Connect for Success: Overcoming Imposter Feelings
By Kate Atkin.
Many people who are successful do not see themselves in that light. They downplay their successes, trying to stay humble, erroneously believing that owning their success will make them arrogant.
Though success can be measured in many different ways, this article discusses the success of achieving more than you thought you would, perhaps exceeding childhood or societal expectations.
Imposter feelings can occur where you have achieved successes – financially, at work, or otherwise – but you have externalised the success, perhaps putting it down to luck or hard work.
How can we reduce imposter feelings, and support others to own their success?
The Imposter Phenomenon
The Imposter Phenomenon was first coined by Clance & Imes (1978) to describe the inner doubt experienced by some successful individuals when the inner sense of self does not match up with the external evidence. The individual may believe that others have overestimated their abilities, or that success has been achieved by luck or hard work, rather than knowledge, skills, and abilities.
I am deliberately not using the term ‘syndrome’ even though it is now a common term used to refer to ‘imposterism’. It is not pathological or a mental health condition, but an occurrence at certain points in time or certain situations, which makes the original term phenomenon more accurate.
It is also worth noting that it now seems to be a common mistake to attribute any sense of doubt about one’s competence as imposter feelings.
For example, Steven Bartlett's posts on LinkedIn about “growth moments” conflate self-doubt with imposter ‘syndrome’ (2026). When external evidence is lacking and you are doing something for the first, second, or third time, I would argue that self-doubt is normal and healthy.
Imposter-style self-doubt refers to already having a track record of success, but not believing it on the inside (Clance & Imes, 1978).
Who Is At Risk?
In a word: everyone. Research indicates that women appear to be motivated by imposter feelings to work harder to ensure the outcomes of tasks are successful (Kumar & Jagacinski, 2006) and are also reported to seek external support (Hutchins & Rainbolt, 2017). Perhaps men could benefit from being encouraged to seek more connection and support?
Two male participants in my study reflected on their responses to successes and failures:
Simeon: “Any kind of joy or feelings, it's quite short lived. I'll feel a success for an hour or a day. Failure I’ll feel for a week or a month.”
Mark: “I grieve failures, much more than I celebrate successes”.
While this is a gendered perspective from my study, research indicates that imposter feelings are not a gendered issue.
Overcoming Imposter Feelings
Existing research suggests that individuals experiencing the imposter phenomenon attribute their successes to external causes and not to their capabilities (Cozzarelli & Major, 1990; Thompson, Davis & Davidson, 1998; Brauer & Proyer, 2022). Not giving oneself any credit for successful outcomes also contributes to these imposter feelings (Sanford et al., 2015).
However, when you truly connect to yourself by owning the successes you have achieved in life, my research indicated that imposter feelings and the associated stresses diminish (Atkin, 2024).
Helping Others
With these findings in mind, how can we help others internalise their successes?
As managers or colleagues, providing support through regular informal feedback may be beneficial. Research indicated that this helped increase the accurate attribution of successful events (Whitman & Shanine, 2012).
But simply receiving positive feedback may not be enough.
My own study concurred with findings by Chodoff et al. (2023) that receiving positive feedback did not reduce imposter feelings. Nor do successes help individuals to update their self-view (Hutchins & Rainbolt, 2017). Take this extract from my participant, Nina, who said:
“I don't like praise, I feel like I have to just go under the table. I don't know how to react to it”.
And even though another participant, Cleo, can objectively see her success, it made no difference to how she felt:
“Some people think that I'm successful. I don't share that view. I mean, I can see their arguments… the chances of the outsider getting the job is quite unlikely. And because I've achieved that, it can be viewed as a success. But I don't feel that way. I feel a proper fraud.”
The connections we make in business with colleagues can either exacerbate or help diminish imposter feelings. Giving positive feedback in a way which makes it easier to internalise may help diminish these feelings.
To do so, I suggest avoiding generic positive feedback such as,
“Wow, you’re amazing!”
“That was great.”
