Imposter Syndrome in Leadership: The Story of A Fraud

“There's way more variability in people than a Python environment.”—Many leaders (myself included) have felt it: “Everyone has it all figured out, but I don’t”, also known as Imposter Syndrome. And you may have been told (unironically) at some point to “be more confident”, “fake it ‘til you make it”, or “better to ask for forgiveness than for permission.”

Working in tech, we’re in a fast-changing space where confidence is currency. And the gnawing self-doubt that’s often described as Imposter Syndrome doesn’t exactly come out of nowhere.

In this episode, we unpack it—all of it:

What imposter syndrome is, and why it, ironically, is a fraud.

My guest, an experienced engineering director, shares his experience with it, how his imposter syndrome shape-shifted going from engineer to manager, and how he’s dealt with it. We talk about the role of trust and vulnerability, community, and handling the unknowns.

I share my own experience with imposter syndrome, and get into:

• How our industry makeup and leadership idea(l)s fuel imposter syndrome
• Practical tips for dealing with it
• How you can use your own role to create an industry where we talk less about “imposter syndrome”, and more about overcoming overconfident incompetence

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Full episode transcript link.

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Resources

Research

• Prevalence, Predictors, and Treatment of Impostor Syndrome: a Systematic Review - PMC 

• Imposter Phenomenon - National Library of Medicine

• A Surprising Number of Americans Think They Could Beat Wild Animals in a Fight

Guides for dealing with Imposter Syndrome

• The Troubles With Asking Your Team Members to Be More Confident at Work, and How to Actually Become More Confident 

• Why Everyone Feels Like They’re Faking It | The New Yorker 

• Stop Blowhard Syndrome 

• Why Everyone Feels Like They’re Faking It | The New Yorker 

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Why this podcast exists 

I make this podcast as a space for honest conversations about the hard parts of leadership that most leaders only dare to talk about behind closed doors—after all, we're supposed to be “in charge”, and “on top of things" at all times. But from my close work with dozens of leaders every week, I know that more leaders than you may think are struggling with topics like self-confidence, imposter syndrome, unclear expectations, or difficult bosses. This podcast is where we talk about it.

About your host

I’m Lena Reinhard (she/they), a fractional VP Engineering, leadership coach, mentor, and facilitator. Having served as an engineering executive with companies like CircleCI and Travis CI, and as a SaaS startup co-founder & CEO, I have dedicated my career to helping fast-paced organizations across the globe succeed in times of high change and chall