Imposter Syndrome Is Quietly Costing Your Company Millions
High potential doesn't always look polished. When motivated employees lack the skills to channel their drive, organizations bleed productivity, lose good people, and miss the talent hiding in plain sight. I help you find and develop them.
THE PROBLEM
You may not hear employees talk about it...
But the data is hard to ignore.
Below is a breakdown of data and insights from a 2022 UK study that likely includes scenarios deeply affecting the productivity of your company
A UK survey of 2,500 workers found that 58% experience imposter syndrome at work.
Employers with workers who experience frequent imposter syndrome face considerable challenges, including employees who engage in:
39%
Avoid applying for internal promotions
41%
Measurable loss in productivity
44%
Higher staff turnover
57%
Measurable loss in productivity
63%
Greater levels of procrastination
10 days
of full productivity lost per affected employee, per year. With 50 employees and half experiencing imposter syndrome regularly, that's 250 lost workdays annually — before you account for turnover costs.
94%
of affected employees have never talked about these feelings at work. You won't hear it in a meeting or a 1:1. But the behaviors, the hesitation, the overthinking, the friction are already costing you.
THE FOUNDER
A Different Approach From Someone Who's Actually Been There
"I've sat in those leadership meetings. I know what 'she just needs more confidence' actually costs — in time, in talent, and in the people who quietly walk out the door."
With over a decade of experience across corporate and start-up environments and a B.A. in Anthropology, Marissa brings a rare lens to the human side of work. Before founding The High Potential Movement, she served as Director of Culture at a fast-growing, mission-driven company — where she built the entire people strategy from the ground up, designed core people processes, and coached employees at every level through leadership transitions and organizational change.
Over the past several years, she has worked directly with hundreds of high-potential and high-performing professionals — from individual contributors to CEOs — who quietly struggle with imposter syndrome and underconfidence at work. This work, combined with her own early-career experience navigating imposter syndrome, revealed patterns most organizations never see coming.
Leaders struggle too
Most leaders are dealing with their own imposter syndrome and are completely unequipped to coach employees through low confidence — beyond generic encouragement.
The signs aren't obvious
Imposter syndrome presents in many different ways. But the one quality that consistently drives it is intrinsic motivation — internal drive and pride in doing excellent work.
Intrinsic motivation is the signal
Intrinsic motivation is the signal
It's the #1 indicator of high-performer potential. Even if an employee is currently low in self-awareness, emotional regulation, or people skills — those can all be taught in 3 months or less.
Most companies are developing only one version of a high performer
There's a full spectrum of behaviors that indicate high intrinsic motivation — and within that spectrum, several distinct behavioral patterns. Company leaders typically only recognize the one in the middle. The others go undeveloped, or worse, managed out. Do any of these remind you of someone on your team?
High Anxiety
High Drive
High Anxiety Striver
Seeks reassurance constantly; intensely afraid of failure
Procrastinates from fear, dysregulation, and perfectionism
Takes feedback personally and takes a long time to recover
Highly motivated, but very low in emotional regulation skills. Primarily driven by fear.
The Cautious Achiever
Thoughtful but slow decision-making
Afraid to be visible; turns down stretch opportunities
Prefers preparation; not confident on the spot
Highly motivated, but low in self-trust, confidence, and assertiveness.
Recognized High Performer
Consistent performance; demonstrates initiative
Communicates confidently in meetings
Positive relationships; well-developed EQ
Polished, reliable, and productive. High motivation and a balanced skillset.
The Type A Driver
Over-researches and overanalyzes decisions
Shows urgency around quality and accuracy
Fixates on details at the expense of productivity
Highly motivated, but low in psychological flexibility and resilience.
High-Drive Bulldozer
Dominates meetings; frustrated with slower teammates
Micromanages; takes ownership without permission
Volunteers for more work when already behind
Highly motivated, but very low in self-awareness, self-regulation, and relationship skills.
FREE ASSESSMENT
Find out exactly where your employees fall on this spectrum
This guide will help you explore each of these archetypes in detail, learn how to identify employees with low intrinsic motivation, and understand how to develop high-potential talent already inside your organization.
