A Practical Coaching Lens
on Imposter Syndrome and Limiting Beliefs
**Cognitive Behavioural Coaching as a useful tool in transition work.**

When leaders move roles, their calendar changes overnight. But the bigger shift is often invisible: the internal narrative.

During transitions, many high performers experience an uptick in self-doubt, fear of failure, perfectionism, and imposter thinking (Terblanche et al., 2017). These aren’t just “confidence issues.” They are patterns of thinking that shape emotion and behaviour—often under pressure.

That is why Cognitive Behavioural Coaching (CBC) is so useful in transition work. Rooted in CBT, CBC is a short-term, evidence-informed approach that helps clients identify and modify stress-inducing, performance-inhibiting beliefs (O’Broin & Palmer, 2009; Tomoiagă & David, 2023).

What transition pressure does to thinking

Under threat (real or perceived), the brain defaults to protection: scanning for danger, anticipating judgement, preparing for rejection. In leadership transitions—where visibility is high—this can look like:

overworking to “prove yourself”,

avoiding stakeholders who feel intimidating,

playing safe (low visibility) instead of leading,

or becoming reactive in meetings.

CBC gives a clean way to work with this without pathologising the client. It asks: What happened? What did you tell yourself it meant? What did you feel? What did you do? What did it cost you?

“CBC gives a clean way to work with this without pathologising the client. It asks: What happened? What did you tell yourself it meant? What did you feel? What did you do? What did it cost you? ”

The ABCDEF structure (simple, powerful, and coachable)

The CBC ABCDEF tool helps clients slow down and see the chain:

A Activating event (what happened)

B Beliefs (what I told myself)

C Consequences (feelings + behaviours)

D Dispute (challenge beliefs with evidence)

E Effects (new feelings/behaviour options)

F Future focus (what I will do next time)

Used well, it helps clients replace internal blocks with more enabling beliefs (Whitmore, 2017). It also shifts coaching from “venting” to insight + action.

Why we integrate GROW with CBC in transitions

GROW adds a performance pathway:

Goal (what do you want in this new role—now?)

Reality (what’s true internally and externally?)

Options (what could you do?)

Will (what will you commit to?)

In a transition, Reality is where the work often is: the client’s internal perception, and the external context they’re stepping into (Whitmore, 2017). The combination supports self-awareness and goal attainment, and research suggests coaching can improve resilience and workplace wellbeing (Grant et al., 2009).

A provocative reframe

Imposter syndrome is not always a personal deficit. Sometimes it’s an internal response to an external system that has questioned your legitimacy. Coaching must hold both: internal patterns and external realities (including bias and power) (Shoukry & Cox, 2018).

The goal is not “positive thinking.” The goal is clear thinking—so a leader can choose their response rather than be driven by fear.