I’ve always had trouble believing my own accomplishments.
I like to think I’m rational. Reasonable. Mostly I’m capable of looking at facts and drawing a clear conclusion.
But when the facts were about me, they never added up. Promotions, projects or results - I could list them out, but in my head they were just luck, or good timing, or someone else’s work that I happened to be near when the credit was handed out.
No matter what I achieved, it never felt like proof of anything. Just a temporary run of good fortune that would run out any day now. And when it did, everyone would finally see it was all BS.
It turns out that feeling doesn’t vanish when you climb higher. 71% of CEOs report experiencing the same thing. The sense that they’ve somehow slipped into a job they’re not really qualified for. Which means it’s not a rookie problem, or a mid-career problem.
It's “everyone” problem.
Why the doubt never really leaves
At lower levels, you can measure your worth. Projects finished. Problems solved. Deadlines met.
At the top, the work is abstract. You’re not writing code or closing deals. You’re shaping “direction”, “culture”, and other blurry concepts that don’t tick green boxes on a dashboard.
That distance from tangible work creates a vacuum. Wins feel less certain. Losses feel harder to pin down. And you can’t separate your influence from market timing, luck, or the competence of the people under you.
The ones who never feel it are worse
Self-doubt gets a bad reputation. We treat it like a confidence defect to be cured with pep talks and affirmations. But if you never question yourself in a role with that much scope and consequence?
That’s not confidence. That sounds more like negligence.
The leaders who refuse to entertain any doubt are the ones who blow up companies, cultures, and careers, and still manage to sleep at night.
Certainty without scrutiny is how the lawyers and crisis PR firms stay in business.
This isn’t just a “CEO problem”
Middle managers live it every week. You’re close enough to the work to see the gaps, but far enough removed to be judged on metrics you don’t fully control.
High-performing individual contributors considering management wonder if they’ll lose the satisfaction of clear wins. They’re right to worry.
The scoreboard gets less straightforward the higher you go. The pressure to pretend you’re winning gets sharper. And the moments when you think, “Maybe I’m not the right person for this” are not proof you’re failing. They're proof you’re paying attention.
The takeaway
If 71% of people at the very top feel like imposters, maybe the feeling isn’t a sign you’re in over your head.
Maybe it’s just the cost of having a head worth listening to.
P.S.: The 29% who don’t feel it? Keep them away from your budget, your people, and your steering wheel.