Imposter: A Syndrome or a Symptom?

Imposter syndrome is a topic that has always intrigued me. As a Greek woman in engineering , I recall the early days of my career when I was terrified that any mistake I made would lead others to believe I was an incompetent engineer because of my gender. Interestingly, I never sensed this fear among my male colleagues. For them, a mistake was just that - a mistake and rightly so.

At times, I questioned whether this fear was self-imposed. However, instances where callers assumed I was a receptionist and asked to speak with a 'real' engineer reinforced my insecurities. I remember one occasion I replied to a guy, ‘I am afraid mate today I am your only hope to resolve your issue!’

Although, I resolved the issue, the thought of failing was daunting. It felt as though my competence was not just a reflection of me, but of all women. That's a heavy burden for a young, inexperienced woman.

Imposter syndrome is widely discussed, and there are numerous papers and articles on how to combat it. However, I believe the current discourse is insufficient. Many discussions and pieces of advice seem to treat the symptoms rather than the root cause, and, more bluntly, they seem to blame the victim.

It's common knowledge that men often apply for roles even if they don't meet all the requirements, and women are encouraged to do the same. But is there any research showing how many women who applied for roles without meeting all the requirements actually secured the role? We should focus on why women, and even more so women of colour, are disproportionately affected by imposter syndrome. It seems like an unconscious trauma that manifests as imposter syndrome. While it's important to address the manifestation of this trauma, shouldn't we, as companies and societies, work collectively to prevent the trauma in the first place?

I see imposter syndrome, as the antithesis of entitlement. It's a mindset often instilled by family, education, and cultural norms. So why don't we try to address entitlement and overconfidence, even at a symptomatic level?

Another frustration of mine, closely tied to discussions around imposter syndrome, is that in our quest to find the most confident individuals, we may penalise those who are honest about their abilities and maintain high standards. The 'fix' should go well beyond simply advising women to use 'I' instead of 'we' in their CV. We should ensure recruitment process is structured, with objective questions and assessments.

Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe that confidence is key in life, but overconfidence can be dangerous and slightly unethical. Ironically, perhaps the overconfident should be the ones grappling with imposter syndrome.

However, I see so many great young women, who I truly admire, leading the way, being strong and unapologetic full of passion and energy and I that makes me hopeful :)