According to the 2020 KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit Report 75% of female executives have experienced Imposter Syndrome. Why do so many successful women leaders question their skills and abilities and how can they change this way of thinking?
Whether we call it imposter syndrome, self-confidence challenges, or self-doubt, there are measurable impacts from it. As a result of questioning themselves, women leaders may underestimate their abilities, ignore instincts, shy away from risks, avoid advocating for themselves, or push for perfection in their work and personal life. Self-doubt can even lead to fear of success and self-sabotaging behaviors.
Women, in comparison to men, are more likely to focus on “what went wrong”, confirming their suspicion that perhaps they weren’t fully equipped to handle the situation, lead the project, or take on the new promotion. Self-doubt can result in fearing failure, which leads to less risk-taking and ignoring instincts. For some, when evaluating their performance there is a hyper-focus on the perceptions of others.
How can women change these thought patterns and feelings? To start, concentrating on three things will make a significant impact: Mindset, factual self-reflection, and internal messaging and language.
A Growth Mindset is more than positive thoughts. It involves changing thinking habits. Rather than focusing on what went wrong, spend time thinking about what was learned and what can be applied from this learning to the next situation. Focus on what is possible instead of what’s lacking or imperfect. No one (I’ve met) is in growth mindset 100% of the time. The goal is to move towards growth mindset as often as possible.
Factual self-reflection comes about with self-awareness and incorporating all data, both developmental and positive. This means accepting and believing positive feedback and being fair when self-evaluating. Identifying limiting beliefs (what one “knows” to be true) and questioning these stories, is a powerful weapon in the battle for factual self-reflection.
Internal messages and language are typically harsher and more negative than one would use with anyone else. Awareness of the content of the messages you send to yourself is the first step in changing this damaging habit.
Change is hard. Creating and building supportive connections with others will help in this change process. Reach out to a mentor, coach, or trusted colleague for encouragement and assistance.
KPMG. (2020, October 12). 2020 KPMG Women's Leadership Summit Report announcement. KPMG Women's Leadership. Retrieved October 8, 2021, from https://womensleadership.kpmg.us/summit/kpmg-womens-leadership-report-2020.html.