“You have accomplished something incredible. Yet, you seek validation.”
―Jayant Chopra, Author
VIM Executive Coaching has known many executive leaders who have suffered from “Imposter Syndrome.” However, we would be remiss to limit the syndrome to executives. We have seen the affliction extend to physicians, athletes, musicians, architects, lawyers and professors as well.
Janani Srikanth, author of the book “Fear Off Work,” stated: “Those who experience imposter syndrome believe they have deceived others into thinking they are more competent than they really are. Instead of recognizing their skills and efforts, they attribute their success to luck, timing, or the kindness of others.”
Adding to Misery
Imposter Syndrome has been likened to many things, but we like to think of it as a small snowball rolling down a long hill. The snowball gathers snow and over time it stops of its own weight and size. It becomes impossible to roll and too large to move.
Psychologist Arlin Cuncic, writing for “Very Well Mind” (September 29, 2025) categorized imposter syndrome into five separate areas. She makes the point that the syndrome is not a mental health disorder per se, but it can clearly affect many different aspects of our lives. A person who feels like a fraud at work might also feel like an imposter in their relationships, to their families, to social groups and teams.
For your information, the five areas identified in the article are: The Perfectionist, The Expert, The Natural Genius, The Soloist and The Superperson.
While we can see the differentiation, we can also appreciate the common root: the lack of mindfulness.
Imposter Syndrome might settle in at an early age, having nothing at all to do with later executive leadership. Then again, the choice of career, prior failures in schooling, poor skills training, unreasonable childhood expectations and more, might have all influenced later outcomes.
For example: the person who expected themself to be an expert on all things relating to a certain technology, might fear they are a complete failure when in a meeting with well-versed co-workers who specialize in the field. Rather than asking for help or clarification or studying, they “shrink in doubt,” convinced of their ineptitude.
A lighter version of the imposter syndrome might be the executive who volunteers to enter a company-wide paddleball tournament. The tournament leads the executive to humiliation at their lack of skills. This greatly bothers the perfectionist tendencies of the executive. Even though the executive never trained in paddleball, never held a paddle, doesn’t know the rules, they are so hard on themselves following the tournament they argue with co-workers and later with family members over dinner. It is a personal set-up, a guarantee for self-mockery.
The Cure
The cure is mindfulness, and from that, a deeper and more gentle and kinder and reasonable understanding of self.
Taking it completely away from the realm of business, most of us have been to at least one professional sport in our lives. Whether hitting a home run off a 96 mile per hour fastball or sinking a clutch, 3-point shot in the last seconds of a series final basketball game, it is easy to understand the years, the talent, the dedication, the teamwork behind those feats.
The most professional of professionals will miss shots, have failed, have gotten back up from defeat, have taken advice, have come up through the ranks, have learned from the experts and are not afraid to seek help. We can call it professional development or mindfulness.
The truly mindful executive understands what it takes to not only succeed but to fail. There is no such thing as being perfect, or being an expert without work and study or being a complete natural or making it on one’s own or being everything to everyone.
Whatever the origins of imposter syndrome in your life, understand it won’t magically disappear on its own, but neither is it impossible to overcome. We are made great by overcoming adversity not by ignoring it. The most successful are the mindful who understand, quite frankly, that perfectionism can be downright boring.