Today, I want to talk about something I’ve struggled with. And, if I’m guessing right, so have you: Imposter Syndrome.

It’s that repetitive and irritating voice that keeps reminding you, “You’re not good enough. You don’t belong here. Someone’s going to find out.”

As product managers, we feel it. A lot.

Why?

Because we’re generalists.

We’re not the best designer, the best engineer, or the best data scientist in the team.

Our job is to connect the dots between all these experts and make the whole team stronger.

But sometimes, not being a “specialist” can make us question our own abilities.

Here’s the thing…

Imposter syndrome isn’t some mysterious force holding us back.

It’s not even a real “syndrome.”

It’s just a lack of confidence.

And here’s the good news…

you can fix it.

Let me explain.

The root of imposter syndrome is simple: You don’t feel confident in your abilities.

This could be generic where we feel "I am not fit for this job. I should change careers." Or it could be more specific to a skill or situation—"I suck at presentations" or "My data analysis is never comprehensive..."

It doesn't matter which situation you find yourself in. The fact of the matter is that you lack confidence because of one of two reasons:

Before you read on, I want you to do a small thought exercise.

Take a moment to remember the last time when you lacked confidence.

Then ask yourself, was it because of #1 or #2 above?

And if you can’t remember the last time, that is fine.

The next time you feel under confident (or you feel like an imposter) ask yourself which of the two reasons is causing it.

It is important to do this exercise consciously every time you go through the emotions.

Unless you acknowledge it, you will not be able to overcome it!

And in this exercise, you’re not acknowledging that you are not good. You’re just acknowledging that you lack confidence. Once you do that, then you can identify the reason, fix it, and gain the required confidence.

Just to put it in context, this is the process I follow.

“Fake it till you make it” is not how it works.

The way it works is where you gain the confidence you’re missing by addressing the root cause.

Acknowledge and convince yourself (no matter how long it takes) that imposter syndrome is not real.

Then, find out what the real issue is.

Take a step back and figure out what’s making you feel under confident.

Is it lack of specific knowledge? Is it lack of context? Is it your inability to communicate well? Or is it more about people skills—where you’re unable to convince others and get your point across?

Whatever it is—write it down. Make it specific. The more specific you are about your shortcoming the easier it will be to overcome it.

Personal Example: One scenario that always lowered my confidence was giving presentations—especially when senior leaders and execs were in the room.

Every time, I’d walk out thinking, “I suck at this. No one’s going to trust me after this mess.”

But then I sat down and got real with myself: Why was I so bad at this?

It hit me—I wasn’t unprepared; I was the wrong kind of prepared. I knew my slides and talking points inside out, but I wasn’t ready for the Q&A. I was scared of pausing, reflecting, and admitting I didn’t have an immediate answer.

I’d set impossible expectations for myself: Always have the perfect answer. Never fumble.

Guess what?

That was the problem, not my actual skills.

Once you know what is limiting your confidence, the journey becomes easier.

If it’s something you can learn, then commit to learning it.

Take a course, shadow a teammate, or even just ask questions. Remember, as a PM, your superpower is curiosity—not expertise.

In my case, it was clear: I wasn’t preparing the right way for presentations. So I changed my approach.

Instead of just practicing to “present,” I focused on preparing for conversations—handling questions calmly and confidently.

Before every big presentation, I practiced with smaller groups, gathered feedback, and prepped for the tough questions I knew might come up. I even started sharing my presentations with key audience members beforehand to uncover potential questions they might have.

It was neither easy nor quick, but I reached out to others who were confident presenters, studied their approach, and applied what I learned.

Slowly, I realized something crucial: No one expects perfection.

Execs don’t expect you to have all the answers. Instead they expect clarity, structure, and the ability to find the answers.

And guess what? While I was busy doubting myself, a senior leader told me they admired my presentations for being concise and structured.

Turns out, the harshest critic was me. That’s when I made it a habit to reach out to relevant people after every presentation and ask for feedback!

That was just one example.

But I’ve doubted myself in plenty of situations. And every single time, the following techniques helped me bounce back stronger, smarter, and way more confident:

Once you know what’s holding you back and how to fix it, stop hesitating and take action. No excuses, no shortcuts—just do the work.

Here’s the truth: Confidence doesn’t come for free. You have to earn it by putting in the effort to close the gaps. Whether it’s reading, practicing, or asking for help, do whatever it takes to improve.

You’ll never know everything, and that’s okay.

Your job isn’t to have all the answers—it’s to ask the right questions and bring the right people together to find them.

Knowing some answers is great, but knowing how to find the answer? That’s your real superpower.

Imposter syndrome is just a lack of confidence. And confidence comes from knowing what you need to know—or accepting what you don’t.

So the next time you feel like an imposter, ask yourself:

Once you stop expecting yourself to know everything, you’ll realize you already have everything you need to be great at what you do.

You’ve got this.

Until next time,Sid