The theory goes like this: imposter syndrome mainly affects people early in their careers. Those who don't yet have the confidence, the experience, the track record. Once they have those things — the problem disappears.

Practice says something quite different.

In my coaching work, I meet managers with twenty years of experience, multiple promotions behind them and a documented record of success — who still fall asleep thinking "they'll find me out soon". Imposter syndrome didn't vanish with the promotion. It came back in a new form.

Why experience doesn't cure imposter syndrome

Imposter syndrome is not a competence problem. It's a problem with a belief about yourself — and that belief is resistant to external evidence.

The mechanism looks like this: you achieve success → the brain attributes it to luck, timing, favourable circumstances → the belief "I'm not good enough" remains untouched → a promotion raises the bar → with higher stakes, there's more to lose → anxiety grows.

Promotion doesn't change the belief. It raises the stakes.

That's precisely why the next success isn't the cure. It's a temporary relief — after which the belief returns, along with a fresh set of evidence that "I must have just been lucky".

Imposter syndrome in senior leaders — a different face

In juniors, imposter syndrome shows up primarily as fear of judgement and visibility. In senior leaders, it often takes subtler, harder-to-recognise forms:

Procrastination on important decisions. "I need more data" — one more analysis, one more meeting. Not because the problem is complex, but from fear of making a decision that might prove wrong.

Difficulty delegating. "Nobody does it as well as I do." But underneath: "If someone sees how I do it — they might see that I don't really know what I'm doing."

Avoiding visibility. A reluctance to present successes publicly, to speak up, to position oneself as an expert. Not from modesty, but from fear of scrutiny.

Excessive preparation. Hours on a presentation that takes fifteen minutes. Precision that has stopped being functional.

None of these symptoms look like classic "imposter syndrome". And that's exactly why they go unidentified for so long — by the person experiencing them and by those around them.

What actually helps

Working with imposter syndrome at a senior level doesn't mean building confidence through more successes — because that doesn't work. The next success is the next "stroke of luck".

It means working with the belief that is resistant to those successes. This is concrete cognitive work: identifying the belief, examining where it came from, assessing whether it's still relevant in the current context — and replacing it with something more functional.

It sounds straightforward. In practice, it requires someone who can help you see the belief from the outside. Because from the inside, it looks like truth — not like a belief.

And that is the difference between "knowing I should think better of myself" — and actually changing.