Breaking Boundaries, Banishing Doubts
Jimson Weed by Georgia O'Keeffe

Breaking Boundaries, Banishing Doubts

I’ve been inspired to write this article by conversations I’ve had with talented women working in our industry about imposter syndrome. This is a wake-up call for all of us. Male. Female. It doesn’t matter. We need to work together better by valuing our differences in ways that help us all to excel for our customers.

We’ll start by looking at how Georgia O’Keeffe broke boundaries and banished doubts. Then we’ll explore a bit more about imposter syndrome before I share some experiences that have helped me over the years. I hope they will help anyone reading this too.

Georgia O’Keeffe: not a female version of a male artist

This painting by Georgia O’Keeffe was sold at auction in 2014 for $44.4 million, setting a record for the highest price ever paid for a painting by a female artist at that time.

O'Keeffe worked in a time when the art world was dominated by men, yet she forged her own path and became a celebrated artist. Throughout her career, O'Keeffe’s work was often compared to that of male artists, particularly those in the American modernist movement. Critics and scholars sometimes associated her with artists like Arthur Dove and John Marin, who shared similar themes and abstract styles. However, while these comparisons were often intended to place her work within a broader context, they also highlighted the difficulty of being seen as an individual artist, rather than as a "female version" of a male counterpart.

O'Keeffe resisted being labelled or boxed into specific art movements or comparisons. She was known for her strong sense of identity and independence, which allowed her to maintain control over her artistic direction and public image. Despite the challenges she faced, O'Keeffe’s persistence and originality led to widespread recognition.

She broke boundaries and banished doubts. She wasn’t afraid to take pride in her work, and neither should we.

You and me: unique professionals transforming our industry

I’ve been saddened by the amount of talk there is in our industry about imposter syndrome. I’ve worked in the technology industry for over 30 years, and it’s been tough being a woman. But it’s taught me some valuable lessons that I would like to share. My hope is that these lessons will be encouraging to any woman who might be feeling daunted, under-valued, or just plain angry.

Prejudice against women has been the norm of society for centuries. We still live in a patriarchal world. For example, in 2023, women are still earning less than men for doing a comparable job. It’s 8.3% less now. Ten years ago, it was 9.6%. So things are changing and it’s important that women continue to press for – and support – improvements.

But what does this actually mean? How can women help drive change in practice? Especially when imposter syndrome is a real challenge many women have to deal with.

Let’s start by understanding a bit more about imposter syndrome. It’s not new and it doesn’t just affect women. Imposter syndrome was first identified in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes. In their research, they studied high-achieving women who, despite their accomplishments, felt they were not intelligent enough and feared being exposed as frauds. Although it was thought to primarily affect women, more research has shown that both men and women experience imposter syndrome.

It's also very common. Research indicates that between 60% and 70% of professionals experience it at some point in their careers. This percentage goes up in highly competitive, demanding, fields like technology.

We have busted some important myths here. When we feel like we’re imposters, there are plenty of others in a similar position. Since men experience it too, we are essentially in the same boat. I didn’t realise this before and I think it’s helpful to appreciate how much of a challenge it can be for us all.

  1. The first thing I learned was that getting to know yourself better is worth every bit of effort you put in. We are all biased in some way. Bias, whether unconscious or not, is part of being human. When you understand your own biases, you start to see situations and people differently. In my experience, this has been essential to discovering mentors and learning how to challenge situations more confidently and in ways that help everyone move forward. There’s a free Harvard test that can be a good starting point https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
  2. Find a mentor. You need someone who will be completely straight with you. Someone who will help you to improve without undermining your confidence. If you can, find more than one. Even better if it is someone that understands your field or industry but doesn’t work with you. Over the years, several people have helped me to gain confidence in public speaking, decision making, and leadership. They have become valuable friends who I treasure.
  3. Learn how to trust in your abilities. This can be really hard but again it is essential for your success. Earlier in my career, I didn’t use my Dr. title. One of my mentors asked me why not and when I explained that it felt self-aggrandising he said “Rubbish! You’ve worked for it, you got it – tell people”. I was uncomfortable to start with, but it quickly became an asset and definitely helped grow my confidence. If you have worked for something, tell others – it can only help.
  4. Embrace conflict. This is probably the biggest challenge for many of us. I used to be conflict-averse. Conflict made me nervous and really uncomfortable. Overcoming this has been the biggest and most valuable part of my personal development. I started to tackle it with an independent coach who role-played conflict with me, looking at what was happening from my perspective and other people’s. This was really helpful, and I would recommend it. I grew to realise that conflict is a good thing because it creates growth. Different opinions can improve situations and people. So, conflict is something to value. Often, seeking out conflict is the only way that businesses and professionals can grow. By becoming comfortable with this concept, I was able to pursue my career dream of bringing material value to the companies that Larato works with.

Finally, there is nothing special about me. If I can do this, you can too. Go for it and I wish you well.

#WomenInTech #Leadership #Diversity #Mentorship #Confidence

Michael Falato

GTM Expert! Founder/CEO Full Throttle Falato Leads - 25 years of Enterprise Sales Experience - Lead Generation and Recruiting Automation, US Air Force Veteran, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, Muay Thai, Saxophonist

2mo

Lucy, thanks for sharing! I am hosting a live monthly roundtable every first Wednesday at 11am EST to trade tips and tricks on how to build effective revenue strategies. I would love to have you be one of my special guests! We will review topics such as: -LinkedIn Automation: Using Groups and Events as anchors -Email Automation: How to safely send thousands of emails and what the new Google and Yahoo mail limitations mean -How to use thought leadership and MasterMind events to drive top-of-funnel -Content Creation: What drives meetings to be booked, how to use ChatGPT and Gemini effectively Please join us by using this link to register: https://forms.gle/iDmeyWKyLn5iTyti8

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This has only just appeared in my feed, and so relevant to the conversations we’ve been having in the group, thank you Lucy! I’m so pleased to see you mention coaching too, something I wish more people could/would experience as it had been a game changer for me.

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Liz Holpin

Director at Pinhole Quilting

3mo

Really good article which I enjoyed reading. I remembered a highly skilled UK tech support professional saying of his competence that he "hadn't been rumbled yet". I have never forgotten it. Many of us feel it from time to time despite our skills. We are always evolving and maybe knowing we don't know everything is part of it?

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Jewel Hermonstine

Senior Consultant | MBA (hons) · Empowering Growth · Driving Success · Business Development · Shaping Winning Strategies

3mo

Such an empowering perspective, Lucy. Embracing our unique strengths and tackling challenges like imposter syndrome head-on is vital for personal and industry growth. Thank you for sharing.

Alex Buetow

M&A Integration | Strategic Transformation | Business Change | Program Management

3mo

Some really valuable insights Lucy.

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