Is It Imposter Syndrome—or Quiet Leadership Being Misread?

Amy Aguilar

Empowering Growth Through Personal & Professional Coaching | Career Development & Assessments | Leadership Support | Organizational Culture | Resume & LinkedIn Alignment

January 14, 2026

Why some leaders doubt themselves, not because they lack confidence, but because they lead differently.

Recently, I was asked whether I had heard of imposter syndrome and whether I had ever written about it.

The question stayed with me, not because it was unfamiliar, but because it stirred a deeper reflection. Over the years, both in my own leadership journey and in working alongside other leaders, I’ve noticed how often quiet, steady leadership is interpreted as uncertainty, sometimes by others, and sometimes by the leaders themselves.

It led me to pause and ask a broader question:

Are we always looking at imposter syndrome, or are we sometimes mislabeling a form of quiet leadership that doesn’t fit dominant expectations?

That distinction matters. Because when leadership is measured primarily by visibility, confidence displays, and self-promotion, those who lead through reflection, systems, and follow-through can begin to question themselves, not because they lack confidence, but because their style isn’t mirrored back as “leadership.”

What Imposter Syndrome Is—and What It Isn’t

Imposter syndrome is a well-documented psychological pattern in which capable individuals persistently doubt their competence and fear being exposed as a fraud, despite clear evidence of success. It often emerges during transitions: promotions, career pivots, new leadership roles, or increased visibility.

At its core, imposter syndrome is about belonging. Do I deserve to be here? Will others find out I’m not as capable as they think?

It is internal, distressing, and often accompanied by anxiety, overwork, or avoidance.

But not all self-questioning comes from insecurity.

What Quiet Leadership Looks Like

Quiet leadership is not the absence of confidence—it is a different expression of it.

Quiet leaders tend to:

• Lead through preparation, systems, and consistency

• Influence through listening, reflection, and follow-through

• Share credit freely and redirect praise

• Prioritize outcomes over visibility

Their leadership is often most visible in results—not in self-promotion.

This leadership orientation is well supported in research and popular leadership literature, including Quiet, which challenges the “extrovert ideal” that dominates professional and leadership culture.

Quiet leadership is values-driven, not performance-driven.

And this is where the confusion begins.

Why Quiet Leadership Gets Mistaken for Imposter Syndrome

Many modern workplaces reward confidence signals: visibility, assertiveness, verbal dominance, and personal branding. Leadership is often equated with being the loudest voice in the room—or at least the most visible one.

Quiet leaders, by contrast:

• Are less inclined to self-promote

• Attribute success to teams or systems

• Feel discomfort with spotlight rather than responsibility

On the surface, their language can sound like imposter syndrome:

“It wasn’t really me.” “The team did the work.” “I was just supporting.”

But the motivation matters.

• Imposter syndrome discounts the self due to fear.

• Quiet leadership de-centers the self due to values.

The behaviors overlap. The internal experience does not.

What Research on Leadership Tells Us

Jim Collins’ research on Level 5 Leadership, outlined in Good to Great, found that the most effective long-term leaders were not charismatic or self-promoting. They were:

• Personally humble

• Professionally resolute

• Reluctant to seek attention

• Quick to give credit and take responsibility

These leaders often made others uncomfortable, not because they lacked confidence, but because they didn’t perform leadership the way the culture expected.

Ironically, these are the leaders most likely to be mislabeled as uncertain or to question themselves in environments that don’t recognize their style.

The Critical Difference: Self-Doubt vs. Style Mismatch

Here’s the distinction that matters most:

Imposter syndrome says: “I don’t belong here.”

Quiet leadership says: “Leadership isn’t about me.”

When quiet leaders operate in systems that equate leadership with visibility, they may begin to internalize doubt, not because something is wrong with them, but because their leadership language isn’t being reflected accurately.

Over time, that misalignment can create feelings of imposter syndrome where none originally existed.

How to Tell the Difference (A Reflection)

It may be quiet leadership, not imposter syndrome, if:

• You feel grounded in your decisions, even if you dislike being visible

• You take responsibility easily but deflect praise intentionally

• You lead consistently, regardless of recognition

• You feel more discomfort with self-promotion than with leadership itself

It may be imposter syndrome if:

• You fear being “found out” as incapable

• You dismiss clear evidence of competence

• Self-doubt prevents you from acting or deciding

• You feel persistent anxiety about belonging

This distinction matters—because the solutions are different.

Why Organizations Need This Conversation

When quiet leadership is mislabeled:

• Strong leaders shrink instead of stepping forward

• Talent goes underutilized

• Confidence erodes unnecessarily

• Organizations reward performance over substance

In many cases, organizations don’t lose leaders due to skill gaps—they lose them due to misrecognition.

Reframing the Narrative

Here’s the reframe I want to offer clients and leaders alike:

Not all self-doubt is imposter syndrome. Sometimes it’s the friction of leading quietly in a loud system.

Quiet leadership is not something to “fix.” It is something to name, understand, and lead from intentionally.

A Final Thought

Before diagnosing yourself with imposter syndrome, it’s worth asking:

• Is this fear—or is this misalignment?

• Am I doubting my ability—or questioning whether my style is valued here?

Because leadership doesn’t require volume to be valid.

Sometimes the strongest leadership is the kind that doesn’t announce itself— it simply works.