71% of CEOs: 'I'm an impostor.' Here's why that's actually good.

Hey there, my friend,

I need to tell you something that might surprise you.

You know that voice in your head? The one that tells you you're not good enough. That you don't belong. That everyone else has it figured out except you. That sooner or later, someone's going to realize you're just faking it.

That voice?

It's lying to you.

But here's the thing that really gets me. That really keeps me up at night.

Around 70 percent of adults experience impostor syndrome at least once in their lifetime. And among high achievers, it's even more common, with some studies showing that 71% of CEOs admit to having impostor syndrome.

Read that again.

The people at the top. The ones you think have it all together. The CEOs. The leaders. The successful ones who seem so confident and capable.

Most of them feel exactly like you do.

Maya Angelou, after writing eleven books, after winning countless awards, said "each time I think, 'uh oh, they're going to find out now. I've run a game on everybody, and they're going to find me out.'"

Tom Hanks, after decades of success and an Academy Award, admitted "No matter what we've done, there comes a point where you think, 'How did I get here? When are they going to discover that I am, in fact, a fraud and take everything away from me?'"

Even Albert Einstein, one of the greatest minds in human history, said "The exaggerated esteem in which my lifework is held makes me very ill at ease. I feel compelled to think of myself as an involuntary swindler."

Einstein. Thought he was a fraud.

Let that sink in for a second.

Impostor syndrome describes high-achieving individuals who, despite their objective successes, fail to internalize their accomplishments and have persistent self-doubt and fear of being exposed as a fraud.

That's you, isn't it? You've achieved things. Built things. Climbed the ladder. Got the degree, the promotion, the salary, the title. From the outside, you look successful.

But inside? You feel like you're one mistake away from everyone realizing you don't actually know what you're doing.

People with impostor syndrome attribute successes to external factors such as luck or receiving help from others and attribute setbacks as evidence of their professional inadequacy.

So when something goes well, you tell yourself it was luck. Timing. The team. Anyone but you.

But when something goes wrong? That's proof. That's the real you. The incompetent one you knew you were all along.

And here's what kills me about this whole thing.

It's important to remember that people experiencing impostor syndrome are high achievers and tend to be very successful in their careers. It's also not the same as a lack of self-confidence. People with impostor syndrome often have a lot of self-confidence, self-worth, and self-respect.

You're not suffering from low self-esteem. You're not lacking in ability. You're not actually a fraud.

You're just successful enough to see how much you don't know. Smart enough to recognize the complexity. Accomplished enough to be surrounded by other accomplished people.

Impostor syndrome tends to be more prevalent among high achievers, if only because you first have to experience success in order to feel your success was based on luck.

Think about that. You have to be successful to feel like an impostor.

The people who genuinely don't know what they're doing? They're often experiencing the opposite, the Dunning-Kruger effect, where those with limited skills overestimate their abilities, while those who excel underestimate theirs.

So your self-doubt? It's actually a sign that you're competent. That you understand enough to see the gaps. That you're aware enough to recognize what you don't know.

The truly incompetent people don't feel like impostors. They feel like experts.

But you? You feel like a fraud. And that's because you're smart enough to know how much there is to know.

Michelle Obama said "I still have a little impostor syndrome… It doesn't go away, that feeling that you shouldn't take me that seriously. What do I know? I share that with you because we all have doubts in our abilities, about our power and what that power is."

Michelle Obama. Former First Lady. Lawyer. Author. Icon.

Still feels it.

Tina Fey described it perfectly: "The beauty of the impostor syndrome is you vacillate between extreme egomania, and a complete feeling of: 'I'm a fraud! Oh god, they're on to me! I'm a fraud!' So you just try to ride the egomania when it comes and enjoy it, and then slide through the idea of fraud."

That's the pattern, isn't it? One day you feel capable. The next day you're convinced you've been faking it the whole time.

But here's what I need you to understand.

This feeling isn't a bug. It's a feature.

The impostor cycle occurs when individuals face an achievement-related task. They respond with either over-preparation, working harder than others because they feel they must, or procrastination, preparing at the last minute. Upon completion, there's brief success, but it doesn't stick because they attribute it to working too hard or to luck rather than competence.

So you overprepare. You work twice as hard as everyone else. You put in the extra hours, do the extra research, triple-check everything.

And when it goes well? You don't think "I'm good at this." You think "Thank god I worked so hard, otherwise they would have seen I don't know what I'm doing."

Or you procrastinate. You delay. You avoid. And then you rush at the last minute and somehow pull it off.

And you think "I just got lucky this time."

Either way, you never let yourself internalize the win. You never let yourself own your competence.

Given the tendency of people with impostor syndrome to aggressively pursue achievement while not being able to accept recognition when success is achieved, affected employees may experience increased levels of stress, burnout, and decreased job performance and satisfaction over time.

That's the cost. You're not protecting yourself with this self-doubt. You're burning yourself out.

You're working harder than you need to. Stressing more than you should. Never letting yourself feel the satisfaction of what you've actually accomplished.

Impostor syndrome can stifle the potential for growth and meaning, by preventing people from pursuing new opportunities for growth at work, in relationships, or around their hobbies.

