The impostor phenomenon: Psychological research, theory, and interventions. American Psychological Association.
Tulshyan, R., & Burey, J.-A. (2021, February 11). Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome. https://hbr.org/2021/02/stop-telling-women-they-have-imposter-syndrome
Montell, Amanda. The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality. One Signal Publishers/Atria, 2024.
Cain, Susan. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. Random House, 2012.