Feeling like a fake, phoney, or mistake can be detrimental to your business and overall health. These feelings are often associated with The Imposter Syndrome and are ironically found in highly achieving and highly successful people — especially women. In fact, psychological research estimates that two out of five successful people consider themselves frauds.
This syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist even in face of information that indicates that the opposite is true, according to the Caltech Counselling Centre.
Success can be hard to swallow, but luckily, several newly inducted Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame inductees have shared their experiences and thoughts on The Imposter Syndrome, and the gendered assumptions that follow it.
Laurie McDonald found her Canberra Furnished Accommodation business taking off after launching in 2003 but it took her up until last year when she talked to a male friend to feel comfortable with her success.
“It’s so easy to compare yourself to other people’s highlight reel in this world that is driven by social media and it took me far too long to make peace with the fact that while my business is not a sexy internet sensation like my incredibly talented girlfriends, I am successful because I’ve carved out a life I love,” said Laurie.
In terms of why this syndrome may be more common in women than in men, Laurie believes that men and women are just different in how they operate. In her personal and generalised theory, she says whereas a man might overestimate what he can do but still make it happen, a women will underestimate what she can accomplish but then deliver more than what is expected.
Laurie highlighted that in a sense both genders put in the same work, there are just different mental processes of achieving that work. This may be why fellow Hall of Fame businesswoman and Chief Executive Officer of Honeylight Enterprises, Beverly Honig, has never experienced the syndrome and believes it is not more common in women at all.
Beverly calls to light that the theory itself was postulated over 40 years ago and believes that categorising people as imposters may disingenuously foster this belief and unwittingly form part of a female of gender psyche.
“I do believe that developing a strong support system with positive feedback can ensure both men and women do not feel undeserving of accolades or acknowledgment,” added Beverly.
This type of support system is the very reason Anneke Van Den Broek says she has never experienced The Imposter Syndrome. As the owner and director of a pet care products company, Rufus & Coco, Anneke has driven her company to national and international recognition.
Since everyone else is taken Anneke says she has to be herself, but added that her experience of learning to swim solidified her belief that she can achieve anything she sets her mind to in life, leaving no room for feelings of low self-esteem.
“At the ripe age of five, my Rambo-like dutch father took off my floating device aka ‘Diny Dipper’ and told me to tell myself three times that ‘I can do anything I want to if I try’ prior to swimming to the end of the pool,” said Anneke.
That day Anneke swam to the end of the pool and back, engraining that phrase as her life’s mantra from henceforth.
Anneke’s overwhelming confidence is a key aspect of overcoming or avoiding The Imposter syndrome altogether. Managing Director of Aussie Pooch Mobile, Christine Taylor, epitomised the relation between confidence and success saying, “If you are succeeding you have worked hard, have talent and you deserve your success and the rewards it brings.”
As for why women may be more prone to the symptom, Christine again has a simple, yet encapsulating response: “Perhaps women talk about their feelings more, so it is just a case of them being more open to how they are feeling. We all at times have feelings of self doubt, brush them aside and believe in yourself and your abilities.”
All in all, the difference between being humble and insecure is a fine line that can often be blurred once one has reached new levels of success. Remembering one’s worth and taking pride in one’s company and work as these extraordinary businesswomen have will help eradicate these feelings of being an imposter.
Read more about the 2016 Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame inductees and get their success secrets.
Download the FREE 2016 Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame Keepsake Booklet here.
This post was co-authored by Christy Flom. Christy is completing a journalism internship at HerBusiness. She studies communications at the University of Michigan in the United States.
