Episode 2: Imposter Syndrome

In new roles, new environments, and new challenges, even the most capable leaders can find themselves asking a simple question: Do I really belong here? The feeling is often labeled “imposter syndrome”but what if it’s not a problem at all, just part of growth?

In this episode of Mitchell’s Moments Coaching Podcast, executive coach Mitchell Schuckman reframes imposter syndrome as something far more common and far more manageable than most leaders believe.

Drawing on his coaching experience, Mitchell explains why nearly every professional encounters moments of self-doubt when stepping into new roles or responsibilities. Instead of viewing it as a weakness, he explores how these moments signal growth, transition, and opportunity.

Through a powerful real-world example of a senior executive navigating a new leadership environment, Mitchell demonstrates how leaning into your authentic leadership style, rather than trying to fit someone else’s mold, can turn uncertainty into effectiveness. He also shares a personal story from the world of professional sports that highlights the importance of confidence, learning from mistakes, and staying grounded under pressure. 

This episode explores:

• Why “imposter syndrome” is a normal part of growth, not a flaw
• How new roles and responsibilities naturally create discomfort
• The importance of leading authentically instead of conforming
• How coaching helps leaders navigate uncertainty and build confidence
• Why being kind to yourself and learning from mistakes accelerates growth

Mitchell’s Moments delivers short, focused conversations designed to provide practical leadership insights you can apply immediately.

Learn more about Mitchell Schuckman and The Schuckman Group at
www.theschuckmangroup.com

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Each episode delivers short, practical insights on leadership, coaching, business development, and navigating today’s changing business world.

