Impostor Syndrome Is Not a Personal Flaw

In her recent webinar, Synthosys co-founder Dr Vanessa Pozzali challenged one of the most common leadership narratives: that impostor syndrome is simply a confidence issue.

The typical story goes like this: a capable woman doubts herself, feels she doesn’t belong, and fears being “found out”. But Vanessa offered a different perspective . What if impostor syndrome is not a flaw in the individual, but information about the environment?

She explored impostor syndrome across three levels.

At the personal level, it shows up as internal storytelling, self-limiting beliefs, and withdrawal. Doubt becomes a verdict instead of data. Instead of asking, “What is this telling me?”, people ask, “What is wrong with me?”

At the group level, impostor dynamics appear as hesitation, silence, and over-control. When doubt feels unsafe, people protect themselves. They speak less. They over-prepare. They armour up. The team becomes cautious instead of creative.

At the system level, impostor syndrome is reinforced by cultures that reward certainty, punish vulnerability, and make belonging feel conditional. In these environments, self-doubt becomes a survival strategy.

Vanessa also drew a powerful connection between impostor syndrome and so-called “Queen Bee” behaviour. Both, she explained, are responses to the same system. One turns doubt inward. The other turns it outward. Both are shaped by scarcity — scarcity of legitimacy, psychological safety, and secure belonging.

The central message was clear:

Impostor syndrome is not a personal defect. It is a relational and systemic signal.

The work, therefore, must shift:

Personally, use doubt as information, not as a verdict.

In groups, seek honest, grounded feedback.

Systemically, build cultures where doubt can exist without penalty.

Takeaway: When we stop individualising impostor syndrome, we stop blaming people for adapting to fragile systems — and we begin changing the conditions that create the problem in the first place.