Show notes
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture.
This week we explore Gen-Z slang entering the office, the hidden operational signals behind high turnover roles, and a high-profile executive fallout over women in leadership.
Plus, we put the infamous 70% imposter syndrome statistic under the microscope and answer questions about poor management setups, bad hires, and wellbeing allowances in the Workplace Surgery.
🔥 Stories covered
The rise of the "Larper" in the workplace
Have you ever met someone who talks like an expert but lacks the actual experience?
Leanne breaks down new Gen-Z/Alpha lingo highlighted by Zak Asgard in The Times. Originating from "Live Action Role-Player", calling someone a LARPer means they are pretending to adopt a persona or lifestyle that doesn't match reality—from sommelier wannabes to fake chefs. In the context of work, as youth unemployment figures rise, many young people adopt the identity of a role when actual career opportunities remain hard to reach.
Source: https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/article/larper-larping-t9tm0vmkt
The job nobody stays in
Why do certain roles in an organisation have a revolving door?
Al discusses an op-ed by robotics founder Matthew Chang, who targets turnover before looking at factory machines. When multiple people leave the exact same role after a few months, the common factor isn't bad hires or flawed recruitment—it's the structure, status, and design of the job itself.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/stop-trying-retain-employees-changrobotics-k4xce/
McKinsey partner demoted after LinkedIn row over the "Glass Cliff"
A senior partner with 27 years at McKinsey has been stripped of his leadership roles following a public dispute on LinkedIn with author Julia Carreon. After dismissing the "glass cliff" phenomenon—where women are appointed to leadership roles during periods of crisis—as "a very convenient way to always be a victim in the rain", McKinsey launched a conduct review over comments that fell short of firm standards.
Source: https://truthliesandwork.com/288/ | Julia Carreon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-c-carreon-8318674/
🧠 Truth or Lie: Do 70% of us have imposter syndrome?
This week we examine the wildly popular statistic that 70% of people suffer from imposter syndrome.
Leanne clarifies that psychologists refer to it as the "imposter phenomenon" rather than a clinical syndrome. While studies in high-pressure environments (like neurosurgeons and healthcare workers) yield figures over 60–90%, broader career-spanning data, survey selection biases, and moving diagnostic cut-offs show that the true figure across the general population remains uncertain.
Sources:
Bravata, D. M., Watts, S. A., Keefer, A. L., Madhusudhan, D. K., Taylor, K. T., Clark, D. M., Nelson, R. S., Cokley, K. O., & Hagg, H. K. (2020). Prevalence, predictors, and treatment of impostor syndrome: A systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 35(4), 1252–1275. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-019-05364-1
Gravois, J. (2007, November 9). You’re not fooling anyone. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/youre-not-fooling-anyone/
Hill, A. P., & Gotwals, J. K. (2025). A meta-analysis of multidimensional perfectionism and impostor phenomenon. Journal of Research in Personality, 118, Article 104639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2025.104639
Omar, Y. M., Khattab, Y. A., Abdelmageed, A., Messak, M., Mandour, Y., Shabeeb, A. E., Zakaria, A. M., & Abouelmagd, M. E. (2026). The impostor phenomenon construct in medical education: A meta-analysis of its prevalence and a critical appraisal of its measurement. Advances in Health Sciences Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-026-10513-3
Price, P. C., Holcomb, B., & Payne, M. B. (2024). Gender differences in impostor phenomenon: A meta-analytic review. Current Research in Behavioral Sciences, 7, Article 100155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crbeha.2024.100155
Sakulku, J., & Alexander, J. (2011). The impostor phenomenon. International Journal of Behavioral Science, 6(1), 75–97. https://doi.org/10.14456/ijbs.2011.6
Salari, N., Hashemian, S. H., Hosseinian-Far, A., Fallahi, A., Heidarian, P., Rasoulpoor, S., & Mohammadi, M. (2025). Global prevalence of imposter syndrome in health service providers: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychology, 13, Article 571. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02898-4
Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale: https://www.clanceimpostorphenomenonscale.org/
💬 Workplace Surgery
This week we tackle three listener dilemmas:
• Am I a bad manager, or is the role set up to fail? Dealing with role conflict, responsibility without authority, and competing priorities from leaders.
• Did I hire a great interviewer rather than a great employee? How to spot candidates who "talk the talk" during selection and avoid likeness bias.
• What would you spend a £100-a-month wellbeing allowance on? Ideas across physical, psychological, social, and financial wellbeing—from cleaners to experiences.
📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat
Mental health support
UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org
UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk
US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org
Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global helplines
https://findahelpline.com
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