Episode 19: The Higher You Rise, The Louder It Gets. How to Flip Doubt into Direction, and Build a Culture That Does the Same.

“Every time I didn’t embarrass myself, or even excelled, I believed that I had fooled everyone yet again. One day soon, the jig would be up.” — Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Facebook

She recently shared this insight with a room full of Harvard Business School students.

Before we move forward, let's recap what Sheryl has accomplished: 

Sheryl Sandberg is the former Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Meta, a role she held from 2008 to 2022. During her tenure, she:

• Grew Facebook’s revenue from $153 million to over $117 billion.
• Architected the company’s ad-based business model.
• Scaled global sales, marketing, and partnerships.
• Was one of the most powerful female executives in tech, consistently appearing on Forbes, Fortune, and Time power lists.

Before Facebook, she:

• Was VP of Global Online Sales & Ops at Google, helping scale AdWords and AdSense.
• Served as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Treasury under President Clinton.

She’s also the founder of LeanIn.Org, a non-profit dedicated to supporting women in leadership.

A billion-dollar executive. One of the most powerful women in tech. Still wondering if she deserved her seat at the table.

She's not alone:

• Wharton Executive Education noted that over 70% of executives will experience impostor syndrome at least once in their lives.
• A Korn Ferry Workforce 2024 Global Insights Report study found that 71% of U.S. CEOs report symptoms of impostor syndrome.
• A staggering 80.1% of the more than 3,500 marketers responding to Marketing Week’s exclusive 2025 Career & Salary Survey have experienced impostor syndrome at some point in their career.

That’s the thing about impostor syndrome: it doesn’t care about your resume. It doesn’t care about your background or experience, nor does it vanish when you hit your number. Paradoxically, it often intensifies the higher you go.

These are staggering numbers across the board, especially in roles where the scoreboard resets each quarter. One minute you’re closing the biggest deal of the year. Next, you’re questioning if you even belong in the room.

Net, net: If you're feeling it, have felt it, or anticipate you might feel it as you step into your next role, you’re anything but alone. And that alone is powerful.

In today’s Sunrise, we’re unpacking Impostor Syndrome at the executive level, especially for CROs, CGOs, CMOs, Heads of Sales, and growth leaders navigating the pressure cooker that is brand building, breaking through, and generating pipeline in today's environment.

We’ll explore:

• Why even the most accomplished revenue leaders feel like frauds behind the scenes.
• Why impostor syndrome lingers, even when performance is strong.
• And how to flip the script so doubt becomes a signal… not a saboteur.