Today I want to talk about a topic that has been on my mind lately: imposter syndrome. I recently attended a networking event with a panel on women and diversity. Someone in the audience asked the panelists how they overcame imposter syndrome. One woman shared her story of tears and feeling like a fraud. In contrast, another woman on the panel had a different perspective on imposter syndrome. She thought it was just a label put on women to discount their successes in their minds. She believed that if women are asked to be a part of something, they are ready to be at the table and need to cut that negative self-talk out of their minds.
I can see both sides of the argument. On the one hand, it’s essential to recognize that women often downplay their accomplishments and attribute them to luck or outside factors, which can lead to feeling like an imposter. On the other hand, if we constantly label these feelings as imposter syndrome, it can make women feel like they’re not capable of achieving success on their own.
I believe that confidence is key. If someone asks you to be a part of something, they believe in your abilities and think you’re ready to be at the table. We need to trust in ourselves and our skills and know that we belong in the rooms we’re in.
This mindset is crucial for entrepreneurs like me. Building a business is like building a plane mid-flight, and sometimes you’ll feel like you don’t know what you’re doing. But you must keep pushing forward, even if you don’t feel 100% confident in your abilities. You can always learn and grow along the way. For instance, when my colleague Jack and I were working on a project for a client, he started questioning whether our solution was too basic. I quickly had to nip any feelings of self-doubt in the bud and remind him that we were needed for our ability to see things from different perspectives. Our innate ability to incorporate new knowledge and skills into our work makes us valuable.
One thing that has helped me combat imposter syndrome is reminding myself of my strengths and accomplishments. It’s easy to focus on the things we don’t know or areas where we feel inadequate, but we also need to celebrate our successes and the skills we bring to the table.
Another helpful strategy is to surround ourselves with supportive and encouraging people. A community of people who believe in us can make a difference in our confidence and ability to overcome imposter syndrome.
At the end of the day, self-doubt is a natural feeling, but it’s important to recognize when it’s hindering our growth and success. Instead of allowing ourselves to feel like imposters, we should focus on building our confidence and skills. Surrounding ourselves with supportive people who believe in us can help us overcome imposter syndrome. Remember, we are all capable of achieving greatness and deserve to be at the table.
Patti is still learning 