INTHEBLACK December 2025 / January 2026 - Magazine - Page 28
F E AT U R E
AVERT IMPOSTER SYNDROME
Understanding the game the inner voice plays
helps with self-mastery.
The inner game is a set of mental and emotional
patterns that impact how a leader interprets
and responds to the world around them. It helps
to think of it as a script that runs internally, that can
inhibit or propel. The script can evolve over time.
“Our brains like a certain level of predictability
and certainty, so the inner game shifts depending
on the uncertainty a person is feeling at different
stages in their career,” says Dr Tanvi Gautam,
founder of leadership consultancy Leadershift, Inc.
For example, leaders at an early career stage are
focused on whether people believe they are “good
enough” or not. With more experience, the inner
voice shifts to questioning how long they can maintain
their executive position and repeat their success.
Gaining control of the mental script comes down
to acknowledging critical self-beliefs.
“We have to put distance between this voice in your
head and who you really are, recognising that it is just
a voice. Then you have to reframe the harmful belief.
For example, if you think you’re not good enough,
what are the three things you could do that prove
you are?” says Gautam.
Addressing self-doubt or, to use a common
phrase, imposter syndrome is a rite of passage
for most leaders.
“The internal landscape of a professional,
their mindset, emotional processing and self-concept
deeply influences their external impact,” says Cassidy.
“Aspiring leaders often wrestle with imposter syndrome,
which neuroscience suggests is rooted in an
overactivation of the brain’s default mode network,
which is the system involved in self-referential thinking.”
Engaging with other leaders or mentors is a good
way to gain perspective and overcome self-doubt, but
it can take time.
Building the emotional skills a leader requires to
stay calm under pressure is a lifetime’s work. Every day
is an opportunity to practise. ●
28 INTHEBLACK Dec 2025/Jan 2026 SPECIAL EDITION
READ
an article on how
to have difficult
conversations at work
EXPLORE
CPA Australia’s range
of leadership courses
