Imposter Syndrome for WOC Leaders

Do you ever doubt your abilities to the point where you feel like an imposter in your own life? According to host Kavita Melwani, this universal feeling can be defined as imposter syndrome. In today’s episode, Kavita dives into the impacts this troublesome phenomenon has on women of color. 

Even though most women grapple with the weight of imposter syndrome, several factors differentiate the experience for women of color. According to Kavita, when the concept of imposter syndrome was being developed, society neglected to acknowledge the historical and cultural contexts that fostered limited beliefs among minority women. These overlooked aspects of imposter syndrome disregard the root of the issue and heighten the mistreatment of women of color in the workspace. 

Tune into this week’s episode of Aligned & Soulful Leadership to learn more about imposter syndrome, why it’s more prevalent for women of color, and what changes society needs to make to better support women in the workforce.

Quotes

• “The same system that rewards confidence in male leaders, even if they're incompetent, punishes white women for lacking confidence and women of color for showing too much of it.” (05:12-05:20)

•  “I have women who come to me, and though they would be defined as high achieving, there's a sense of somehow still not being enough.” (07:18-07:25)

•  “For a lot of women of color, we did not grow up seeing people like us in positions of leadership.” (08:02-08:07)

• “If you don’t see doctors, lawyers, women in corporate positions, or businesswomen who are successful as examples, it becomes harder to see yourself in that role.” (08:34-08:50)

• “If you have been conditioned to look at the world and see where you lack, then that is what you're going to notice.” (12:52-12:59)

• “Women of color will present what's going well, but in order to uphold their reputation, they will not present their struggles.” (17:27-17:35)

• “I love when people admit they’ve received some help instead of saying they did it all on their own.” (20:05-20:10)

Links

Article Link: https://hbr.org/2021/02/stop-telling-women-they-have-imposter-syndrome 

Brene Brown Podcast Interview: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/imposter-syndrome/ 

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