Self Doubt

You don’t need to eliminate self-doubt

Imposter syndrome doesn’t disappear at the C-suite level. If anything, it evolves as the stakes get higher and self-doubt gets louder. Especially when:

• There are hard calls, or big changes to come

• You’re making calls without all the information

• You've never encountered the type of situation before

• The responsibility and risk are all on you

One CEO reflected: “I’ve got it wrong before… how do I know I’m getting it right this time?”

It’s a fair question. But there is no perfect read of a situation, and there's is no version of leadership without mistakes.

You will misread people sometimes. You will make calls you’d handle differently later. You'll drop balls and lose your cool.

That’s the reality of being human and leading in complex systems.

The most effective leaders are the ones who admit when they've got it wrong, keep learning from their experience, cultivate self-awareness, adapt and do their best with good intent.