Clare Josa | Author And Keynote Speaker

UK's Foremost Imposter Syndrome Expert, International Keynote Speaker & 8x Author

gender pay gap

Closing The Gender Pay Gap: Whose Job Is It Anyway?

Soul Led Leaders

When it comes to closing the gender pay gap, are organisations focussing on the wrong things? And why aren't we making the progress we'd hoped for? Discover the hidden drivers and what we could be doing to create breakthroughs, fast.

I was giving a keynote talk on Imposter Syndrome recently and in the Q&A one of the attendees asked me why I was focussing on Imposter Syndrome, when surely the problem was the company culture that was holding women back.

They were annoyed that I was suggesting that we, as women, needed to play a role in creating the much-needed change by creating changes in ourselves.

And they have a point. So I took them through my Natural Resilience Method® with the three pillars for thriving.

✅ Culture
✅ Environment
✅ Habits

To genuinely close the gender pay gap and create equality in leadership roles, we need to address all three.

But the problem is that challenging culture takes courage, and if someone is running Imposter Syndrome, they're likely to be telling themselves stories like, 'Who would listen to me?' and 'What if I speak up and they realise I'm a fraud?' One of the most common symptoms of Imposter Syndrome is someone holding back from speaking up with their best ideas.

Culture change is vital for closing the gender pay gap, but it's only part of the solution.


There may be some quick wins in our Environment, but for women this pillar often includes the additional home-maker plates that research shows we're still spinning more than men, from cleaning and cooking, to school runs and dental appointments.

In addition, so many leadership roles still run on the out-dated assumption that the leader has a housewife at home, who will look after the family while they work the extended hours and do the extra travel that has been hard-wired into the job. And at the most senior levels of too many organisations, the leadership model still flips from collaborative to competitive, forcing women to either conform or quit.

There's no denying that we need a massive wave of change.

But when it comes to closing the gender pay gap, where our power lies - right here, right now - is in changing our habits.

When we clear out the hidden drivers of Imposter Syndrome and self-doubt, we boost our courage and confidence, and creating waves of change then happens from a place of inspired collaboration, instead of fear, anger and resentment.

By dealing with the habits that cause us to self-sabotage, it doesn't mean we're letting culture off the hook.

Instead we're giving the world a clear message that we're here to lead the change for closing the gender pay gap, and we're going to do it from a place of strength.

And perhaps the greatest sign of strength is doing that 'inside work' to allow us to show up as all of who we really are, instead of shutting down or pretending to fit in. This is diversity-in-action.

We can either abdicate our power, waiting for the culture and environment to change, or we can claim our power to 'unchange' ourselves, clearing out the hidden blocks and secret fears that were holding us back, and lead that revolution.

Changing the world isn't just about what you do. It's about who you allow yourself to become.


As we hit #EqualPayDay this week - the day after which women are effectively working unpaid for the rest of the year, compared with their male colleagues, it's essential that we - collectively - deal with the Culture and the Environment pillars, whilst proactively supporting women with habits.

And there's a desperate 'habits' shift needed for men, too, to change the alpha-male culture at the top levels of so many organisations. My 2019 research study shows this is largely down to their own Imposter Syndrome.

If this is something you're passionate about, here's more on why there aren't enough women in leadership roles, and what we can do about it:

https://www.clarejosa.com/soulledleaders/women-in-leadership-roles/

And if you'd like to talk about how we could work together next year to create breakthroughs in this for your organisation, you can book a call with me here: https://www.clarejosa.com/call/

Over to you:
I'd appreciate your thoughts on this: what can we do - individually and organisationally - to support the culture changes that are needed? Here's where we're talking about this.

Clare

Flexible Working: Closing The Gender Pay Gap – Case Study With Zurich Insurance

Soul Led Leaders

Lack of flexible working was found in the 2019 Imposter Syndrome Research Study to be one of three hidden drivers of the gender pay gap. The increased out-of-hours commitment so often required in senior roles and the difficulty in fitting work around family was shown to disproportionately disadvantage women with school-aged children.

