I’ve nearly talked myself out of more opportunities than I care to admit. Rooms I didn’t feel worthy of walking into, meetings where I felt I’d somehow slipped in through the side door, and now typing this column, the voice still pipes up: Surely there are more qualified people than you?
For years, I mistook this for shyness or introversion. They’re not the same, by the way. I’m not shy – I can stand on stage in front of hundreds of agents, and actually enjoy it. Introverts aren’t socially incapable; we simply think inwardly first and spend energy deliberately. In a loud industry full of big personalities, that quiet internal processing can feel like impostorism, as if everyone else has an energy you simply don’t possess.
But as I discovered, that’s a load of old cobblers.
The Research: A universal experience we pretend is personal
Across the last decade, study after study has found that 70–82% of professionals experience imposter feelings at some point in their careers. It’s so widespread that it’s almost a predictable side-effect of ambition; whenever people stretch into new territory, that voice of self-doubt tends to appear.
Imposter feelings have even been linked to reduced career planning, weaker leadership ambition, and hesitation to pursue promotions. One widely cited study found that impostor tendencies explained almost 70% of the variance in whether people set meaningful career goals (Neureiter & Traut-Mattausch, 2016). Other research connects imposter syndrome with lower job satisfaction, increased burnout, and even slower salary progression, with one UK estimate suggesting it could cost individuals over £5,000 per year in missed negotiation opportunities and under-valued promotions (Virgin Money, 2023).
If the story ended there, this would be a very bleak article. Happily, it doesn’t.
The hidden upside – why imposters often outperform
In the last few years, a fascinating strand of research has emerged showing that imposter syndrome isn’t purely detrimental. In fact, some of its effects look suspiciously like strengths.
A major MIT study discovered that employees who experienced imposter thoughts often became exceptional team players. Rather than shrinking away, they were better collaborators, listened more intently, and were rated by colleagues as more supportive and effective – without any drop in their actual performance (MIT, 2022). Their self-doubt didn’t make them worse at their jobs; conversely, it made them more conscientious.
Other work suggests that impostor-prone professionals tend to be more open to feedback, more eager to learn, and less likely to fall into the trap of overconfidence. Adam Grant brilliantly described this as “confident humility” – doubting your knowledge just enough to seek better answers. Economist Tyler Cowen frames it differently: feeling like an imposter often means you’ve placed yourself in territory where personal growth is happening.
All of this aligns with something I’ve seen repeatedly in the property industry: the people questioning whether they’re good enough are often the ones doing exceptional work.
Introverts, imposters, and the loudest rooms
An angle not usually included in discussions about imposter syndrome is that it acts as a guardrail against the Dunning-Kruger effect.
If imposter syndrome is the persistent sense of not knowing enough, Dunning-Kruger is the opposite: the cognitive bias in which people with the least competence drastically overestimate their abilities. The ones most convinced they’re brilliant at something… often aren’t. Meanwhile, the people who quietly worry they’re not good enough are typically operating at a much higher level.
A touch of imposter syndrome, then, can be useful. It keeps us grounded, curious, and honest about our limitations. It stops us drifting into complacency or arrogance.
This is where introversion comes back into the picture. In rooms dominated by confident talkers, introverts with imposter tendencies can feel eclipsed, not because they lack ability, but because our industry sometimes mistakes volume for value.
But some of the best thinkers, strategists, and leaders I’ve met are introverts who carry that streak of self-doubt. They listen more deeply, prepare more thoroughly, and reflect before they speak. And when they do speak, it tends to carry more weight.
Maybe the goal isn’t to “fix” imposter syndrome
Chronic, debilitating imposter syndrome needs support and intervention – the evidence is clear that prolonged self-doubt can lead to burnout and emotional strain. But the everyday variety, the kind that taps you on the shoulder before a valuation or quietly questions why you’re being asked to lead a project, might actually be something we should reconsider as a strength.
Imposter syndrome isn’t proof that you’re not capable. It’s often proof that you’re pushing yourself into unfamiliar territory, the exact place where career growth happens.
If you’ve ever sat in the car outside a big meeting, debating whether to get out, or hovered outside a networking event wondering if you truly belong in that room, please know this: the people who quietly question their competence are often the ones who should be in the room the most.
Toby Martin is chief content officer at We Are Unchained.
Read the orginal article: https://propertyindustryeye.com/the-unexpected-advantage-of-feeling-like-a-fraud/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-unexpected-advantage-of-feeling-like-a-fraud
