Session: Overcoming imposter syndrome to master performance conversations

Editor's Note

Even the most experienced nurses sometimes wonder, “Am I good enough?” That is how Laurie Burns MSN, RN, CNOR, RNFA, CIRT, clinical nurse educator, operating room; Aliaunda Macon, BSN, RN, staff nurse; and Simone Nicholson, DNP, MSN, RN, CNOR, nurse manager main operating room at Main Line Health Lankenau Hospital opened this panel session on overcoming imposter syndrome. Employing honesty, humor, and shared vulnerability, they helped attendees recognize and reframe the feelings of inadequacy that can accompany every career stage.

Nicholson began by recalling moments in her own journey when self-doubt crept in: “Every time I stepped into a new role, the voice said, ‘You’re not ready.’” She described leading former mentors and entering pediatric surgery with no prior pediatric experience. “Those negative thoughts return again and again, but we can learn to manage them instead of letting them define us,” she said.

Macon added the perspective of a new OR nurse. Early in her orientation, she confessed, she questioned whether she belonged. With coaching instead of criticism, she learned to give herself grace: “I realized I just had to give myself time to grow.”

Burns explained that these feelings are symptoms of imposter syndrome—a persistent doubt about one’s competence despite clear evidence of success. Drawing on research by Dr. Valerie Young, she outlined five personality types especially prone to it:

• The Expert who feels they never know enough
• The Soloist who refuses to ask for help
• The Perfectionist who equates mistakes with failure
• The Natural Genius who expects effortless success and falters when challenged
• The Super Person who runs on overdrive, “chasing milestone after milestone.”

Nicholson admitted that she once fit the “Super Person” and “Soloist” molds. “I used to think there were 8 days in a week,” she joked. “I’d stay until every task was done instead of asking for help.” The presenters also owned their “aliases”: 'super fixing the how' and 'super saving their home'—leaders who rush toward problems to protect their teams, sometimes at personal cost.

They described how imposter thoughts can trigger anxiety, sleeplessness, and physical stress responses, specifically the “clammy hands and brain fog” many leaders recognize before tough conversations. The key, they said, is to turn self-criticism into self-compassion. Nicholson introduced the four P’s—Perspective, Practice, Preparedness, and Positivity—as tools for shifting mindset:

• Perspective: reframe reality with affirmations (“Everything is figure-out-able,” they said.)
• Practice: rehearse difficult discussions to build confidence
• Preparedness: know policies and enter conversations without judgment
• Positivity: approach staff issues with empathy and curiosity.

To illustrate, she shared a hard lesson: publicly correcting a staff member backfired until she realized embarrassment—not the feedback—had caused the reaction. “Never do performance management in front of an audience,” she stressed. “I apologized and learned from it.”

The presenters emphasized building a tribe of trusted peers who provide perspective and support. Burns urged attendees to seek colleagues who think differently: “Find the ICU nurse who challenges you or the mentor who grounds your energy. That’s how you grow.” Macon described her own peer network from her nurse residency with whom she still exchanges advice and encouragement.

They also encouraged leaders to use rubrics and data to keep feedback objective and reduce bias. “Facts focus the conversation,” said Burns. Educators, she added, are often the first to notice imposter symptoms in new nurses; close collaboration helps identify and support those individuals early.

Other strategies include:

• Fail effectively. Share mistakes openly so staff see failure as learning, not shame.
• Name the fear. Ask, “What are you afraid of?” to surface and defuse anxiety.
• Create psychological safety. Use silence and empathy to let others process emotions.
• Teach resilience. A 2024 study by Ferrari et al found that hope—cultivated through community and transparent leadership—is the strongest antidote to imposter syndrome, they said.

“Success is not an elevator,” Burns concluded. “You have to take the stairs, and we’ll meet you on the stairs.”