So Zurich Insurance decided to take bold action. Driven by data and a passion for diversity and inclusion, they have now succeeded in making 80% of their UK roles part time, flexi-time or job-share. And far from having a negative impact on the bottom line, they've seen astonishing results.

They're making measurable progress on closing the gender pay gap, and their employee engagement and satisfaction have increased. And all of this was during the challenges of the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown.

In this candid and action-inspiring interview, Emma Francis - Head of Diversity & Inclusion for Zurich Insurance - shares:

  • what prompted them to take action
  • how they got buy-in from the key decision-makers
  • what people's concerns or initial objections were
  • how they overcame them
  • the benefits they have seen - it's not just gender equity
  • what advice Emma would give other companies who might be considering this route

[Subtitles are available for this video. Click 'CC' in the play bar, above, if they don't automatically show.]

Prefer an audio version?

In addition to lack of flexible working, the other two driving factors in the gender pay gap and lack of gender (and BAME) equality in leadership roles were found in the 2019 Imposter Syndrome Research Study to be:

  1. The alpha-male culture at the most senior levels of many companies
  2. Imposter Syndrome, which affects men and women at similar levels, but they handle it very differently, in ways that disproportionately disadvantage women

The alpha-male culture and the shift to flexible working are actually the hardest place to start with closing the gender pay gap. By supporting team members to identify and then clear out Imposter Syndrome, they remove the subconscious, self-imposed glass ceiling that can prevent them from fulfilling their potential.

Here are some of the ways that Imposter Syndrome was found in the research to be holding women back from achieving equality in pay and in representation in leadership roles:

How Imposter Syndrome and the gender confidence gap affects women

Fortunately, far from the myth that Imposter Syndrome is incurable, there's plenty that people can do to set themselves free from it, in as little as the next 90 days.

Scroll down to watch the replay of a keynote I did on the role of Imposter Syndrome and the Gender Pay Gap for the London Stock Exchange Spark event. In it, I share the latest research and also practical solutions to create measurable breakthroughs, fast.

To discuss how we might work together on this, here's where to book a call.

Some Useful Resources:

Clare Josa Keynote - Imposter Syndrome And The Gender Pay Gap - London Stock Exchange

Imposter Syndrome & The Gender Pay Gap

Get instant access to the keynote session I did on this for the London Stock Exchange Spark event.


In it, I share the latest research on this topic, plus practical suggestions for solutions that are within any company's reach.

 WATCH IT NOW

2019 Imposter Syndrome Research Study White Paper

Read the white paper with the key results from this landmark research study - the first of its kind in the UK. It includes essential information on how Imposter Syndrome is one of three hidden drivers in the gender pay gap, and what we can do about it, as companies and as individuals.

 download it now

Leading The Imposter Syndrome Disucssion In Your Organisation

This guide brings you the research-based background you need, plus questions you can ask in team discussions, to remove the stigma around Imposter Syndrome. Plus there are questions to ask your company's leadership team, to get their buy-in on developing the strategic framework to make Imposter Syndrome a thing of the past in your organisation.

 download it now
Ditching Imposter Syndrome

Read: Ditching Imposter Syndrome

With thousands of readers in over 30 countries in just its first year, discover for yourself why people describe Ditching Imposter Syndrome as 'life-changing' and even 'unputdownable'. It guides you, step by step, through how to turn your inner critic into your biggest cheerleader - and set yourself free from Imposter Syndrome, once and for all.

 Read it now

Work With Clare Josa On Ditching Imposter Syndrome

Book A Call To Talk About Working Together

Find out More

Become A Certified Imposter Syndrome Mentor

Find out More

Stepping Up To Lead: A Ground-Breaking 90-Day Leadership Programme

Find out More
Find out about bespoke projects
book clare to speak

What Does It Really Take To Close The Gender Confidence Gap?

Soul Led Leaders

I came across an article this week, published in Forbes, on how to close the gender confidence gap and increase gender equity in leadership roles. The author correctly identified that Imposter Syndrome is at the root of this.

