How to turn imposter syndrome into a superpower

| In Productivity
| 5 minute read |by Constantin Gonzalez
A magical library interior with towering curved bookshelves reaching up to a ceiling covered in golden autumn leaves, warm ambient lighting, and a silhouetted person standing before a large circular window that floods the space with golden light

Here’s a secret: after almost 13 years at Amazon Web Services, I still felt like most people around me were smarter and more capable than me. And now, as a blogger looking at other writers? That feeling hasn’t gone away.

If this sounds familiar, you’re experiencing imposter syndrome—and you’re in excellent company. Even Adrian Hornsby, founder of Resilium Labs, recently admitted on LinkedIn:

I’ve given countless talks at large conferences. I’ve helped Fortune 500 companies build robust systems. I’ve spent years at AWS working with the best in the business.

And yet, three months into running my own practice, impostor syndrome has hit me harder than ever before.

After diagnosing my own imposter syndrome and helping dozens of colleagues work through theirs, I discovered something surprising:

Your imposter syndrome isn’t a weakness. It’s your secret weapon.

The counter-intuitive truth about imposter syndrome

If you take away just one insight from this article, let it be this: imposter syndrome means you’re probably already an expert.

This isn’t feel-good nonsense. It’s backed by the Dunning-Kruger Effect, a well-studied psychological phenomenon:

  • People who know little about a subject tend to overestimate their abilities
  • People who know a lot tend to underestimate their abilities

David Dunning himself put it brilliantly:

Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition. The problem with it is we see it in other people, and we don’t see it in ourselves. The first rule of the Dunning–Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning–Kruger club.

In other words: real imposters don’t have imposter syndrome.

Three ways imposter syndrome becomes your superpower

1. It makes you prepare like a champion

When I gave my first AWS re:Invent talk on “Running Lean Architectures”, my speaker coach told me to rehearse daily. My imposter syndrome kicked in—hard.

For a full week, I gave my 40-minute talk twice a day in front of a mirror. Morning and evening. Between rehearsals, I’d catch myself mentally running through sections, tweaking phrases, perfecting transitions.

Was I over-preparing? Absolutely. But when I stepped on that stage, something magical happened: I felt calm, confident, even had fun with my co-speaker. That “over-preparation” led to a seven-year series of re:Invent talks with companies like Adobe, Expedia, and HERE, and a new professional friendship with Markus Ostertag, AWS Community Hero, and Chief AWS Technologist at adesso who shared the stage with me multiple times.

The lesson: Your imposter syndrome pushes you to a level of preparation that confident people rarely reach. While they may wing it, you perfect it.

2. It turns you into a learning machine

Early in my AWS career, I’d freeze when customers asked questions I couldn’t answer. “This is it,” I’d think. “Now they know I’m a fraud.”

Then I discovered the power of three simple words: “I don’t know.”

My response became: “That’s an interesting question. Let me research this and get back to you with a comprehensive answer.” Customers appreciated the honesty. I’d dive deep, often building demos or tests, then send detailed responses with example code.

My wife Friederike is running her LinkedIn consulting business since 2012. She still researches report after report, running custom analyses for clients. That “imposter syndrome” drive to over-deliver has made her one of Germany’s top LinkedIn experts. Most importantly: her clients trust her completely.

The lesson: Imposter syndrome creates a learning flywheel. By admitting what you don’t know (yet), you remove the pressure to be omniscient and replace it with curiosity.

3. It keeps you humble and human

Your imposter syndrome is like a built-in quality control system. Because you’re aware of how much you don’t know, you:

  • Seek more feedback
  • Question your assumptions
  • Stay open to better ideas
  • Connect authentically with others who feel the same way

This humility makes you more relatable, more trustworthy, and ironically, more of an expert in others’ eyes. (Note: nobody likes a know-it-all anyway.)

How to harness your imposter syndrome

Now that you understand why imposter syndrome is valuable, here’s how to channel it productively:

Stop the comparison game

When you compare yourself to others, you’re being unfair to yourself. You’re comparing your inside experience to their outside appearance, your blooper reel to their highlight reel.

Plus, you’re probably comparing yourself to a Frankenstein’s monster—a composite of the best qualities you see in multiple people. No wonder you feel inadequate!

Instead: Compare yourself to yourself one year ago. Are you learning? Are you growing? If today’s version of you is better than last year’s, you’re winning!

Create your own imposter syndrome check-in

When that familiar feeling creeps in, ask yourself:

  1. “What specific skill or knowledge am I worried about lacking?”
  2. “What can I do this week to improve in that area?”
  3. “Who could I ask for help or feedback?”

This transforms vague anxiety into specific action.

Recognize the danger zone

While imposter syndrome can be a superpower, it becomes kryptonite when it:

  • Prevents you from taking opportunities
  • Makes you burn out from over-preparation
  • Stops you from celebrating legitimate achievements

If you’re turning down opportunities, avoiding visibility, or working yourself sick, it’s time to take a step back and reflect on what you know is real—and what you think others may or may not be thinking of you.

The path forward

Here’s what I’ve learned after more than two decades in tech: imposter syndrome never fully goes away. Even as I write this, I’m wondering if other bloggers would do it better.

But that’s okay. Because now I know that feeling means I care about quality, I’m still learning, and I’m probably more of an expert than I give myself credit for.

Your imposter syndrome isn’t something to overcome—it’s something to channel.

So the next time that voice whispers “you’re not good enough,” try responding with: “You’re right. I’m not done growing yet. And that’s exactly why I’m going to succeed.”

What will you do with your superpower?