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How does mentoring help with imposter syndrome in the workplace?
Mentoring helps with imposter syndrome by reframing constant self-questioning as a strength rather than a flaw. When others actively seek you out for guidance, it proves — in practice — that your expertise is real. The habit of checking, improving, and questioning yourself is not a weakness: it can be a superpower.
Self-doubt as fuel — Naz Khanon's reframe at Lane's Group
Naz Khanon, Head of People at Lane's Group and winner of the One Mentoring Programme's Mentor of the Year award in 2025, openly acknowledges that imposter syndrome is something many people carry with them throughout their careers. Her point is precise: the very behaviours imposter syndrome produces — constant self-checking, questioning your own decisions, pushing yourself to improve — are the same behaviours that make a good mentor and a sharp professional.
Rather than treating self-doubt as a problem to be solved, Khanon and the host reframe it as a potential superpower. This perspective, explored in depth in The Future of Utilities Podcast, shifts the conversation from "how do I stop feeling like a fraud?" to "how do I use this energy constructively?"
Being sought out as a mentor is itself a confidence-builder
There is a concrete mechanism at work here, not just a mindset shift. When colleagues and peers come to Khanon as a member of the senior leadership team looking for support, that act of being sought out is a direct, repeated validation of her expertise. Imposter syndrome thrives on abstraction — it is much harder to sustain when real people are choosing to trust you with their professional development.
This dynamic is one of the most practical insights discussed in this episode of the podcast: mentoring doesn't just benefit the mentee. It actively reinforces the mentor's own sense of competence and legitimacy. The relationship works in both directions — a point that Khanon and Sophia Goring, 2024 Mentor of the Year winner at Business Stream, both make clear in the conversation.
The Women's Utilities Network, founded in 2018 by five women who were often the only females in the room, has built its entire model around this kind of mutual reinforcement through connection. As Anderson describes, the network's mentoring activities — including the One Mentoring Programme — have grown dramatically: from a handful of participants two years ago to well over 100 women and allies gathered at the Future Utilities conference event. That growth is itself evidence of how much demand there is for exactly this kind of structured, confidence-building relationship, a topic covered extensively in The Future of Utilities Podcast.
"Mentoring, for me, has given me a purpose. Seeing people build confidence, overcoming obstacles, they've set goals that they thought were impossible. Seeing them achieve those goals has been rewarding."
Karen Anderson — Executive Director, Women's Utilities Network.
Anderson has led the Women's Utilities Network for just over two years, steering an organisation founded in 2018 by five women determined to change the gender landscape of the utilities sector. Under her leadership, the network's events and mentoring initiatives have scaled significantly — the Future Utilities conference gathering alone grew from a dozen participants to more than 100 women and allies in the space of two years. Anderson is a visible advocate for inclusion and diversity across the industry, regularly speaking at major sector events.
The quote above — from Anderson rather than Khanon — illustrates the same underlying truth from the mentor's vantage point: seeing others overcome what they believed were impossible goals is itself a source of confidence and purpose. The act of mentoring closes the loop that imposter syndrome tries to keep open. You can listen to the full conversation on The Future of Utilities Podcast.
See also
What do mentors gain from mentoring relationships, beyond what mentees receive?
Both Naz Khanon and Sophia Goring emphasise that mentoring is a two-way relationship: mentors develop coaching skills and broaden their understanding through the perspectives mentees bring, growing in ways that go well beyond what mentees alone receive.
How did networking directly shape Sophia Goring's career path into sustainability?
Sophia Goring met a woman named Lindsay who worked for a social mobility charity called Career Ready while she was working in communications. That connection directly opened the door to her move into sustainability.
How can professionals approach networking in a less daunting, more authentic way?
Sophia Goring advises going into networking with an open mind about potential value, without putting too much pressure on yourself — some opportunities emerge naturally when you remove the expectation of an immediate outcome.
Key takeaways
- Imposter syndrome's core habit — constant self-checking and improvement — can be reframed as a professional asset rather than a personal flaw.
- Being actively sought out by colleagues for mentoring support is a concrete, repeated signal that validates the mentor's own expertise.
- The One Mentoring Programme, backed by the Women's Utilities Network, provides a structured framework for this kind of confidence-building relationship in the utilities sector.
- Mentoring works in both directions: the mentor's sense of purpose and competence grows alongside the mentee's confidence.
This answer comes directly from an episode of The Future of Utilities Podcast. The full conversation — with Karen Anderson, Naz Khanon and Sophia Goring — is available on Listenly.
Listen to the episode on Listenly