But - yet again - it's the case of a well-intentioned man completely missing the point, telling women that all we need to do to close the gender pay gap is to dress more smartly, pay attention to our grooming, adopt a confident posture, and to speak up more in meetings (with the correct tone of voice and mannerisms).

By implication, the author is telling us that women who aren't achieving their full potential are slovenly slouches, with near-zero communication skills, and no interpersonal skills, who deserve to be overlooked for promotions that men are then awarded - because men didn't need that advice.

Unfortunately, I come across articles like this every week, even in publications that should know better. And I hear it from women who have been told it by managers and mentors in the workplace.

The problem with messaging like this - especially in prominent publications or from people in authority - is that it pushes the blame for the gender pay gap back onto women. And they're already feeling enough guilt and shame, if they're struggling with Imposter Syndrome.


What The Data Tells Us About The Gender Confidence Gap

The 2019 Imposter Syndrome Research Study showed that Imposter Syndrome - the secret fear of being found out as 'not good enough', despite evidence that you are - runs at similar rates for men and women, but they handle it very differently.

The gender confidence gap: how do Imposter Syndrome rates vary between men and women?

52% of female respondents and 49% of male respondents said they had struggled with it 'daily' or 'regularly' in the past year - at a level that impacted their work performance, their confidence, the actions they took, and their emotional and mental health.

Yet almost all of them were experts at hiding it.

The huge difference the research found, though, was in the actions men and women took, if they had Imposter Syndrome.

In the 100+ depth interviews that went with the 2,000-person quantitative study, it was found that there were clear differences between the sexes; differences which disproportionately disadvantaged women in terms of their current role and future promotion opportunities. For example:

The Gender Confidence Gap: Men Vs Women

How men vs women respond differently when Imposter Syndrome strikes - white paper - please note that these are generalisations and there will always be exceptions

Male Respondents

  • Push on through the fear, making them five time more likely than women to turn to drugs or alcohol due to anxiety
  • Take credit for their achievements - talking about 'I'
  • Apply for a promotion if they tick most of the boxes
  • Launch a campaign to support their promotion hopes, getting a rush from the competition
  • Promotion validates their sense of worth, meaning Imposter Syndrome decreases

Female Respondents

  • Pay more attention to their emotions and can be more affected by them and to allow them to affect their decisions
  • Share the credit for achievements with their team - talking about 'we'
  • Wait until they feel ready or tick all the boxes, before going for a promotion
  • Would rather leave an employer they love to get a promotion than risk the 'shame' of public failure
  • Promotion shines a spotlight on them, increasing the severity of Imposter Syndrome

Actions Taken By Women, Caused By The Gender Confidence Gap And Imposter Syndrome:

How Imposter Syndrome and the gender confidence gap affects women
What the data tells us about the Gender Confidence Gap - and how it's getting in the way of equal pay and gender equality in the workplace.Click To Tweet

In addition, the Forbes article - and thousands like it - is suggesting that by addressing the surface-level symptoms (the clothes women wear, whether they've met the required grooming standards, whether they're cracking enough jokes in the right way in a meeting to win round the guys) that miraculously their secret 3am self-talk will shift from beating them up to being a cheerleader.

It's nonsense.

You can't clear the root cause of an issue by playing around with the behavioural effects. And this kind of advice leads to women feeling like even more of a failure, when it doesn't work for them. The article is full of the kind of advice I regularly hear from well-meaning coaches and experts, and it's why the research study showed that 'classic coaching' doesn't fix Imposter Syndrome and can even make it worse. 

It's why the vast majority of people in the research study believed that Imposter Syndrome is 'incurable' - because making changes at the 'effects' level, rather than at a 'causal' level, doesn't fix the problem.

The triggers for Imposter Syndrome run at a deeply subconscious level and we often don't realise it has reared its ugly head until our heart is already racing, our mouth has gone dry, and we can feel the adrenalin and cortisol streaming through our bloodstream.

This stress response happens without conscious thought and puts us into the 'fight-flight-freeze' mode, which diverts blood flow from the frontal cortex of the brain (responsible for answering questions brilliantly in meetings or coming up with great ideas) to the primal part, which only cares about keeping us alive until the sabre-toothed tiger has left.

