Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome HBR - A Black Woman’s Response: We Can't Wait

This Harvard Business Review article has taken the professional female circle by storm.

I loved it. It was juicy and I agreed to some extent, and disagreed else where.

The main point of the HBR article is that:

Imposter Syndrome exists because of the systemic bias in workplace systems and how it fosters this problem in women. We should therefore focus not on talking about imposter syndrome but address the bias that is the reason for this sense of not enough-ness.

I agree with this overall point (although to be fair, men do experience imposter syndrome too, even white men, which the author does point out).

A Sense of Belonging Through Supportive Relationships Improve High Performance

Let’s first start with the science. 

According to neuroscience, we learn and grow (thus perform) best in safe environments where we have supportive relationships. When you feel socially connected to others and have a sense of belonging our brains are open and primed for learning. So, when we are talking to our peers or making a presentation to our boss and we feel heard and understood, it increases the connective neural fibers in our brains that are crucial for increasing our cognitive function. All this is important for problem solving, innovation, clear thinking and other key markers of high performance.

Similarity bias/In group bias has been long studied in its role in getting people hired, promoted or supported by their work environment. As I said before, as a rational person, I will not assert that women are the only ones that experience feelings of not belonging, but when the most successful people in corporate fit a certain prototype, the closer you are to that prototype is the more those at the top will gravitate towards you and rally around you because they see themselves in you and you see yourself in them.

It is human nature. PERIOD.

In the US, the prototype of the most influential leaders are mostly: male, white, Christian, native English-speaking, heterosexual, wealthy or at least upper middle class, US born, extroverted, and college educated (preferable Ivy League).

The closer you are to this prototype (the more boxes you check), is the more likely you will be supported due to the similarity bias of those in the most influential positions, and the further you are away is the least likely you will get this level of support.

So, what if you are a black, Muslim, immigrant, French speaking woman?

Or an introverted, Latinx, transgender, college drop out?

The way you are likely to be treated in corporate America will still not engender a sense of belonging or a community of support. 

So, yes I agree, telling people, women in particular to just be more confident doesn’t address the issue of BIAS.

HOWEVER, Here is the thing. 

I don’t know about you.

I AM NOT WAITING 95 YEARS FOR THE SYSTEM TO BE FIXED OR EVEN 25 YEARS

I am not ready to WAIT until the system is fixed because who the heck knows how long that is going to take. 

Oh, actually according to the most recent McKinsey 2021 Race In The Workplace Report: The Black experience in the US private sector it will take 95 years to reach talent parity and in the best case scenario 25 years. As a black female, I am expecting it to be closer to 95 years due to the intersectionality of our experience. For those ready to argue about the progress, let me remind you that as of January 2021 we had ZERO, literally no CEOs in the Fortune 500 that were black female and now (February 2021), there is exactly one Rosalind Brewer of Walgreens. ONE y’all.

The number for overall women is only 8% and for women of color, there are 3 more in addition to Rosalind Brewer.

Even the feminist movement has historically failed to address the needs of diverse women and the specific biases we face based on the intersectionality of our backgrounds beyond gender, and even though I am happy it is now improving, but as I said before, I am not waiting for the system to be fixed.

Yes, we need to do the work, speak up, call out the bias, but while the work on the system is being done, the psychological damage that the out-group has experienced is real. I have had clients go through my Own Your Power Program coaching program that took them months to heal from the trauma of working in toxic non supportive environments. This causes women to be gun-shy about speaking up, worried about the backlash, and holding back from her full potential due to real fear of repercussions. 

I say this like I say in my MASTERCLASS every single week. We have to work on fixing the system while we work on ourselves! Why? Because, while we are waiting for the system to be fixed, we are losing career advancement, pay equity, and even mental health. 

We live too much in a world of either or. This is a YES  … AND!

I don’t advocate doing self-work as a means to blame the victim but as a way to take our power back and to be in charge of our own journey.

We work to fix the system, but just in case it takes 95 years I will keep encouraging women to do the self-work needed, and everything else within their power so that we can win like Madame C.J. Walker, who gained financial independence and the power that came with that despite sexism, racism, and systemic obstacles that was thrown her way. Madame CJ wasn’t the only one that took her power back before the system was ready to give her what was rightfully hers, others I admire are Dolores Huerta, Serena Williams, Sylvia Rivera, Kalpana Chawla, Susan Cain, Yuri Kochiyama, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, etc.

Excuse me if I am too impatient to wait until the system is fixed to get our mindset right, including healing from the internal effects of systemic bias aka imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and self-doubt in all of it’s forms.

I know I am not the only one.

Due to not waiting for corporate America to get their act together, Women are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in America, in particular black women despite being under-funded. Some women have decided to build their own table rather than waiting to be invited to someone else’s. Regardless of what a woman chooses to do professionally I will always advocate for the And Still I Rise Maya Angelou GRIT.