You can also learn more about Mitchell Schuckman and his coaching and leadership programs at
www.theschuckmangroup.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Mitchell's Moments Coaching Podcast Episode 2. As I've told you in my previous episodes, or episode, since this is episode 2, this podcast, every episode, 20 minutes or less, one topic, learn learn something, wrap it up, call it a day, and move on. Today's episode, I hate to say it, it's about imposter syndrome. And there's a lot out there about imposter syndrome. So don't hang hang out hang with me for a minute, because I think my take on it is a little bit more practical and I think relatable for a lot of us. Because let's face it, imposter syndrome isn't a syndrome. It's not a disease. It's something we all have pretty much at least for a moment, every new role that we're in. Every time that we're in a new role or a new situation, I'm gonna say at work, but it's not just at work. We feel like impostors. What are we doing here? How did this happen to us? Do we deserve to be here? How do I make myself feel comfortable in this situation? People sit there when they're feeling that level of insecurity and stress, and they call it, I have imposter syndrome. Fine, call it that. I don't view it as a problem. I view it as a moment and a situation that has to do with being in a new spot compared to what you might be used to. So remember, first of all, everyone is an imposter at some time. Think about your first job. Think about your first days and weeks and months after your first promotion. Even if you think you're ready for the promotion, once you have the title and the responsibility, it's new. And there are moments when you feel like an imposter. Think about your first house. Holy crap, I own this house. Now I'm responsible for the hot water heater. Now I'm responsible for the roof when it leaks. It's surreal. You feel like an imposter. How did I become a homeowner? Forget about being a parent. Forget about having children. If you I everyone who's a parent sits there with their newborn and says, Holy crap, I'm not a parent. My parents are parents. I'm not a parent. Imposter imposter moments are everywhere. Um, let's flip back to business. If you got a new job or you have been promoted to a new role, there's a reason you were hired. There's a reason you were promoted. And the reason is a person who is responsible for hiring you, or responsible for promoting you, believes you should be there. You earned the right to be there. And let me be clear: no one expects you to be perfect, and no one expects you to sit in that new role as an experienced person who's seasoned in the role. No one's expecting that. The only person who puts that pressure on themselves generally is you. And so that's where a lot of coaching comes in, and that's where I mean I can't tell you of the people I'm coaching, I have at least, at least half of them have said at one point in time, I don't feel comfortable, or they've used the term I have imposter syndrome. And I really immediately sit there and and try to hear why they feel it, understand what they how they classify imposter syndrome, and kind of help them get comfortable being uncomfortable. Because the more the because as soon as you get comfortable in whatever role you're in, the sooner you'll become seasoned and experienced. So I want to tell you a story about someone I'm coaching, and I think I'll say this right, but um this person I'm coaching is a woman, and it's interesting. I I have a friend of mine who I went through coaching training with who has a podcast, and she has a lot of executives on. In fact, it's a business podcast. All of her guests are executives, and they're all women. It's a woman, uh woman-focused podcast. And um I did ask her if I could be on the podcast since I coach a lot of women. She she declined. But he but I I the reason I say this is I think women in business have a unique challenge. And it's it's it, you know, it's been out there. We know the Me Too movement, which is you know years old now, but but the bottom line is business generally speaking is still predominantly a man's world because there were predominantly men leading businesses for decades and and and many, many years. And and oftentimes women feel the need to play a persona. Not always, but a lot of times, women feel the need to play a persona to be successful. Now, why am I saying this? Because there's a person I coached, a woman, who got promoted into a very senior role, deservedly so, highly talented person, really had tremendous skills that got her promoted. And I'll tell you, I knew the person before I started coaching her, and I knew that she was phenomenal at building teams, and she was phenomenal at collaborating, making people feel heard, make giving people a seat at the table, being respectful to them, and building consensus, consensus that the teams could rally around and be successful. So this woman came to me, recently promoted, someone who I've knew for years and admired greatly, and she said, I just got promoted, I think it was about she was about two months in. She's like, I'm completely uncomfortable and out of my sorts. And I asked her what the problem was, and she said, you know, I'm in these rooms with other members of the senior leadership team. There are way more men in the room than women, and they operate at a very snappy pace that is not the pace that I'm comfortable in terms of my style. Making snap decisions, sometimes too quick, you know, take choosing a direction without a lot of input, and often choosing a strategy that they didn't take the time to bring people along with. I'm just not comfortable there. So either I need to make snap decisions with them or be quiet. And I feel like I'm an imposter. I don't belong in this role. We unpacked that together, and what we figured out was that the leadership style that got her where she was was something that she didn't feel comfortable leaning into. And we talked about what it would feel like for her to be in this room of leaders and slow things down and bring others on board and use some of her great strengths of collaboration and team building to get a greater consensus around the direction and the strategy that the leadership team was setting, so that it would be easier to bring the rest of the organization along, and they would have more likely to have success with the strategy because they took the time to do it. And look, the way this is sorted out is this person I coached really became comfortable envisioning her being in the room, being able to lead the way she was comfortable and successful leading. And once she started doing that, the thing that she found is the rest of the leaders, men and women, appreciated what she brought to the table. She had been promoted because she was a great collaborator, team builder, consensus builder. And once she leaned into her authentic self, she was able to be an incredibly effective leader. But it was that coaching relationship talking about her fear, her imposter feeling, her uncomfortableness being in that leadership room, but we that enabled us to begin looking at what would make her comfortable and why. So that's just a great example of how coaching, first of all, how imposter syndrome can attack a highly credible and successful executive, and how coaching can help that executive find their footing and be successful. The other thing I'm going to talk about quickly as it relates to imposter syndrome is be kind to yourself and realize you're going to make mistakes and be okay with it. Because even seasoned leaders make mistakes. And just because you're new in your role doesn't mean that you can't make mistakes and that you have to be hard on yourself when you do. And I just I just have to share this because it's a bit of a fanboy thing going on here. But anyone who knows me knows I'm an enormous hockey fan. Yes, I love hockey, and uh my favorite team is the New York Islanders. Um, the New York Islanders came into existence when I was a young boy, so I've been a fan of the New York Islanders, National Hockey League in the United States and Canada, by the way, um, since the first year they existed. And the reason I'm even mentioning it is because this year we have a new player on our team who has quickly become my favorite player on the team. My children, my adult children, who are also Islanders fans, and my wife, who's also an Islanders fan, all make fun of me for being a fanboy of an 18-year-old hockey player. But his name is Matthew Schaefer, and he deserves a shout-out right now as it relates to imposter syndrome, and I'm going to tell you why. Anyone who watches this guy play thinks that he's been in the league for years. He plays with extreme confidence, he is highly talented, and he's himself. I mean, you see him celebrating after they score a goal, you see him, you know, taking the mic when he is interviewed, and he is just charismatic and talented. But here's the thing: he's a rookie, he could easily have imposter syndrome, and he doesn't. In fact, one of the best moments I remember is like in his first game of it, it was one of his first games of the year, and he was on the ice and he got completely smoked by a competitor. They skated around him, he was out of position, they scored a goal, and it was on, at least partially on, Matthew Schaefer. And the first thing he did is he went to the bench and he turned to the coach and said, because there was an interview about this, the coach talked about it, he talked about it, his teammates talked about it, he turned around to the coach and said, Can we look at the the iPad, the tablet, and figure out what I could have done better on that play? Because that was clearly my bad. I'm like, wow. A lot of 18-year-olds would have like crumbled. They would have been like, I don't belong here, it wasn't actually my fault, or maybe I shouldn't really be, you know, playing in these moments. Not him. He's like, look, I'm a rookie, I'm good, I'm confident, and I'm gonna be kind to myself. If I make a mistake, I'll make a mistake and I'll learn from it. You know, my favorite say one of my favorite sayings, and you can look it up, it's a Nelson Mandela quote, and I'll probably use it in more podcast episodes, so have patience with me. I love my quotes. Um, the Nelson Mandela quote is I never lose, I only win or I learn. And that was the approach Matthew Schaefer took. And it did it's a way, it's the approach he even takes in interviews. Like he'll talk about things, and sometimes he's a little bit over the top. And someone might say to him, you know, you might want to tone it down or redirect your emphasis, and he's cool with it, he learns from it. And and to me, that's what being a rookie is all about. You belong there, be kind to yourself when you make mistakes, be authentic. If you make a mistake, learn from it and move on. And if you could do those things, imposter syndrome fades and careers thrive. So, that's my episode two of Mitchell's Moments coaching podcast. Imposter syndrome, it's not a syndrome. We're all rookies sometimes, lean into it and grow from there. Thanks for joining me and have a great day.