This style of feedback can make imposter feelings worse. Rather, create specific feedback, observing and naming strengths. By using the word ‘strength’ in the feedback, it becomes specific. This specificity could help bypass the ‘imposter filter’, a term I coined to describe the way the positive evidence which doesn’t match up to the self-view is discarded.
We can also support others by helping them to reflect on the positive feedback they have received. To do so, my book (2025) outlined a three-step process:
- Keep the positive feedback received, and not destroy it; for instance in a dedicated email folder.
- Review the positive feedback regularly, either weekly, fortnightly or at least once a month.
- Say “yes, and…” to feedback as you review it.
It is easy to counter feedback with “yes, buts…”, such as “they’re just saying that”, or “they say that to everyone”, or “they’re just being kind/nice”.
However, using “Yes, and…” is making an intentional, internal effort to acknowledge the feedback, such as “yes and… I learnt X from that situation”, or “I can see my skills in X developing”, or “that’s becoming common feedback, so X must be one of my strengths”.
Conclusion
In summary, recognising our achievements, acknowledging that successes require knowledge, skills and abilities – not just luck or hard work – and internalising the positive feedback we receive can help diminish imposter feelings and thereby increase our sense of belonging and connection, and that of others.
About the Author
Dr Kate Atkin is an inspirational speaker, training consultant and author. Coming from a farming background in Lincolnshire, Kate currently lives near Cambridge with her husband and rescue springer spaniel. She is the author of The Presentation Workout, The Confident Manager and The Imposter Phenomenon, which is Kate’s third and most personal book, based on her PhD thesis, published by Pearson in June 2025.
References
Atkin, K. (2024) How do individuals cope at work in the context of the imposter phenomenon? A thematic analysis study. Anglia Ruskin Research Online (ARRO).
Atkin, K. (2025) The imposter phenomenon: Pearson Education Limited.
Bartlett, S. (2026) Imposter syndrome isn't incapability, it's inexperience. LinkedIn. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/stevenbartlett-123_imposter-syndrome-isnt-incapability-its-activity-7417117023765200896-bHNJ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAAMXcEBZKecfOSfRHYJ9Gs4fdjQspY7lVQ [Accessed: 25/01/2026 2026].
Brauer, K. & Proyer, R. T. (2022) The impostor phenomenon and causal attributions of positive feedback on intelligence tests. Personality and Individual Differences, 194 Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.111663.
Chodoff, A., Conyers, L., Wright, S. & Levine, R. (2023) “I never should have been a doctor”: A qualitative study of imposter phenomenon among internal medicine residents. BMC Medical Education, 23 Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03982-8.
Clance, P. R. & Imes, S. A. (1978) The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15(3), pp.241-247.
Cozzarelli, C. & Major, B. (1990) Exploring the validity of the impostor phenomenon. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 9(4), pp.401-417.
Hutchins, H. M. & Rainbolt, H. (2017) What triggers imposter phenomenon among academic faculty? A critical incident study exploring antecedents, coping, and development opportunities. Human Resource Development International, 20(3), pp.194-214.
Kumar, S. & Jagacinski, C. M. (2006) Imposters have goals too: The imposter phenomenon and its relationship to achievement goal theory. Personality and Individual Differences, 40(1), pp.147-157.
Sanford, A. A., Ross, E. M., Blake, S. J. & Cambiano, R. L. (2015) Finding courage and confirmation: Resisting impostor feelings through relationships with mentors, romantic partners, and other women in leadership. Advancing Women in Leadership, 35, pp.33-43.
Thompson, T., Davis, H. & Davidson, J. (1998) Attributional and affective responses of impostors to academic success and failure outcomes. Personality and Individual Differences, 25(2), pp.381-396.
Whitman, M. V. & Shanine, K. K. (2012) Revisiting the impostor phenomenon: How individuals cope with feelings of being in over their heads. The Role of the Economic Crisis on Occupational Stress and Well Being, 10, pp.177-212.