How we work together
Here's what it looks like to work with The High Potential Movement:
01
BOOK A CALL
We start with a Talent Audit
A focused conversation to understand your team dynamics, current challenges, and the behaviors you're seeing. We'll identify exactly where the gaps are — and whether they're motivation problems or skill development problems.
02
WE GET TO WORK
Identification + Activation
We train your leaders to recognize the full spectrum of intrinsically motivated employees, and equip both leaders and employees with the specific skills to translate that drive into measurable high performance.
03
YOUR RESULT
A High Performance team
Employees who were formerly frustrating or fear-driven may be unrecognizable in weeks. Your most motivated employees — finally operating at the level they were always capable of. Your leaders, finally equipped to develop every type of high potential talent.
SERVICES
4 key areas for activating high performance at your company
My work focuses on four interconnected levels of support. Most engagements combine two or more.
LEADERSHIP TRAINING & TALENT STRATEGY
Your leaders become the best talent developers in the room
I work with leadership teams to recognize and develop the full spectrum of intrinsically motivated employees — moving beyond outdated assumptions about what "high potential" looks like.
→ Coaching employees through imposter syndrome and self-trust issues
→ Building habits that nurture rather than suppress intrinsic motivation
→ Managing perfectionism and overthinking in high performers
COMPANY-WIDE SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Performance problems become skill development wins
Many performance issues aren't motivation problems — they're skill gaps. Company-wide training strengthens the core human capabilities that allow motivated employees to operate effectively.
→ Professional confidence and self-trust
→ Clear, confident workplace communication
→ Emotional regulation and resilience under pressure
→ Decision-making and sound professional judgment
→ Building strong working relationships across teams
TARGETED COACHING FOR KEY EMPLOYEES
Your key employees accelerate — fast
Some employees need more focused support. I work directly with select individuals who have the potential to create outsized impact and just need the right development to get there.
→ High-potential employees struggling with imposter syndrome at any level
→ Emerging leaders or high performers preparing for larger roles
→ Strong technical performers who need to develop people skills
HIRING & ONBOADING STRATEGY
Stop mis-hiring motivated people outside of your organization
I work with organizations to design hiring and onboarding processes that identify intrinsic motivation and values alignment from the very beginning — so you're building the right team before problems start.
→ Identify high-potential candidates earlier and reduce costly mis-hires
→ Build teams composed of intrinsically motivated contributors
→ Reinforce company values and expectations from day one
Real Transformations
"She Addresses it in a Way That Stays With You Forever"
“I’ve seen countless coaches/mentors, read many books on success and confidence in the workplace but nobody was ever able to get to the root of my problems other than Marissa. She knows exactly what causes a lack of confidence at work. She addresses it in a way that will stay with you forever. I would have never been able to understand myself as well as I do now without her!”
— Former Student
"Actionable Items That Are Easy To Understand"
"HPA has made such a difference in my daily interactions with staff and other leaders. The program has provided actionable items that were easy to understand and easy to implement in my daily life quickly. We are only half way through the program and if it ended today I would still feel like the program is worth it.”
— Jordan Switzer
"It has genuinely improved my life!!"
“The HPA program has been a game changer for me. I struggled with dealing with nerves and anxiety in work meetings at my corporate job. This program has truly opened my mind to how my thought process was flawed, and now I have new ways to process interactions at work. Thank you, Marissa, for creating this program! It has genuinely improved my life!!”
— Kathryn B.
"I feel more confident "
"Through this program, I’ve gained all the valuable tools that I’ve been searching for to help with my imposter syndrome. I feel more confident and equipped to handle challenges at work, learned a ton about myself, and have gotten much clarity on what steps I need to take to keep improving and making meaningful changes. If you feel stuck within the walls of your own professional insecurities, this is the course for you!”
— Former Student
Frequently asked questions
Your most motivated employees are already in the room.
READY TO START?
Let's identify them, develop them, and stop watching talent walk out the door.
Book a Talent Audit: a focused, no-commitment conversation about where your organization is leaving performance on the table.