Insights · Leadership

The doubts leaders carry

Six questions leaders rarely say out loud, what the research says about each, and what to do with it.

By Bartholemu & Kiran Gopinath, Certified Executive Coach · Updated November 2026 · 3 minute read

Ink drawing of a leader alone after hours, looking at their reflection in a dark office window beside empty desks — The questions that come after everyone leaves.

Leaders bring me the same handful of doubts, in different words. Am I good enough for this? Do they still trust me? Do I have to let people go? Am I a good leader? Do I really know what's happening on the ground? And, for the ones who come to me, a growing sense that they might be part of the problem. Most carry these alone, because the people they could ask are the people the doubts are about.

None of these makes you a weak leader. Each one is more common than it feels from the inside, each has research behind it, and each has one practical thing to do. The six sit side by side below.

What does the research say about each doubt?

Each doubt is common, and the evidence points to a practical answer for every one of them.

The doubt	What the research says	One thing to do
“Am I good enough for this?”	Impostor feelings showed up in 9% to 82% of people across 62 studies (Bravata, 2020), and people with impostor thoughts were rated as more effective with others (MIT, 2022).	Say it out loud to someone outside the business.
“Do they still trust me?”	86% of executives thought employee trust was high; 67% of employees said they highly trust their employer (PwC, 2024).	Bring people into the decisions that affect them. 83% said that would raise their trust.
“Do I have to let people go?”	Cutting 1% of a workforce was followed by a 31% rise in voluntary turnover the next year (Trevor and Nyberg, via HBR).	Make the process fair, not just the decision.
“Am I a good leader?”	Managers account for at least 70% of the variance in team engagement (Gallup, 2015).	Ask your team for feedback, then talk about what they said.
“Do I really know what's happening?”	Only 16% of nearly 15,000 employees called their last conversation with their manager extremely meaningful (Gallup, 2023).	Hold a short check in every week.
“Could I be part of the problem?”	95% of people think they're self aware; 10% to 15% of those studied met the criteria (Eurich, HBR 2018).	Ask yourself what, not why, and find honest critics.

One pattern runs through the table. Leaders tend to rate themselves higher than their teams do: on trust, on fairness, on self awareness. And almost every fix involves bringing other people in, not trying harder alone.

Why do leaders misjudge how they come across?

Because honest feedback rarely travels up on its own. When people quit, most said they didn't feel valued by their organization (54%) or their manager (52%), while their employers guessed it was pay and work life balance (McKinsey, 2021). Many managers believe they make decisions fairly, Joel Brockner writes, while their 360 degree feedback says otherwise (Harvard Business Review, 2006).

What happens when the hardest doubt is handled badly?

The people who stay notice. Research on companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange found that those that downsize when performance isn't bad don't do as well two years later (Cascio and colleagues, via CU Denver). How it's done matters as much as whether. In a study of nearly 1,000 people who had lost their jobs, led by Allan Lind and Jerald Greenberg, 1% of those who felt the process was fair filed a wrongful termination suit, against 17% of those who felt it wasn't (cited by Brockner).

What helps most?

Talking it through with someone outside the business, then bringing your team in. In one small randomized trial, coaching reduced impostor scores, and the effect held five weeks later (Zanchetta and colleagues, 2020). It was a study of young trainees, so treat it as a good sign, not proof.

Then make it a habit with your team. In a five year study of 252 managers, those who met with their direct reports to discuss upward feedback improved more than those who didn't (Walker and Smither, reviewed 2005). Gallup's guidance on check ins is short and often: 15 to 30 minutes a week is enough.

In my experience, the leaders who ask whether they're part of the problem have usually started to answer it already. That's often where leadership coaching starts.

None of these doubts makes you a weak leader. Carrying them alone is what makes them heavy.

Read the full article

1. Self confidence: “Am I good enough for this?”

Impostor feelings are common, and hard to pin down: a review of 62 studies found them in anywhere from 9% to 82% of the people studied, depending on how they were measured (Bravata and colleagues, 2020). They aren't all bad. MIT's Basima Tewfik found that people with impostor thoughts were rated as more effective with others, not less (MIT News, 2022).

