The Power of Dialogue:
Imposter Syndrome and Psychological Safety
Have you ever found yourself doubting your abilities at work? Perhaps you felt like a fraud or have looked around the room and worried that you don’t belong there?
If any of this sounds familiar – don’t worry – you’re not alone. Imposter syndrome is the internal experience of doubting one’s competence despite evidence of past successes, and it’s remarkably common.
A systematic review by Bravata et al. (2020) indicated that up to 82% of individuals experience imposter feelings at some point in their careers. While it’s often thought of as a personal challenge, imposter syndrome also has implications for team dynamics, psychological safety, and organisational performance.
At PeopleTalking, we’ve seen how unaddressed imposter feelings impact individuals and ripple out to affect team creativity, risk-taking, and connection.
Drawing from research and our own practice, we explore imposter syndrome and its relationship with psychological safety (likely bi-directional). Our conclusion is that dialogue is the answer to transforming imposter syndrome from a silent struggle to a path of growth! But not just dialogue within teams – the dialogue you have with yourself as well. We’ve created a downloadable to help, including tips for creating a psychologically safe culture to combat imposter syndrome, prompts for individual self-reflection, and some questions to explore as a team.
The Impact of Imposter Syndrome
When individuals fear being exposed as inadequate, they are naturally less likely to speak up with new ideas, ask questions, admit mistakes, or challenge the status quo – all key behaviours of psychologically safe, high-performing teams. Likewise, individuals in an unsafe culture may experience more anxiety being ‘found out’ as an imposter.
Bravata et al. (2020) found that imposter syndrome is associated with impaired job performance, satisfaction and burnout in workers.
Breaking the Cycle of Imposter Syndrome
But, it’s not all doom and gloom!
One study found that the presence of a psychologically safe culture can reduce imposter syndrome in individuals (Slimi et al., 2024). More research suggests professional coaching is effective in reducing imposter syndrome and employee tendency to cover up mistakes (Zanchetta et al., 2020). The same study also found that coaching improved self-enhancing attributions and self-efficacy in these individuals (Zanchetta et al., 2020).
Since imposter syndrome is a cognitive phenomenon, we can turn to psychology for helpful insights and techniques.
Imagine you’re given a new project at work. It’s out of your comfort zone and thoughts of self-doubt start to creep in. These are different for everyone, but we often have stories that are familiar to us (e.g., “someone else would be better equipped to manage with this project” or “they are going to find out I don’t know what I’m doing on this one”). If we let these stories run free, it is very easy to become stuck with fear. We might worry about failing, about letting others down or about being ‘found out’ and become paralysed due to concerns about our own competence. However, our thoughts are only as strong as we let them be.
Luckily, it’s possible to break the cycle. We can mindfully pause and notice these thoughts for what they are – thoughts, not facts. From here, we can acknowledge the risks and lean into small, thoughtful actions that lead us to growth and learning. When we feel the inner pull of imposter syndrome, the instinct is often to withdraw. Yet the act of engaging – be it sharing an evolving idea, asking a clarifying question or admitting uncertainty – can be a transformational act for both the individual and the team.
If action feels too tough, there are many different techniques and approaches for unpicking these mental stories, but this is best done with a professional. If this is something you notice often, we recommend reaching out to a trained coach or health professional for support. Contact us today for support in finding the right fit for you.
We have also put together a helpful reflection worksheet featuring tips for leaders in creating a psychologically safe culture, prompts for individual self-reflection, and some questions to explore as a team – all designed to help combat imposter syndrome.
Chances are you aren’t the only one on the team feeling this way, and investing some time and resources into this issue can save future resources in the long run – improving burnout, performance and satisfaction for employees!