After working in leadership roles for 25 years and being a female entrepreneur and business owner for more than a decade, I know what it’s like trying to overcome imposter syndrome.
As a woman in business, I was struggling with this sort of thing for years before finally realizing that I’m just as capable as my male counterparts, no matter how much they dominate the business world.
Unfortunately, most women in business will struggle to overcome imposter syndrome at some point in their careers, and it does seem to disproportionately affect women.
A survey from KPMG, which polled 750 female executives, found that 75 percent of respondents have experienced imposter syndrome.
What’s more, 85 percent believe imposter syndrome is common for women in business and nearly three-quarters believe that men don’t experience these feelings as much as women do.
However, 72 percent of respondents said they asked for guidance from a mentor or advisor when doubting their own abilities, and it’s good to know that most women who are dealing with this won’t hesitate to look for some sort of leadership coaching, or at least ask for advice from someone they trust.
But not every woman will be comfortable admitting that they feel like an imposter and I’m sure some women feel like they have no one they can confide in.
With that in mind, I wanted to share some of my experiences as a woman in business, explore how I overcame this issue, and offer some advice on how you can overcome imposter syndrome.
So, if you’re struggling with how to be a successful woman in a man’s world, or you just want to learn about getting over imposter syndrome, then I hope you take the time to keep reading.
How I Learned to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
As I already mentioned, I’ve definitely felt like an imposter over the years, but luckily, I was able to get over those feelings of self-doubt quite a long time ago.
For the most part, I did this by employing the strategies I’m about to suggest, but before I get into all that, I want to delve into a couple of anecdotes.
These situations might not seem that significant, but when I was trying to overcome imposter syndrome, these moments really helped me to put things in perspective.
Several years ago, while I was working for a large manufacturing company, we were getting a lot of complaints from local residents about all the dust that the factory was creating, and we were thinking about moving our operations.
As a result, one day I found myself in a meeting with all the bigwigs, including the CEO, and I was the only woman in the room.
Even though I was the director of human resources at the time, and had already had a long and successful career in HR, I still felt like I wasn’t worthy of being there.
But after participating in that meeting, and then another one, I realized that in the field of HR, I was actually smarter and more experienced than all the men in that room.
Sometime after having this realization, I finally stopped feeling like an imposter. I understood that I was in that position for a reason, and in my field of expertise, I was actually more capable than my male colleagues – I just happened to be the only female executive.
Another thing that I’ve learned about overcoming imposter syndrome, especially as it pertains to women, is that it’s not just about your perception of self. It’s also about your perception of others.
I’m sure for a lot of women, their feelings of unworthiness or inadequacy stem not just from the way they feel about themselves, but also from their assumptions about how men perceive them.
And as I got to thinking about this, another anecdote came to mind.
I remembered getting to work early one day, as I usually did, as I had to drive about 80 miles to get to the main office.
When I arrived, I was the first one there, so I started making coffee for everyone.
As I was making it, the CEO came in and made a point of saying that I shouldn’t think I have to make the coffee just because I’m the only female executive.
I told him that’s not how I felt, and this was just something I wanted to do.
At this point, he said, “Well, why don’t we each make a pot of coffee then?” And we did.
This moment really helped to change my perspective on my male colleagues, as I realized that even the CEO of the company didn’t think any differently of me just because I’m a woman.
Again, these anecdotes might seem pretty insignificant, but the change in perspective they provided helped me to overcome the feeling of being an imposter, as I finally accepted the fact that I had just as much of a reason to be there as the men did and more than likely, none of them thought any less of me.
Strategies for Overcoming Imposter Syndrome as a Woman in Business
Hopefully hearing how common imposter syndrome is for women in business has provided some comfort, at least in terms of realizing that you’re not alone.
And I hope the anecdotes I provided have given you a greater perspective on this subject, and helped you to understand how silly it is to feel like an imposter just because you’re a woman.
But at the end of the day, if you want to overcome imposter syndrome, you’re going to have to figure it out for yourself, and with that in mind, below I’ve provided several strategies that I hope will help.
Don’t Assume You Have to Act Like a Man
Unfortunately, I think it’s pretty common for women in the business world to think they need to adopt characteristics that are typically associated with men.
But the truth is, both men and women have great qualities, and you don’t have to be one or the other to be successful in a certain role.
That being said, trying to adopt traits that are not true to yourself can make you seem less genuine to your coworkers and actually exacerbate the feelings of imposter syndrome.
These feelings are often rooted in the idea of not being good enough or not fitting in, and if you feel like you have to model the opposite sex to do your job properly, then you’re only worsening the problem.
On the other hand, if you work to build confidence in your own abilities and strengths, then this can help you to build resilience, feel more capable, and stop thinking you’re an imposter.
So, if you’re feeling like an imposter, rather than trying to fit into a traditional male archetype, try to focus on developing your own skills, and realize that there’s no need for you to compete with men or act like them.
Make Sure You’ve Got the Skill Set
Ensuring you have the right skill set for whatever job you’re doing can be a powerful tool for overcoming imposter syndrome, and it can help anyone to feel more confident about their work, regardless of whether they’re a man or a woman.
But this can be especially important for women, who face unique challenges in the business world and seem to be much more prone to this way of thinking.
Ensuring you’ve got the right skills can help boost your confidence, enhance your credibility, prepare you for future challenges, and shift your focus away from self-doubt and toward growth and self-assurance.
At the same time, it can also help you to create a narrative of success based on real achievements, replacing the false stories associated with imposter syndrome, and become more confident interacting with colleagues, who will then offer their support and validation once they realize how skilled you are.
So, if you’re feeling like an imposter in your current role, or you’re not feeling confident about a job you’re trying to get, then it might be time to build up your confidence with some serious skill-building.
Work on Your Leadership Skills
If you’re feeling like an imposter, developing your leadership skills can help you to get out of this negative thinking pattern, especially if you’re working as an executive or in some other kind of leadership role.
After all, working on your leadership skills is not just about managing others effectively; it’s also about managing your self-perception and developing a more realistic view of your abilities and achievements, and this kind of professional development can be a key factor in overcoming imposter syndrome.
Working on your leadership skills can help you build self-confidence, enhance your decision-making abilities, improve communication skills, and develop greater emotional intelligence.
What’s more, as you develop your skills as a leader, you’re more likely to gain recognition and validation from your coworkers.
And like it or not, if you’re in a leadership position, you’re going to receive more feedback, both good and bad, which can help you to learn where your strengths lie, and where you have room to improve.
This can also help you to identify the things that are preventing you from being the best you can be, learn from your mistakes, and become better at everything you do.
That being said, if you’re in a leadership position and you’re working on getting over imposter syndrome, you might want to consider working with a leadership coach like me.
Develop Your Coping Skills
Developing your coping skills can be incredibly helpful when you’re trying to overcome imposter syndrome.
For one thing, imposter syndrome is often fueled by negative and self-critical thoughts, and if you have better coping skills, it can make it easier to challenge these thought patterns and reframe them into more positive and realistic ones.
Improving your coping skills also allows you to be better equipped to deal with stressful situations at work, where you might be inclined to doubt yourself, and this can also help to break the pattern of feeling like an imposter.
Furthermore, enhanced coping skills can help you to manage the anxiety and stress that often accompany imposter syndrome, help you understand and recognize the triggers and situations where imposter feelings are most likely to arise, learn to set more realistic expectations for yourself, and stop feeling like everything you do has to be perfect.
I’ve helped many women in leadership positions to overcome the feelings of imposter syndrome, and I know I can help you, too. Contact me today to find out how I can help.
Career Management, Personal Development