Doubt Doesn’t Define Us

Ever had a moment where you absolutely knew you were right, but still hesitated to speak up?

I’ve been there more times than I’d like to admit, even after years in biopharma comms.

What we now commonly call “imposter syndrome” was actually first termed “the impostor phenomenon” in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes. It’s that nagging feeling that, despite evidence of our skills, we’re secretly frauds. 

In our field, the stakes often feel so high that uncertainty gets mistaken for incompetence.

This ties closely to something called the Dunning-Kruger Effect, which shows that genuine experts often doubt themselves precisely because they know enough to understand how complex things really are.

Here’s the kicker: feeling self-doubt doesn’t mean we’re not capable. It just means we’re aware of our limits. And that’s actually a good thing.

The key isn’t eliminating doubt entirely, but rather learning not to let doubt drive our decisions.

Next time you hesitate, remind yourself: confidence isn’t the absence of doubt; it’s acting despite it.