{"id":261453,"date":"2025-11-04T11:20:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T10:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/?p=261453"},"modified":"2026-03-01T19:10:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T18:10:32","slug":"a-leader-who-is-not-a-good-enough-impostor-in-the-face-of-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/blog\/vezeto-aki-nem-eleg-jo-imposztor-szindroma-arca\/","title":{"rendered":"The Leader Who Is Not Good Enough: The Real Face of Impostor Syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Leader Who Is Not Good Enough: The Real Face of Impostor Syndrome<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When appearances collapse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Imagine entering the office. Everyone looks up at you. You are the leader, the decision-maker, whose word is golden. From the outside, you radiate confidence<\/strong>, clear strategy and leadership virtue. Inside your head, however, a small, ever-echoing voice whispers: \u201eYou don't deserve it. It's only a matter of time before you get caught.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This voice is none other than the impostor syndrome driver<\/strong> sitting in a chair, his invisible shadow. We know this. With more than two and a half decades of leadership experience and more than ten years of coaching behind us, we've seen enough successful business owners, managers, directors and CEOs who secretly feared that someone would find out they weren't really good enough. He is not the genius that others make him out to be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you think you're alone in this? CoachLab's experience and real statistics show otherwise. Surveys show that managers up to 78%-a<\/strong> also experience the impostor syndrome driver<\/strong>feeling of a career. This is not a sign of weakness, but of successful, responsible people<\/strong> inherent in. Question, how<\/strong> you can get rid of it so that it doesn't stifle your potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Impostor Syndrome and why does it affect Successful Leaders?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The impostor syndrome was first described in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes. The essence is that the people affected, although objectively are very successful<\/strong> and competent, they are unable to internalise their successes. They attribute everything to luck, chance or hard work, never to their own innate or acquired their knowledge, their expertise<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you get up to the management level, the pressure is incredible. You have to make decisions all the time, deal with new and unfamiliar situations, and often \u201ealone<\/strong> at the top<\/a>\u201d. A leadership role provides a kind of \u201estage\u201d where mistakes are much more likely to be made than in a subordinate position. A impostor syndrome driver<\/strong> for him, this situation is the perfect breeding ground for doubt. He is constantly confronted with new things, and it is a natural part of development that he does something wrong at first - but then the inner critical voice immediately comes calling: \u201eYou see, I told you, but you don't understand!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This feeling may be particularly pronounced in people who have one of the 5 types of imposter syndrome Perfekcionista<\/strong> or the Expert<\/strong> fall into the category. They are the ones who have unrealistically high expectations of themselves and feel like a fraud for every little mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples of what we see every day at CoachLab<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is no better example of this phenomenon than real life. Let us tell you about Stephen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A case like this...<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stephen<\/strong>, Regional Sales Director of a large multinational company. He manages a team of more than 85 people, the numbers are growing steadily and everyone is amazed at how with expertise<\/strong> built the entire sales network from scratch. Yet Stephen was terrified. But terrified!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning of the coaching process, she said, \u201eWith every promotion, I wonder when they'll realize that they're really just Lucky<\/strong> van. I'm not even good at strategy, I just do the same old tried and tested stuff. I don't dare to question the decisions of the top management because I'm afraid of being found out: I'm talking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stephen is typical impostor syndrome driver<\/strong> was: all his knowledge, experience<\/strong> and despite the result, he didn't believe it was his, and his alone. External success only added to his internal anxiety. He thought he had to compensate for this perceived lack by working harder and knowing more - which, of course, was the led to burnout<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

You see, it is not competence that is lacking. The leadership impostor syndrome <\/strong>in his chair with an inside, cognitive distortion<\/strong>; a belief that clarify<\/strong> should and must be overwritten. This is where the coaching as solution<\/strong><\/a> enters the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Let's get in touch<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The Harvard Business Review and Real Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is important not only to understand the problem on a personal level, but also to look at it from a scientific point of view. A Harvard Business Review<\/strong> (HBR) also highlights this issue, stressing that the impostor syndrome drivers<\/strong> level is not necessarily a complete lack of confidence, but rather an overconfidence that can undermine performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201eImpostor syndrome is not a disease to be cured. It is an experience. When we recognize that many successful, intelligent people live with it, it allows us to feel less alone and to begin to recover.\u201d - Amy Cuddy, social psychologist and TED speaker, has also published in HBR on the topic.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The research and our Our experience<\/strong> also confirm that the problem should not be eliminated, but relink to<\/a><\/strong>. The key is in there, how<\/strong> treat the symptoms of the syndrome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n