Imposter Syndrome Self-Assessment

Healthy self-doubt vs. imposter syndrome that's actively costing you money

Some self-doubt is useful — it's what makes you prepare for a call instead of winging it. This assessment isn't measuring whether you doubt yourself (everyone does); it's measuring whether that doubt has started changing your behavior — what you charge, what you ask for, and how much you put yourself out there. That's the line between a healthy trait and a performance problem.

Part A — Frequency scale (10 statements)

Score each 0–3: 0 = Never · 1 = Rarely · 2 = Often · 3 = Almost always

1. I attribute my wins to luck, timing, or the prospect being easy, rather than something I did. ____
2. I feel like I'll be "found out" as less capable than people think I am. ____
3. I downplay my results when someone compliments them. ____
4. I compare myself unfavorably to peers even when my numbers are comparable or better. ____
5. I over-prepare for calls I'm already qualified to run, out of fear of being caught short. ____
6. I replay small mistakes from calls long after they're over. ____
7. I assume a good quarter was a fluke that won't repeat. ____
8. I feel like an outsider in rooms with more senior titles, regardless of how the conversation is actually going. ____
9. I hesitate to claim credit for a win in team settings. ____
10. I believe if I stop working twice as hard as everyone else, my results will collapse. ____

Part A subtotal: ____ / 30

Part B — The behavior check (this is the part that actually matters)

These three are weighted more heavily than Part A, because feeling self-doubt is normal — the real cost is when it changes what you actually do. Answer Yes/No honestly, checking your actual last 30 days, not your general sense of yourself.

• The price question: In the last 30 days, did I discount, undersell, or offer something extra before being asked, because I doubted the prospect would say yes at full value? Yes / No
• The seniority question: In the last 30 days, did I avoid, delay, or hand off a conversation with a senior/VP+ title that was actually mine to run? Yes / No
• The volume question: In the last 30 days, did I do meaningfully less outreach/prospecting than my plan called for, specifically because I didn't feel "ready" or "good enough" yet — not because of a legitimate time constraint? Yes / No

Scoring

What to do about a "Yes" on each Part B question

• Price: Before your next pricing conversation, decide the number in advance, in writing, before the call — and hold it as a rule, not a feeling, for the first minute of pushback.
• Seniority: Take the next senior-title conversation deliberately, and use the same structure/questions you'd use with anyone else — the title is the only thing that changed, not your competence.
• Volume: Set a numeric outreach target for the week that doesn't require you to "feel ready" first — the target is the trigger, not your confidence level. (Pair with the Prospecting Habit-Stack Template.)

The one-line test to run any time

"Am I about to under-ask, under-charge, or under-reach because of something real about this situation — or because of a feeling I'd have regardless of the situation?"

If it's the feeling, do the thing anyway and note the outcome. The evidence, not the feeling, is what actually updates the pattern over time.