Moving From Rocket Science to Human Potential
Despite a highly successful two-decade career working on rocket technologies and medical devices for Fortune 500 companies like Boeing and ATK, Dr. Angela Trego, a rocket scientist turned people leader, realized her true energy didn’t come from solving technical problems—it came from watching the people around her grow. She noticed that technical expertise wasn’t the biggest predictor of success. Instead, highly capable, brilliant individuals were holding themselves back simply because they lacked the confidence to speak up.
“Confidence is the foundation which allows talent to show up. If you don’t have the confidence to use those skills, much of your potential remains untapped.” — Dr. Angela Trego
The Turning Point: Evidence Over Emotion
Dr. Trego candidly shares her own experience with imposter syndrome. Entering Boeing Phantom Works as the only female engineer out of 200 men—and being 10 to 15 years younger than everyone else—she spent months terrified that leadership would realize they “hired the wrong person.” This anxiety kept her silent, causing her to hold back her best ideas.
The shift happened when a mentor challenged her to stop attributing her success to “luck” or “good timing.” Instead, he had her write down her concrete, black-and-white skills and decisions.
By replacing emotion with evidence, she realized during a critical supplier meeting that she was the only person in the room who knew the answer to a highly complex technical question. That breakthrough completely shifted her career trajectory, leading her to claim patents, send technologies into space, and boldly challenge the status quo.
- Confidence is a Skill, Not a Trait: You aren’t just born with confidence; it is a muscle that can be deliberately practiced, built, and strengthened.
- The “Playing Not to Lose” Trap: Operating out of fear or trying to avoid mistakes radically diminishes the quality of your work compared to “playing to win” and showcasing what you are truly capable of.
- Imposter Syndrome vs. The Dunning-Kruger Effect: While the Dunning-Kruger effect causes individuals with low skills to have an overinflated sense of confidence, imposter syndrome causes highly skilled individuals to radically undervalue their capabilities.
- Impact on the Bottom Line: When employees stay silent due to a lack of confidence, organizations miss out on the best strategic solutions. Building collective confidence directly drives communication, collaboration, and business growth.
Squash Imposter Syndrome Today
If you or a member of your team are currently battling the feeling that you don’t belong at the table, implement these practical strategies immediately:
- Pause and Question the Narrative: The next time that internal voice tells you that you aren’t qualified or don’t belong, freeze the thought. Do not accept it as absolute truth.
- Separate Fact from Feeling: Actively ask yourself, “What is the objective, measurable evidence supporting the idea that I don’t belong here?”
- Document Your “Receipts”: Keep a literal or digital running log of your concrete accomplishments, specialized skills, strategic decisions, and positive project outcomes. Refer to this black-and-white data whenever self-doubt creeps in.
- Practice “Project Ownership” Mindsets: If you are presenting or leading an initiative, mentally step into the role of the definitive owner of that data. Embracing complete ownership naturally sharpens presentation clarity, brevity, and articulation.
To learn more about Dr. Angela Trego’s work, access her workbook resources, or connect with her, visit angelatrego.com or find her book, “Squashing the Imposter Syndrome,” on Amazon.