What to do: say it out loud to someone outside the business. In one small randomized trial, coaching sustainably reduced impostor scores, and the effect held five weeks later. It was a study of young trainees, so treat it as a good sign, not proof.

2. The fear of losing trust: “Do they still trust me?”

Leaders tend to overestimate it. In PwC's 2024 survey, 86% of executives thought employee trust was high, while 67% of employees said they highly trust their employer (PwC, 2024).

What to do: bring people into the decisions that affect them. 83% of employees in the same survey said they'd trust their company more if their direct supervisor involved them in important decisions.

3. Laying off: “Do I have to let people go, and is it the right call?”

The decision itself deserves a hard look. Companies that downsize when performance isn't bad don't do as well two years later (Cascio and colleagues, as summarized by CU Denver, 2020). The people who stay are watching. One study found that cutting 1% of a workforce was followed by a 31% rise in voluntary turnover the next year (Trevor and Nyberg, cited in Harvard Business Review, 2018).

What to do: make the process fair, not just the decision. Explain why, give real notice, answer questions, and treat the people who stay just as fairly. In the Lind and Greenberg study, 1% of those who felt the process was fair filed a wrongful termination suit, against 17% of those who felt it wasn't.

4. Leading well: “Am I a good leader?”

It matters more than almost anything else on a team: managers account for at least 70% of the variance in team engagement (Gallup, 2015). And it's getting harder. Engagement among managers worldwide fell from 27% to 22% between 2024 and 2025 (Gallup, 2026).

What to do: ask your team, then talk about what they said. In a five year study of 252 managers (Walker and Smither, 1999), those who met with their direct reports to discuss upward feedback improved more than those who didn't. Across studies the gains are usually small, so treat it as a habit, not a fix (reviewed by Smither, London and Reilly, 2005).

5. The pulse of the team: “Do I really know what's happening on the ground?”

Often not. When people quit, most said they didn't feel valued by their organization (54%) or their manager (52%), while their employers guessed it was pay and work life balance (McKinsey, 2021). Only 16% of nearly 15,000 employees called their last conversation with their manager extremely meaningful (Gallup, 2023).

What to do: hold a short check in every week. Gallup's guidance: 15 to 30 minutes is enough, if it happens often. Then find the people on your team who keep a good pulse of the ground, and listen to them.

6. Self awareness: “Could I be part of the problem?”

Most people think they're self aware: 95%, in Tasha Eurich's research (NPR, 2017). Only 10% to 15% of the people she studied actually met the criteria (Harvard Business Review, 2018). Leaders have blind spots like everyone else.

What to do: ask yourself what, not why, and get honest feedback from what Eurich calls loving critics.

FAQ

What is impostor syndrome in leaders?

Impostor feelings are the sense that you're not as capable as others think. A review of 62 studies found them in 9% to 82% of people, depending on how they were measured, and MIT research found that people with impostor thoughts were rated as more effective with others, not less.

How do you keep the trust of the people who stay after a layoff?

Make the process fair, not just the decision: explain why, give real notice, answer questions and treat the people who stay just as fairly. In a study of nearly 1,000 people who lost their jobs, 1% of those who felt the process was fair filed a wrongful termination suit, against 17% of those who felt it wasn't.

How often should a manager check in with their team?

Gallup's guidance is a short check in every week: 15 to 30 minutes is enough, if it happens often.

How do leaders become more self aware?

Tasha Eurich's research suggests asking yourself what, not why, and getting honest feedback from people she calls loving critics. 95% of people think they're self aware, but only 10% to 15% of those she studied met the criteria.

Sources

About Kiran Gopinath. Certified Executive Coach, Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute. Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM) and Certified Scrum Product Owner® (CSPO). MBA, Missouri State University. 20+ years leading change for Fortune 500 brands and growing businesses.