Just yesterday, after an afternoon of meetings, a few of us were chatting in the office and the subject of odd dreams came up. It turns out our CEO, Marina Go, and I have something in common in this regard: we both have a similar recurring dream. It’s the one where you find yourself in a situation – crossing the street, in a meeting, doing some errands, dropping a child off at school – and realise you have no clothes on.
It is apparently quite common and, supposedly, it is our subconscious revealing that we are harbouring some doubt about our ability to do what we are doing. It’s like the sleeping version of Imposter Syndrome. Of course, this may not be true but, honestly, I believe it probably is. At least a little bit.
I accept that sweeping generalisations on the basis of gender are fraught but I will make this one anyway. It is quite difficult to deny that doubt seems to plague women more than it does men. Research on this topic abounds. It is neatly illustrated in the oft-quoted research anecdote that a woman won’t apply for a role unless she meets 9 of the 10 selection criteria while a man would apply if he met just four. In the workplace many women are rather good, if not exceptional, at self-doubt.
We have been reminded of this recently. We are in the middle of accepting nominations and entries for the 2014 NAB Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards. The way the process works for most categories is that anyone can nominate a candidate but that candidate then has to enter. In almost all of the award categories the nominations far outnumber the entries.
It is clear from the nominations that the women being put forward are accomplished, successful and deserving of recognition. Someone who knows them well — whether it’s a peer, a colleague, a friend or a mentor — respects their professional achievements to the extent that they want them to be recognised. Ability is obviously not an issue for these potential candidates. So what is holding them back?
There may be several factors at play but I suspect one of them is doubt. That they aren’t deserving, that there other women more accomplished or successful than they are. Perhaps they aren’t comfortable putting themselves out there. There are plenty of possible explanations but from the outside none of them are persuasive. These are the talented types of women the Awards were created to unearth.
These awards exist, in part, to generate interest in a new group of emerging female leaders. They also exist to recognise and celebrate the extraordinary professional achievements of Australian women. An important part of the process is getting the women themselves to recognise their contributions.
If you are someone who has been nominated but hasn’t yet entered, I urge you to do so. If you have nominated someone who hasn’t yet entered I urge you to encourage them to do so. Imposter Syndrome – whether it comes during the day or in the middle of the night — might affect many of us but it doesn’t mean it should. It’s time to stop doubting and start believing.
Ready to shout about your achievements? Enter yourself in the 2014 NAB Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards. Entries close January 23.