That's why Imposter Syndrome can make your mind go blank in that very meeting where you're supposed to be sharing your brilliant ideas.

Imposter Syndrome also affects a person's performance and productivity - see the Four Ps Of Imposter Syndrome - perfectionism, procrastination, project paralysis, and people-pleasing.

Lockdown has made this situation worse, with research showing that women have been taking on the bulk of the extra childcare and home schooling, whilst juggling this with their normal workload.


Women are reporting that their stress levels have increased and they are worried that they will be judged as under-performing over lockdown, missing out on future promotion opportunities or even losing their job, as a result. It has hit their confidence, hard.


The Three Hidden Triggers Of The Gender Pay Gap

The research study showed that there are three hidden factors in the gender pay gap and lack of gender equality in leadership roles, but that these aren't being addressed by the majority of companies:


Three Hidden Triggers Of The Gender Pay Gap

1. The Alpha-Male Culture In The C-Suite

There comes a point in too many companies where heart-based, feminine-style leadership is no longer valued, and women are required to change how they lead to fit in with the competitive, alpha-male C-Suite culture. What made these women great managers and leaders is no longer valued. Women feel they don't belong in that culture.

2. Lack Of Flexible Working

Too many women are being forced to choose between their career and their family. Asking for flexible working - even ad hoc for a school play - is often seen as a sign of a lack of commitment and causes them to be judged as not ambitious enough to gain senior level promotions. And many women's childcare commitments mean they simply cannot take on the additional working hours and travel that more senior roles demand.

3. Imposter Syndrome

Imposter Syndrome disproportionately disadvantages women, because men and women handle it differently. This is what creates what we perceive as the gender confidence gap. It causes women to subconsciously sabotage career opportunities and prevents them from reaching their full potential.

To Close The Gender Confidence Gap - And The Gender Equality Gap - We Need To Create A Genuine Level Playing Field

Instead of 'blaming' women for the gender confidence gap - and implicitly the gender equality gap - we need to focus our energy on creating a genuinely level playing field. I wrote recently about why we don't need equality, but instead with need equity, to achieve this.

This means looking at a company's culture, traditions, rules and attitudes, to see whether any of them are unintentionally disadvantaging women.

And there's no shame or blame in this. A recent UN study found that 90% of men - and a shocking 90% of women - hold unconscious gender bias against women.

Then we need to have leadership development programmes in place that proactively support people to clear out Imposter Syndrome - to close the gender confidence gap - so that everyone has the same opportunity to thrive.

And we need HR teams and managers to have training in how to spot and how to support people who are struggling with Imposter Syndrome. It's something that people work hard to hide, but there are behavioural 'tells' that can give you hints that action is needed.

Clare Josa

Too many companies and industries still have ingrained gender bias in their culture, where women are expected to behave in a certain way, in order to reach the most senior roles. And this means those companies are missing out on the best minds in their business, as these women leave to work somewhere that they can really be themselves.


Or we have the tragedy of those women 'shutting down' and conforming, no longer being all of who they really are, in order to feel that they fit in and have the same opportunities as their male colleagues.


How Can We Support Women To Close The Gender Confidence Gap?

The author of the Forbes article that rattled my cage today says: "I wish there were definitive steps to build self-confidence and self-esteem, but I don’t think they exist." That's from the CEO of a Leadership Development firm.

I've got news for him - they absolutely do!

Ditching Imposter Syndrome

In fact, I published a book about exactly how to do this - Ditching Imposter Syndrome - and it already has readers in over thirty countries. It's step by step how-to that has been helping both women and men to finally set themselves free from Imposter Syndrome.

And the book was based on over fifteen years of helping high-achievers to do exactly that - to clear away the self-imposed glass-ceilings that they didn't even realise were there, so they could lead with confidence, clarity and passion.

As leaders, each of us has a responsibility to look both at how we can clear our own inner blocks, and also help others to do so.

I'm curious: what action could you take in the next 24 hours to make progress on closing the gender confidence gap, to create a genuinely level playing field in your company, so that everyone has the same opportunity to thrive and shine?

