This is one of those topics that gets muddied because it feels uncomfortable. Self-doubt, anxiety, nerves, pressure – our brains bundle them together and slap on the label “imposter syndrome.” But here’s the blunt truth I’ve learned the hard way: imposter syndrome and being out of your depth are not the same thing, and confusing them can quietly sabotage your confidence, your growth, and sometimes your career.
I’m not a doctor or a clinician. What follows is based on lived experience – leading teams, hiring people, watching people burn out, watching others grow, and occasionally realising I was the one who didn’t know enough yet. Psychology research helps explain the patterns, but the day-to-day reality matters just as much.
Let’s untangle the two properly.
Why This Distinction Matters More Than People Admit
If you tell someone they have imposter syndrome when they’re genuinely under-skilled, you rob them of a learning plan. If you tell someone they’re under-qualified when they’re actually competent, you rob them of confidence. Both mistakes are costly.
One leads to stagnation.
The other leads to unnecessary self-doubt.
And neither gets fixed by motivational quotes on LinkedIn.
What Imposter Syndrome Actually Is
Imposter syndrome is a miscalibration of self-assessment. You are capable, often demonstrably so, but your internal narrative refuses to update. You discount evidence, over-attribute success to luck, and assume exposure is imminent.
Key thing: the data says you’re competent; your feelings say you’re not.
Psychologist Pauline Clance, who first described the phenomenon, observed it most often in high-achievers who set impossibly high internal standards. Wikipedia has a solid overview of the construct and its history if you want the academic grounding:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome
From personal experience, imposter syndrome shows up most strongly when:
- You’ve just levelled up
- You’re surrounded by people who sound confident
- Your competence is real but still consolidating
- Feedback is ambiguous or inconsistent
What Being Out Of Your Depth Actually Is
Being out of your depth is not a psychological flaw. It’s a situational mismatch.
You are missing:
- Knowledge
- Context
- Pattern recognition
- Or hands-on experience
And that’s it.
No pathology required.
The problem is that modern work cultures – especially knowledge work – treat skill gaps like personal failings. They aren’t. They’re just gaps.
Out of your depth feels uncomfortable for a good reason: your brain is signalling “I don’t have a reliable model for this yet.” That’s not weakness. That’s cognition doing its job.
Why People Confuse The Two
Because they feel identical in the body.
- Racing thoughts
- Hesitation before speaking
- Fear of being “found out”
- Over-preparing or freezing
- The emotional signature overlaps almost perfectly.
The difference is in the evidence, not the sensation.
A Simple Diagnostic Question
Here’s the most useful question I’ve found – both for myself and others:
“If I removed emotion entirely, what would the evidence say?”
If the evidence shows:
- Repeated successful outcomes
- Positive peer or manager feedback
- Comparable performance to others at your level
→ you’re probably dealing with imposter syndrome.
If the evidence shows:
- Frequent errors in core tasks
- Reliance on others to fill basics
- Gaps in foundational knowledge
→ you’re probably out of your depth (for now).
That “for now” matters.
A Side-by-Side Comparison
| Dimension | Imposter Syndrome | Being Out Of Your Depth |
| Actual skill level | Adequate to high | Currently insufficient |
| Feedback from others | Generally positive or neutral | Often corrective or instructional |
| Root issue | Self-perception | Experience or knowledge gap |
| Best fix | Recalibrating self-trust | Structured learning & support |
| Risk if mislabelled | Burnout, anxiety | Stagnation, overconfidence |
Why High Performers Get Hit With Imposter Syndrome
Competence expands your awareness. As you learn more, you become more aware of what you don’t know. That widening horizon creates a feeling of inadequacy even as capability increases.
This overlaps with the well-documented Dunning–Kruger effect (where novices overestimate competence and experts underestimate it), which you can explore further on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
In other words: feeling like an imposter is often a sign you’re growing.
Why Being Out Of Your Depth Is Not a Failure
Every meaningful role transition puts you out of your depth temporarily. If it didn’t, the role would be a lateral move, not growth.
Problems only arise when:
- Expectations are unclear
- Support is missing
- Ego prevents asking questions
- Organisations pretend onboarding isn’t necessary
I’ve seen brilliant people fail not because they lacked ability, but because nobody acknowledged they were in a learning phase.
The Dangerous Middle Ground: When Both Are True
This is the nuance people avoid.
Sometimes you are out of your depth and you’re catastrophising it.
That’s normal too.
In these cases:
- Your discomfort is justified
- Your conclusions are not
The fix isn’t self-talk alone. It’s pairing reassurance with a plan.
How To Respond If It’s Imposter Syndrome
Name it explicitly
Labelling the pattern reduces its power.
Collect objective evidence
Keep a record of wins, feedback, and outcomes. Memory lies under stress.
Stop over-preparing
Over-preparation reinforces the belief that you’re barely coping.
Borrow confidence temporarily
Trust the judgement of those who hired or promoted you – until your own catches up.
How To Respond If You’re Out Of Your Depth
This is where honesty beats bravado.
Shrink the problem
Define exactly what you don’t know. Vagueness breeds anxiety.
Ask specific questions
People are far more willing to help with clarity than with general distress.
Create a learning sprint
Time-box the gap. “In 30 days I’ll understand X, Y, and Z.”
Normalise the curve
Every expert you admire once Googled the basics.
This is especially relevant in fast-moving fields like tech, product, and leadership – where roles evolve faster than formal training can keep up. I’ve seen this repeatedly when mentoring freelancers and founders via Fiverr projects: the best outcomes happen when skill gaps are acknowledged early, not hidden.
Why Leaders Often Get This Wrong
Many managers default to encouragement when instruction is needed – or instruction when reassurance is needed.
Good leadership distinguishes between:
- Confidence problems
- Capability problems
Bad leadership treats them as the same.
If You’re Managing Someone, Ask Yourself
- Do they make good decisions once informed?
- Do they improve quickly with feedback?
- Are mistakes conceptual or procedural?
Conceptual gaps need teaching.
Procedural gaps need practice.
Confidence gaps need safety.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
Misdiagnosing imposter syndrome leads to:
- Chronic stress
- Under-promotion
- Quiet quitting
Misdiagnosing depth gaps leads to:
- Overconfidence
- Blame shifting
- Career derailment
Both cost time. One costs trust.
A Final Reframe That Actually Helps
Instead of asking, “Am I an imposter?” try this:
“What evidence would tell me I’m doing fine – and what evidence would tell me I need to learn something?”
That question keeps ego out of it.
Growth doesn’t require certainty.
Confidence doesn’t require perfection.
And being out of your depth is often just the price of admission to the next level.
If this topic resonates, it’s probably because you care about doing good work. That’s not a flaw. It’s a signal.
Just make sure you’re responding to the right signal.
