Feel Like an Imposter in Your New Role? Here's What You Can Do.

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Paula Castillo, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

Have you ever walked out of a meeting replaying every word?
“Why can’t I feel confident?”
“Why can’t I get over the fear of speaking up?”
“When will I finally be good enough?”

If yes, you’re not alone. Imposter syndrome is a natural response to change, especially when you’re stepping into a new role, a bigger title, or a room where everyone seems to expect more of you. It’s also exhausting.

Here’s what I invite you to do: change the question. Instead of “when will I finally be feel like I’m good enough?” ask “what could I do better next time?” It sounds like a small shift. In practice, it changes everything.

What Is Feedforward?

Feedforward is a concept developed by Marshall Goldsmith, one of the world’s most respected executive coaches, as a future-focused alternative to traditional feedback.

Traditional feedback looks backward: here’s what you did, here’s what went wrong. For high achievers who already tend toward self-criticism, that backward look can become a spiral. You don’t need more evidence for the imposter story. You need a path forward.

Feedforward flips the direction. Instead of analyzing the past, you ask people for one specific suggestion about what you could do differently next time. It’s practical, forward-looking, and remarkably effective at breaking the rumination cycle that imposter syndrome thrives on.

Why This Works for Imposters Specifically

Here’s the pattern I see in coaching: after a presentation, a difficult meeting, or a high-visibility moment, clients with imposter syndrome do one of two things. They either avoid asking for any feedback at all, terrified of what they might hear, or they seek reassurance, looking for someone to tell them it wasn’t as bad as they think.

Neither moves them forward.

Feedforward does something different. It assumes competence, it’s future-oriented, and it gives you something concrete to work with. Instead of “how did I do?” you’re asking “what’s one thing I could do to be even more effective next time?” That’s a question a confident professional asks. And asking it, regardless of how you feel inside, is itself a confidence-building behavior.

Three Questions to Start With

You don’t need a coach to use feedforward. Here are three questions you can bring to a trusted colleague, your manager, or a peer after your next high-stakes moment:

“In important meetings, what’s one thing I could do that would make me more effective?”
“What’s one suggestion you have for how I could communicate more confidently with the team?”
“Next time I present, what’s one thing I could do to make my message land more clearly?”

Keep it to one question per person. Keep it forward-focused. And resist the urge to explain or defend yourself when you hear the answer. Just listen, say thank you, and write it down.

How This Works in Coaching
When I use feedforward with clients, we make it specific and structured. Together we identify one context where imposter feelings are strongest: a weekly leadership meeting, a recurring presentation, a one-on-one with a senior stakeholder.

The client asks two or three people one feedforward question in that context. They come to our next session with what they heard. Then we do the most important part: we turn the input into one or two concrete behaviors to practice.

If three people said some version of “get to your point faster,” the behavior isn’t “be more confident.” It’s “state my main point in the first sixty seconds, before I give any context.” Specific, observable, and immediately actionable.
That’s the shift from self-criticism to growth. Not through reassurance, but through real, future-focused data and deliberate practice.

Your Assignment

Pick one upcoming situation where imposter feelings tend to show up: a meeting, a presentation, a conversation with leadership.

After it happens, ask one person one feedforward question: “What’s one thing I could do next time to be more effective in this kind of situation?”

Listen without defending. Write down what you hear. Then choose one behavior to apply the next time a similar situation comes up.

Notice what shifts, not just in how others respond, but in how you relate to your own performance. You’re no longer replaying what went wrong. You’re building what comes next.

That’s how imposters become leaders. One future-focused question at a time.

Paula Castillo is a bilingual PCC executive coach based in Washington, DC, specializing in imposter syndrome for high achievers, managers, and leaders. She works in English and Spanish.