Want to talk about solutions? Book a call with me:

Book A Call With Clare Josa


Essential Resources To Close The Gender Confidence Gap:


What We Need Instead Of Gender Equality To Close The Gender Pay Gap

Soul Led Leaders

There was a meme going round social media a couple of months ago with a cartoon of a father taking his two young children to a football match. One child was much shorter than the other and they were standing behind a barrier, which neither child could see over.

The father gave his children each the same sized box to stand on. The taller child could now see the match, but the shorter child couldn’t. This was equality.

In the second image, the shorter child had a taller box and both children could now enjoy watching the game. This was ‘equity’ – giving each child what they needed to be able to have the same opportunities.

I was discussing this at an event I spoke at last week, with regards to the gender pay gap and lack of gender parity in leadership roles.

Gender equality isn’t enough.

We need equity – but that doesn’t mean ‘positive discrimination’. It means proactively removing the barriers that disadvantage women in the workplace when it comes to senior roles.

One of the key findings of the 2019 Imposter Syndrome Research Study (you can read the white paper here) was that Imposter Syndrome is one of three core drivers in the gender pay gap. The other two were the ‘alpha-male’ culture at the most senior levels of many businesses and the career-destroying impact of requesting flexible working or not wanting to do the extended hours and travel that come with senior roles, so you can spend time with your family, too.

Although the research showed that men and women struggle with Imposter Syndrome at similar rates (52% of female respondents and 49% of male respondents said they experience it ‘daily’ or ‘regularly’), the data showed that men and women handle it very differently.

Men tended to ‘push on through’, despite Imposter Syndrome, which has its own long-term consequences in terms of stress, anxiety and depression, but which also meant that it didn’t hold men back as much from asking for pay rises, ‘owning’ their achievements, or going for promotions.

Whereas for women, the secret 3am self-talk that you’re ‘not good enough’ or might be ‘found out as a fraud’ was enough to keep them playing smaller than male colleagues, being less likely to take full credit for their achievements, not speaking up with their best ideas, not taking opportunities to shine – despite evidence that they were great at their job.

Imposter Syndrome can lead to women being less likely to be considered for leadership roles.

How Imposter Syndrome affects women

Another key finding of the research was that the level of Imposter Syndrome for men tends to go down significantly when they are promoted, with the job title acting as external validation. Whereas, for women, it tends to increase.

If a woman running Imposter Syndrome is promoted into a role that subconsciously feels outside of her ‘safe zone’, she can feel like a spotlight is shining on her, increasing the fear of being ‘found out’, no matter how much evidence there was that she is doing a great job.

 

Effect of promotion on Imposter Syndrome - men vs women

So when we look at the positive initiatives that many companies are putting in place to support women into more senior roles, we won’t close the gender pay gap unless we first deal with Imposter Syndrome.

Gender equality isn’t enough. We need gender equity, to level that playing field, genuinely giving women the same opportunities as their male colleagues.

One of the biggest challenges with Imposter Syndrome is that those who struggle with it the most tend to work hard to hide it.

That’s why it’s so important for managers and HR teams to be aware of the warning signs that Imposter Syndrome might be running under the surface. And the 2019 Imposter Syndrome Research Study now gives us the data to create a framework to spot it – including telling the difference between Imposter Syndrome and confidence / self-doubt – as well as practical action plans for solutions.

With potentially half of a workforce struggling with Imposter Syndrome ‘daily’ or ‘regularly’ in any given year – and its effects on performance, productivity, team dynamics and profit, being able to turn it around can create breakthroughs in business performance, innovation and retention of your best employees.

And you can create those breakthroughs in just a few months, once you have the processes and training in place.

The first key is to open up the discussion about Imposter Syndrome – to remove the taboo.

And this needs to happen amongst men, as well as women. The research study proves that Imposter Syndrome is not just a ‘girl thing’, but that allowing it to appear as such makes it even more likely that Imposter Syndrome will hold women back.

Then, for the equity, you might consider running specific leadership development programmes for women that include clearing Imposter Syndrome as one of the key outcomes.

