Have you ever achieved something important, only to hear a little voice in your head whisper, “you just got lucky” or “they’ll soon realise you don’t really know what you’re doing”?  If so, you are not alone, so much so, that it has a name: imposter syndrome.  In academic research it is called the impostor phenomenon, and it describes the experience of doubting your abilities despite clear evidence that you are capable, skilled and deserving of your success.

It can show up in all sorts of ways.  You might brush off positive feedback, over-prepare for meetings, compare yourself unfavourably with others, avoid putting yourself forward, or worry that one mistake will expose you.  From the outside, you may look calm and competent. On the inside, it can feel like you are paddling furiously beneath the surface, hoping no one notices.

The term was first explored by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in their 1978 study of high-achieving women.  Since then, research has found that imposter feelings can affect people across many professions, backgrounds and stages of life.  A systematic review by Dr Dena Bravata found that imposter syndrome can affect up to 82% of people, so it is far more common than many people imagine.

One of the biggest myths is that imposter syndrome only affects people who are inexperienced or out of their depth.  In reality, it often appears in high achievers, leaders, business owners and people stepping into bigger, more visible roles.  Another misconception is that it is simply a lack of confidence.  Confidence may be part of the story, but imposter syndrome is often wrapped up with perfectionism, fear of failure, self-criticism and a habit of discounting success.  You can be excellent at what you do and still feel as though you are somehow winging it.

Mentoring is an important tool to combat these feelings. It offers a confidential, supportive space to slow things down and look at what is really going on.  Rather than telling you to “just be more confident” — rarely helpful — a mentor helps the mentee consider the patterns behind the feeling.  Is the mentee setting impossibly high standards?  Are they assuming everyone else has it all figured out?  Are they ignoring the evidence of their own progress?

A mentor can also help the mentee build a more balanced picture of their abilities.  When we experience imposter feelings, we remember mistakes in glorious high definition while filing achievements away as “nothing special”.  Mentoring gently challenges that habit. It encourages the mentee to look at feedback, outcomes, decisions and strengths more objectively, so their self-assessment becomes more accurate rather than unnecessarily harsh.

Mentoring can help the mentee experiment with small but meaningful shifts: speaking up earlier in a meeting, accepting praise without batting it away, asking for support before things become overwhelming, delegating rather than over-controlling, or applying for an opportunity before the mentee feels completely ready.  These small actions matter because they create new evidence.  Over time, the mentee learns that they do not need to feel perfect in order to contribute.

Of course imposter syndrome does not exist in a vacuum.  Workplaces can sometimes make these feelings louder, especially where expectations are unclear, feedback is limited, mistakes are treated harshly, or people feel they have to prove they belong. Mentoring can help the mentee recognise this and identify the support, boundaries or conversations they may need to have.

Mentoring helps the mentee move from self-doubt to steadier, more purposeful action.  The self-doubting voice will not disappear overnight, but it can help the mentee turn the volume down and respond to it differently.  They will begin to recognise their strengths, own their achievements and take up the space they have already earned — without needing to have everything perfectly sorted first.

So, are you ready to benefit from the WUN mentoring Programme ?