How many opportunities have you not pursued because you didn't feel qualified enough? How many risks have you not taken because you were afraid of being exposed? How many times have you played small because playing big felt like setting yourself up to be found out?

And here's the brutal truth.

The most successful people aren't the ones who never feel like frauds. They're the ones who feel like frauds and do it anyway.

They feel the doubt. They hear the voice. They know the fear.

And they move forward despite it.

Icons like musician Paul McCartney, actors Viola Davis and Tom Hanks, and the late poet Maya Angelou have all shared their own feelings of impostor syndrome.

They didn't wait until they felt worthy. They didn't wait until they were sure. They didn't wait until the voice stopped telling them they were frauds.

They just kept going. Creating. Building. Showing up.

Michelle Obama realized that the people at the "powerful tables" aren't always smart. She said young women have to push the "demons out of your head," revealing that she too asks herself if she's "good enough."

The people you think have it all figured out? They don't. They're just as unsure as you are. They're just moving anyway.

So here's what I need you to hear today.

You're not a fraud. You're just doing something hard. Something that requires you to grow. Something that puts you in rooms where you don't feel like you belong yet.

And that feeling? That discomfort? That's not evidence that you don't belong.

That's evidence that you're growing. That you're pushing yourself. That you're doing something that matters.

Impostor syndrome can be viewed as situational and not permanent. When those feelings come up they can even be viewed as a sign that you are doing some hard things. Viewed this way, imposter feelings might be a sign that you are on the right track.

The people who never feel like impostors? They're not playing big enough. They're staying in their comfort zone. They're not stretching themselves.

But you? You're in rooms where you don't feel like you belong yet. You're taking on challenges that scare you. You're pushing yourself to grow.

And your brain is freaking out because that's what brains do when you leave the familiar.

But that doesn't mean you're failing. It means you're growing.

Everyone else is normal people who have worked and learned and trained to do a few things exceptionally well. They're not inherently better. They just practiced. They just kept going.

And so can you.

Not by becoming someone else. Not by waiting until you feel confident. Not by earning the right to be there.

But by recognizing that everyone feels this way. That the doubt is normal. That the fear is part of the process.

And doing it anyway.

Harness AI: Your Impostor Syndrome Reality Check

I've created something that might help you see your situation more clearly. It's designed to help you identify when impostor syndrome is talking versus when you're actually getting valid feedback, and how to move forward despite the self-doubt.

Here's how to use it:

1. Visit ChatGPT (https://chat.openai.com/)

2. Copy and paste the prompt below

3. Be honest about what you're feeling

4. Let the AI help you separate the lies from the truth

THE PROMPT:

You are an Impostor Syndrome Coach, specializing in helping high-achievers recognize when their self-doubt is impostor syndrome versus legitimate skill gaps. Your approach combines psychology research on impostor syndrome with practical strategies for building genuine self-assessment skills and moving forward despite doubt.

Here's my situation: [Describe your current role or challenge, what makes you feel like an impostor, what evidence you have of your competence (even if you discount it), what you're afraid people will discover about you, and what opportunities you're avoiding because of these feelings]

Please provide:

- An honest analysis of whether what you're experiencing is impostor syndrome or legitimate areas for growth

- The specific cognitive distortions you're using to discount your competence

- Evidence-based reality checks for your biggest "fraud" fears

- Three practical ways to take action despite feeling like an impostor

- How to distinguish between healthy self-awareness and destructive self-doubt

Your advice should be direct and research-based, grounded in impostor syndrome literature, focused on action over perfect confidence. Use a compassionate but no-nonsense tone like a mentor who's been there and knows the way through.

HOW TO USE THE PROMPT

Example:

Here is the output I received for the example inputs above.

Read the full output here!

My Final Thoughts: You Belong Here

Listen to me.

That voice telling you you're not good enough? It's not wisdom. It's not truth. It's not protecting you.

It's just fear. And fear doesn't get to decide what you're capable of.

You know who doesn't feel like an impostor? People who aren't doing anything that matters. People who aren't growing. People who aren't pushing themselves.

But you? You're doing hard things. Important things. Things that scare you.

And your brain is doing what brains do when you step outside your comfort zone. It's trying to pull you back to safety.

But safe isn't where you belong anymore.

You've outgrown safe. You've earned your spot here. And the fact that you don't feel like you have? That's not evidence you don't belong.

That's evidence you're exactly where you need to be to grow into who you're becoming.

Arianna Huffington called it "the obnoxious roommate in our heads." She said "The greatest obstacle for me has been the voice in my head. I wish someone would invent a tape recorder that we could attach to our brains to record everything we tell ourselves."

That obnoxious roommate doesn't get to run your life anymore.

You're not waiting for permission. You're not waiting to feel worthy. You're not waiting for the doubt to disappear.

You're just moving forward. Despite it. With it. Through it.

Because that's what everyone who's ever done anything worth doing has had to do.

Einstein felt like a fraud. Maya Angelou felt like a fraud. Michelle Obama feels like a fraud.

And they changed the world anyway.

So can you.

Talk soon,

Stephan

P.S. What would you do today if you knew you weren't a fraud? Hit reply and tell me. Then go do it anyway. The confidence comes after the action, not before.