The Imposter in the Corner Office. Congratulations.
Feeling like an imposter in the corner office? Good. It means you're ready for real growth. A guide to building authentic confidence beyond the fragile ego.
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
George Bragadireanu
5/27/20251 min read
That feeling that you are an imposter? That you will be found out? Good.
It is the best signal you could have received. It means your ego—the part of you that got here based on expertise and control—has finally sensed it is out of its depth. Now, the real work of leadership can begin.
A study by KPMG found that 75% of executive women have experienced imposter syndrome. The truth is closer to 100% for any leader—man or woman—who dares to step beyond the limits of their competence.
Stop fighting the feeling. Use it. Understand these three truths:
You were not promoted to have the answers. You were promoted to ask better questions. Your expert status expired the moment you accepted the leadership role. Clinging to it is the source of your fraudulence. An authentic leader is not an oracle; they are a facilitator of discovery.
"What do you notice about this situation that you haven't noticed before?" - this is a question you can ask yourself or others.
Confidence is not a feeling. It is a decision. You are waiting to feel confident before you act. This is a trap. Authentic confidence is not the absence of fear, but action in the presence of fear. It is the decision to take responsibility when you are trembling inside.
"What if you didn't need to solve this situation, but simply dance with it?"
Your authenticity is not in perfection, but in congruence. You try to project a perfect image, but your team senses the incongruence between your mask and your inner state (Emotional expression: Congruent vs. incongruent with the content ). True royal confidence comes from the alignment of your thoughts, feelings, and actions—even when that includes acknowledging your own uncertainty.
A Zen koan asks: "What was your face before your parents were born?" That face is neither expert nor imposter. It is pure presence. Lead from there.
When you grow tired of the mask, we can talk about what your true leadership face looks like.