How Workplace Norms Fuel “Imposter Syndrome”

What you will learn: Imposter syndrome, often framed as a personal struggle affecting high-achieving individuals, is deeply intertwined with systemic workplace inequities, particularly for women. While 75% of female executives report experiencing imposter syndrome, this issue isn’t rooted in individual flaws but in environments rife with systemic bias, exclusion, and outdated leadership norms.

Despite these challenges, progress is evident: women now hold 29% of C-suite roles. This progress advances equity and drives business success as companies with diverse leadership see more significant innovation, healthier cultures, and stronger performance.

To create truly inclusive workplaces, leaders must shift from “fixing” individuals to addressing systemic barriers. This involves redefining leadership criteria, addressing bias, normalizing self-doubt, amplifying marginalized voices, and holding organizations accountable for meaningful outcomes.

Imposter syndrome—a term often used to describe high-achieving individuals who feel unworthy of their success—has long been framed as a personal struggle affecting both genders. Yet, for women these feelings are not simply about internal self-doubt; they are deeply rooted in systemic workplace inequities. A staggering 75% of female executives report experiencing imposter syndrome, underscoring the pervasive challenges women face in professional environments.

At the same time, progress is being made: as of 2024, women held 29% of C-suite positions in corporate America, a significant increase from just 17% in 2015. This progress is a step toward equity as well as a business advantage. Research shows that companies with more women in leadership benefit from more significant innovation, healthier workplace cultures, and stronger overall performance. Addressing the systemic factors that fuel feelings of inadequacy is more than a moral imperative. It is a strategic move that drives success for both individuals and organizations.

Therefore, it’s time to rethink how we address feelings of self-doubt, hesitation, and uncertainty at work—especially for women. These are not personal flaws or “syndromes” that need fixing. Instead, they are natural, human tendencies magnified by workplaces rife with systemic bias and exclusion. As business leaders, we can fix the systems in which people work rather than diagnose the individuals within them.

The Problem with “Imposter Syndrome”

The term “imposter syndrome,” though more accurately referred to as “imposter phenomenon,” was first coined in the 1970s by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes to describe high-achieving individuals who feel like frauds despite their accomplishments. However, this concept overlooks the cultural, racial, and systemic biases that underlie these feelings. For women, and particularly women of color, self-doubt isn’t merely an internal struggle. It is the result of external environments that question their legitimacy, diminish their contributions, and demand conformity to narrow, male-dominated standards of leadership and professionalism.

By framing self-doubt as a personal flaw, workplaces perpetuate a dangerous narrative: that the problem lies with the individual rather than the systems around them. This gaslighting effect shifts the onus of change onto marginalized employees while excusing organizations from addressing the bias and exclusion that create these feelings in the first place.

The Root Causes of Workplace Self-Doubt

Feelings labeled as “imposter syndrome” often stem from systemic issues, including:

• Bias in Leadership Models: Society accepts a wide range of leadership styles for men but narrows these expectations for women. Women are often told to be confident—but not too confident. Ambitious—but not aggressive. Authentic—but not disruptive. These contradictory demands create a no-win situation, reinforcing self-doubt.

• Rigid Professional Norms: The dominant workplace culture, often Eurocentric, masculine, and heteronormative, treats diversity of thought, style, and expression as a deviation rather than a strength. From standards of “executive presence” to discriminatory comments about hair or appearance, marginalized employees are pressured to conform to an exclusionary definition of professionalism.

• Microaggressions and Cumulative Bias: Women of color often experience “death by a thousand papercuts,” where repeated subtle acts of bias—dismissive comments, uncredited work, or conflicting feedback—erode confidence and belonging. These cumulative experiences signal to employees that they must work harder than others just to be seen and valued.

How Business Leaders Can Create Inclusive Workplaces

Leaders are responsible for shifting their focus from fixing individuals to fixing workplace systems. Here’s how:

• Pivot the Language and Normalize Self-Doubt - Encourage open conversations about self-doubt without labeling it as a deficiency. Listen intently if employees express feelings of not belonging or hesitating to lead. Probe for the underlying conditions in your workplace that might be reinforcing these feelings, such as microaggressions, bias in feedback, or a lack of representation at leadership levels.
  
  As a leader, share your own experiences of self-doubt. Normalize the fact that hesitation and uncertainty are part of professional growth and are not a sign of inadequacy.

• Address Bias in Leadership and Advancement Criteria - Redefine what “leadership” looks like in your organization. Move beyond vague terms like “executive presence” and instead evaluate employees on tangible outcomes, skills, and behaviors. Ensure that promotion and performance criteria are free from gendered or racially coded language.

  Analyze patterns in advancement. If promotions disproportionately go to one demographic, address the barriers that may be holding others back, such as unequal access to high-profile assignments or bias in decision-making.

• Be Honest About Systemic Barriers - Transparency is key. Acknowledge the systemic barriers—both historical and current—that impact the experiences of women and marginalized groups in your organization. Don’t gaslight employees into questioning their own abilities when the “door” to opportunity is locked. Instead, focus on opening those doors and keeping them open for others.

• Sponsor and Advocate for Marginalized Employees - Sponsorship is more than mentorship—it’s about actively advocating for employees and creating opportunities for them to succeed. Women and people of color often lack the reinforcement and advocacy that white male colleagues receive, which reinforces feelings of inadequacy.

  Amplify their ideas, connect them to key networks, and defend their contributions when they’re overlooked or undermined.

• Collect and Act on Feedback - Regularly measure employee sentiment through surveys and feedback channels. Pay particular attention to the experiences of underrepresented groups, such as women of color, whose feedback often reveals systemic issues in workplace culture.

  Analyze data by intersecting identities (e.g., gender and race) to uncover hidden inequities. Use these insights to drive changes in policies, practices, and leadership accountability.

• Build Accountability Mechanisms - Commit to measurable outcomes for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Hold leaders accountable for fostering inclusive and psychologically safe environments. Reward those who contribute to equity goals and address those who fall short.

  Accountability could include:

• Publicly sharing demographic data on promotions, pay equity, and representation.

• Evaluating all employees on their contributions to DEI (despite the current backlash) or FAIR goals.

• Empowering diversity officers with authority, resources, and direct access to senior leadership.

From Individual Fixes to Systemic Solutions

The path forward requires a fundamental shift: rather than focusing on individual solutions for feelings of inadequacy, workplaces must address the systemic conditions that create those feelings. This means building cultures that value diverse leadership styles, actively combating bias, and ensuring that all employees—regardless of identity—can bring their full selves to work.

As leaders, we must question the culture at work—not our employees’ confidence at work. When we stop diagnosing women and start redesigning workplaces, everyone benefits.

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