For less senior staff, the sooner they can ditch Imposter Syndrome, the less of an impact it will have on their career, their future teams, and the business. They can create breakthroughs in as little as 90 days.

I’m curious: are you seeing any of the warning signs of Imposter Syndrome in your organisation?

Would you like to chat about how Imposter Syndrome might be affecting your teams?

You can book a call with me here and I’d be happy to guide you through the kinds of questions you can ask, to find out how big an issue this might be for you, as well as some of the most effective solutions.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Clare

Author of Ditching Imposter Syndrome

Host of the Soul Led Leaders Podcast

But We Don’t Have Imposter Syndrome In Our Business!

Soul Led Leaders

That’s the most common response I hear from budget-holders in big businesses: that despite the results of the 2019 Imposter Syndrome Research Study, it’s not a an issue in their firm.

And, of course, that might be true. But it’s unlikely. Especially if they haven’t done anything to actively spot and address Imposter Syndrome and its damaging effects on people, productivity, performance and profit.

These also tend to be the firms who think that closing the gender pay gap is the role of the remunerations team, and who judge women who ask for flexible working as not committed enough to their careers and not worthy of senior leadership roles.

And they tend to be the companies who recruit ‘mini-me’ alpha-males to replace retiring C-suite executives, not yet valuing the enormous contributions that female staff bring to the business. Unless they start behaving like alpha-males, too.

The Research Study found that these were the three core drivers in the gender pay gap and lack of gender parity in leadership roles: the alpha-male culture in the C-Suite, lack of flexible working, and Imposter Syndrome.

And these firms may never change. They may never close the gender pay gap. They may never achieve gender parity in senior leadership roles. Not even if a new government legislates to make reporting your plans to close those gaps compulsory.

Imposter Syndrome rates in companies

They are in denial about the real causes of the challenges they face.

But there are other companies out there who are prepared to open their eyes, even if that feels scary, to talk about the F-word (feelings), and to acknowledge that mental and emotional wellbeing are core to an employee’s performance, rather than just something to be delegated to the HR intern to run some ‘lunch and learn’ sessions.

These are the companies who can see that Imposter Syndrome can turn a thriving team toxic in just a few months. They are the firms who are passionate about empowering staff to show up as all of who they really are, rather than a shut-down, play-it-safe automaton. They are the businesses who will attract the best leaders and grow their in-house rising stars, with a reputation of being the firm in the industry to work for.

The 2019 Imposter Syndrome Research Study showed that is the last taboo in the personal development field at work. Those struggling with it would rather leave a role they love, hoping to find one that doesn’t trigger their fear of being ‘found out’ as not good enough, than ask for help and support.

It also showed that hardly any firms have processes in place to spot Imposter Syndrome, let alone training and mentoring support, to help someone to clear it out, once and for all. So their staff – up to 89% of them – are ‘pushing on through’, lying awake at 3am, worrying that someone might realise they’re a fraud, trying to hide the performance-trashing stress and anxiety that brings with it.

It’s not because these firms are ‘evil employers’. It’s because there are so many myths out there about Imposter Syndrome being incurable – or inevitable – or a ‘badge of honour’ to justify poor performance – that businesses don’t know where to start, to deal with it.

The Research Study White Paper gives you the initial facts you need, to start making bold decisions on this. And if you are serious about making Imposter Syndrome a thing of the past, so your organisation can grow and thrive amidst the current market challenges, DM me to set up a call.

If you’re struggling with Imposter Syndrome yourself, DM me to set up a call about options to work together. My landmark 1:1 mentoring programme can support you to create life-changing breakthroughs in under 90 days. So you could be on your way to being free from Imposter Syndrome – forever – in as little as ninety days.

And I’m curious: why do you think that Imposter Syndrome is a taboo subject in most businesses? And what could you do to spark a wave of change in your company?

Clare Josa is considered the UK’s leading authority on Imposter Syndrome, having specialised supporting senior leaders to ditch it, for over 15 years, having led the 2019 Imposter Syndrome Research Study, and her new book, Ditching Imposter Syndrome, was published in September this year and already has readers in 22 countries.

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