Most leaders treat impostor syndrome as something they need to overcome. But what if the belief that you're not good enough is actually serving a purpose?

Adrian Koehler is a leadership coach at Take New Ground. He has spent 15 years coaching founders and technical leaders.

He joins Adam Horner on The CTO Playbook to explore why leaders hold on to self-doubt, what they gain from it, and what it costs them.

Adrian explains why feeling like a fraud can be good news. It often means you're stepping beyond what you've already proved you can do. But the belief can also offer a sense of safety, giving you reasons to hide, hold back ideas, or wait until you're certain before acting.

Through his approach to "hugging the cactus," Adrian challenges leaders to face uncomfortable truths about themselves and compare how they see themselves with what their teams actually see. He also shares a practical eight-step process for working through impostor syndrome.

In this episode, he explains:

■ 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲: Why feeling like a fraud can be a sign that you're stepping beyond what you've already proved, rather than evidence that you don't belong.

■ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗼𝗳𝗳𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁: How believing you're an impostor can give you permission to hide, hold back ideas, and avoid difficult situations.

■ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳𝘀: Why the stories that help you feel safe can limit your confidence, relationships, and impact as a leader.

■ 𝗛𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝘀: How facing the things you don't want to see about yourself can turn them from a threat into an early warning sign.

■ 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝘀. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Why asking the people you work with what they actually see can challenge the assumptions you hold about yourself.

■ 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Why sharing unfinished ideas and fully participating beats holding back until everything feels perfect.

■ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁-𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸: How owning the belief, listing its payoffs and prices, and checking it against reality can help you decide what to do differently.

Build your own CTO Playbook at www.theCTOplaybook.com, the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey. Coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact.

You'll Learn:

[0:00] Introduction

[1:34] Adrian's Four Careers and His Heart for Engineers

[7:46] Adam's Shadow on a London Bike Ride

[9:35] Why People Love a Diagnosis

[9:52] Why Impostor Syndrome Can Be Good News

[11:16] How Certainty Becomes a Source of Loneliness

[16:03] The Hidden Payoffs of Impostor Syndrome

[18:53] Identifying the Complaints You Choose to Keep

[20:14] Counting the Prices of the Belief

[24:14] Asking What Was Missing From You as a Leader

[28:51] What "Hugging the Cactus" Really Means

[34:14] Being Purposefully Imperfect

[35:32] Adrian's Eight Steps for Working Through Impostor Syndrome

[40:48] Why It's Hard to Be a Human

[43:25] Where to Connect With Adrian

Follow Adrian Koehler:

■ Email: adrian@takenewground.com

■ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriankoehler/

■ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrian.k/

■ Website: https://takenewground.com

The CTO Playbook:

■ Build your own CTO Playbook at https://www.thectoplaybook.com, the leadership platform built for the full CTO journey, coaching, podcast, and community to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and strategic impact.

■ Follow Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamhorner/

■ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCTOplaybook

■ Prefer listening? Catch the podcast: https://bit.ly/thectoplaybook