You got the job. Maybe a promotion, maybe a bigger team, maybe your first time managing people who used to be your peers. And somewhere in the first few weeks a quiet voice turned up: they'll work out soon that I don't know what I'm doing.
That feeling has a name. People call it imposter syndrome. It's a very common experience, not a medical condition, and it's especially common among capable people who've just stepped up. Doubt tends to show up at the edge of what you've done before. Often it's a sign you're growing.
You don't need to wait for the doubt to disappear before you act. Here's a practical way to keep it in its place.
Why capable people doubt themselves
Self-doubt at work usually comes from one of these:
- A new level. The skills that got you promoted aren't the skills the new role needs, so for a while you're a beginner again.
- No feedback. The more senior you get, the less anyone tells you how you're going. Silence gets filled with worst-case guesses.
- Comparing your inside to their outside. You see your own uncertainty in full. You only see other people's confident moments.
None of these mean you're in the wrong job. They mean you're in a new one.
Step 1: Notice when it shows up
For a week, jot down when the doubt hits. Before presenting to senior leaders? When you have to give someone feedback? In meetings where everyone seems to know more?
Most people find it isn't constant. It clusters around a few specific situations. That's good news, because specific situations can be prepared for.
Step 2: Check the evidence
Write down why you were given this role. Be specific: the project you delivered, the problem you fixed, the people who backed you. Then write three things you've handled well in the last six months.
Doubt runs on feelings. The evidence list runs on facts. When the voice says "you're not up to this", you've got something concrete to check it against. Keep the list somewhere you'll see it.
Step 3: Swap "Am I good enough?" for "What does this need?"
"Am I good enough?" has no useful answer. "What does this meeting need from me?" does. Maybe it's one clear recommendation and two numbers to back it up.
Athletes under pressure don't stop to ask whether they deserve to be there. They think about the next action: the next kick, the next corner. Moving your attention from yourself to the task is one of the fastest ways to quieten doubt. Our guide on how to perform under pressure goes deeper on this.
Step 4: Prepare for the moments that trigger it
Take the situations from Step 1 and prepare for them on purpose. If it's presenting, rehearse your first two minutes out loud. If it's giving feedback, write your opening line. If it's meetings with senior people, have one point you want to make before you walk in.
Preparation does the job people expect confidence to do. You don't have to feel sure if you've done the work.
Step 5: Act before you feel ready, then write it down
Confidence usually follows action. Speak up once in the meeting. Make the call. Send the email without the fifth rewrite.
Afterwards, add it to your evidence list. Over a few weeks that list becomes proof that you can do the job, and doubt has a harder time arguing with proof.
Step 6: Say it to someone
Doubt grows in private. Tell someone you trust that you're finding the step up hard. A mentor, a peer in a similar role, someone who's been a level above you. You'll almost always hear "me too", and you'll get a reality check your own head can't give you.
If the doubt shows up as the same worries going round and round, our guide on how to stop overthinking at work can help with that too.
Try it in Pocket Mentor
Pocket Mentor is built on a framework from high performance coaches in AFL and F1. Before a moment that's got you doubting yourself, open a chat and talk it through. Your mentor helps you look at the evidence, work out what the moment actually needs from you and plan your first move, then gives you a summary so you walk in prepared.
START WITH POCKET MENTOR.