Recently, Blair Search Partners CEO, Trevor Blair, and Managing Director, Torrey Albertazzi, went live with Sheri Nasim, President and CEO of the Center for Executive Excellence, for a powerful conversation on leadership, purpose, and the realities of self-doubt.
The discussion, part of BSP’s Building a Winning Team LinkedIn Live series, explored how imposter syndrome shows up in leaders at every level, why it may simply be a normal sign of growth, and how self-awareness can turn uncertainty into strength.
Meet Sheri
Sheri’s career began in the legal field, where she climbed the corporate ladder one title at a time. But everything changed one morning on her commute when she heard a client’s record-breaking quarterly profits on the radio.
“I remember thinking, ‘What am I doing?’” she said. “Am I making an impact?”
That question led her to redefine her goals. Sheri left corporate law to pursue a path that combined purpose, strategy, and people. Years later, when her company faced layoffs, her husband encouraged her to go beyond helping one organization at a time. That conversation inspired Sheri to found Center for Executive Excellence, where she now coaches leaders across industries to grow in ways that are both challenging and sustainable.
Her journey from corporate law to executive coaching and leadership consulting taught her that growth often begins in discomfort, and the moments that make leaders question themselves are usually the same moments that shape them.
The Power of Self-Doubt
Sheri reframes imposter syndrome as something far less clinical and far more human. Rather than viewing self-doubt as a flaw to eliminate, she sees it as evidence of growth. In her view, as leaders grow into higher and more complex forms of leadership, a healthy amount of uncertainty can serve to help them stay grounded, curious, and open to solving new challenges.
She reminded us that the term originally began as imposter phenomenon, coined in the late 1970s by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes. Over time, the idea morphed into a “syndrome,” implying pathology where there often isn’t any.
According to Sheri, healthy self-doubt is an essential leadership trait. “If you’re not still learning and recognizing that you don’t have it all figured out, that’s when I start to worry,” she said. “I’d rather see someone with a little more self-doubt than someone with ‘expertitus’.”
“And when you allow room for the fact that you don’t have all of the answers,” she added, “you’re more likely to take a beat and respond rather than react to leadership challenges.”
When Growth Turns Unhealthy
Sheri also drew a clear line between healthy and unhealthy forms of self-doubt.
“When your self-doubt becomes a state instead of a trait, that’s when it’s unhealthy,” she explained.
She encouraged leaders to stay curious when those feelings arise. By considering why they are feeling uncertain, leaders can uncover whether the discomfort is a natural consequence of personal growth or a system that is not designed to help them succeed.
In her Forbes article on the topic, part of which Torrey quoted during the conversation, Sheri wrote that when people feel pressured to hide parts of their identity to fit in, the problem is not personal, it is systemic.
Healthy leadership growth, Sheri emphasized, requires both inner awareness and systems awareness. “If you feel forced to leave part of your identity at home so that you can better fit in at work, that’s not imposter syndrome. That’s systemic bias,” she wrote. “If you can’t imagine yourself on the senior leadership team because no one on that team looks like you, that’s not a you thing. That’s a them thing.”
Accountability and Authenticity in Leadership
For Sheri, true leadership begins with accountability to oneself. During the conversation, she quoted Warren Bennis: “The point is not to become a leader. The point is to become yourself.”
She often reminds clients not to negotiate with themselves when it comes to their goals. As she put it, many people make promises to themselves and then quietly walk them back. Leaders, she said, must learn to honor their own commitments first.
Accountability also involves honesty. She explained that when leaders carry unresolved anxieties or insecurities, those emotions inevitably influence how they lead. Staying connected to one’s purpose and values is what makes authenticity possible.
“As a leader, you are the cultural architect of your organization,” Sheri said. “It’s not written in your job description, but it should be.”
Creating Cultures That Normalize Learning
Sheri emphasized that strong cultures begin with how leaders respond when things go wrong. She often tells clients that what happens after a mistake says more about an organization’s values than any mission statement.
She referenced former WD-40 CEO Garry Ridge, who coined the term “learning moments.” The idea, she explained, is to replace blame with curiosity. When teams see that both breakthroughs and breakdowns are treated as opportunities to learn from one another, they stop operating from fear and start taking ownership.
“Encourage your team to talk about what didn’t work,” Sheri said. “If you punish people for mistakes, you create fear. If you treat them as learning moments, you create growth.”
She added that this mindset allows leaders to model the same humility they hope to see in others. When people feel safe to ask questions and test new ideas, innovation naturally follows, and growth becomes a collective process rather than an individual pursuit.
Coaching as a Catalyst for Growth
Sheri also reflected on how executive coaching has evolved. Once seen as a privilege reserved for top corporate executives, it is now recognized as an essential tool for leaders at every level.
“Can you imagine an athlete who is given no feedback?” she asked. “Successful athletes have multiple coaches to help stay on top of their game. Leadership should be no different.”
She explained that coaching is not about fixing flaws but about perspective. The right coach helps leaders slow down, reflect, and realign with their values. “It’s not about fixing what’s broken,” she said. “It’s about slowing down enough to ask, ‘Do I like what I see? And if not, what do I need to work on?’”
What’s Next?
As Sheri looks ahead, she continues to challenge leaders to lead with curiosity and courage.
“Don’t be the first person to tell yourself no,” she said. Sheri reminded the audience that when self-doubt appears, it can be a signal of how much you care about doing meaningful work.
A huge thank you to Sheri Nasim for sharing her honesty, humor, and wisdom, and for reminding us that leadership is not about erasing doubt but transforming it into growth.
Stay tuned on LinkedIn as we continue to meet with top experts in and around the nonprofit and public agency sectors to explore the challenges, opportunities, and insights that help us all build a winning team.
If you’re curious about Blair Search Partners, on the hunt for a new role, or looking to fill positions in your organization, reach out and let’s see what we can do together!