In uniform, you trained for what would come next. You prepared, planned, assessed and refined until the plan was sharp and you were ready. You may have had doubts, but you know how to act with the necessary skills needed to execute on the mission.
As you build your career in the private sector, you realize how different training, skill building, preparation and assessment look. Whether you’re leading a team that operates nothing like a unit, or working in a field far outside your MOS, the disorientation is real. Or perhaps you’re working in a role that’s vastly different from the skills and experience you had before and you struggle with how to keep your job and perform well.
This is where impostor syndrome thrives.
What is Impostor Syndrome?
Impostor syndrome is a very real condition in which you believe you are inadequate, unprepared, undeserving or a “fraud” in a professional situation, particularly when you are being praised or credited with success and achievement. Reports show that approximately 70% of adults experience impostor syndrome at some point in their lives. A promotion, new job, new boss or new work can all lead to questioning your own competency and ability to perform up to expectations.
Impostor syndrome shows up as:
- Withholding your opinions for fear of confirming your self-doubts or being ridiculed
- Over-editing your emails to ensure they’re “perfect”
- Resisting challenging an idea because you aim to please more than confront
- Holding back from applying for a promotion because you don’t feel ready, prepared or worthy
Every time you hold back because you don’t feel ready, someone else can step into that space. They may be less experienced and less qualified than you, but they spoke up and got the credit, visibility and influence that should have been yours. This is the real cost of impostor syndrome.
In high-stakes meetings, strategy sessions and the moments when decisions get made, silence reads as disengagement, uncertainty or lack of investment. Your colleagues and leaders don’t know you have the answer but held it back. They see only that you didn’t offer one.
And here’s what makes this especially hard for transitioning veterans: In the military, you earned the right to speak through rank and time in service. A clear hierarchy told you when it was your turn. In the civilian world, that structure doesn’t exist. Influence is claimed instead of assigned.
For many veterans working in the civilian sector today, the problem isn’t their skills, it’s their self-perception in a new context. And the skills that made you effective in uniform — discipline, adaptability, resilience, mission focus — are exactly what civilian employers are looking for.
Read More: How to Navigate Civilian Coworkers’ Ignorance About Your Military Service
How to Navigate Through Impostor Syndrome
Here’s what to do:
Reframe Discomfort as ‘Career Fitness’ and Growth
Instead of viewing feelings of fraudulence as a defect, interpret them as evidence of stretching into new levels of authority. Like how muscles feel sore when exercising at the gym, the discomfort of impostor syndrome often signifies “career fitness” or growth occurring as you expand your role or visibility.
Leverage Empathy and Collaboration
Research suggests that individuals who grapple with impostor beliefs often become better collaborators and more empathetic peers. Because they are unsure of themselves, they tend to hyper-focus on others, asking better questions and listening more intently, which are critical leadership traits.
Build Evidence-Based Confidence With a ‘Kudos File’
To combat subjective feelings of insecurity, rely on objective data. Maintain a “kudos” or “wins” file — a collection of emails, letters and feedback surveys that serve as documented proof of your competence. In moments of self-doubt, reviewing this data helps separate irrational feelings from the facts of your expertise.
Act at ‘75% Ready’
Perfectionism is a primary driver of impostor syndrome, leading to over-editing and second-guessing. Influence and impact grow when you stop waiting to feel 100% ready.
Effective leaders offer suggestions and take on challenges when they are at “75% of their best,” understanding that waiting for total certainty often means the opportunity may pass them by.
Impostor syndrome is often loudest right before a breakthrough. The next time it tells you to hold back, speak anyway. Submit the idea. Take the meeting. Put your name in for the promotion.
The mission isn’t to feel ready but to move forward anyway. You already know how to do that.
Read More: After Military Separation, How to Truly Achieve Work-Life Balance
Find the Right Veteran Job
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