Welcome to imposter syndrome and fighting those voices inside your head. We're gonna talk about today, how to identify and overcome imposter syndrome. So even after writing 11 books and winning several prestigious awards, Maya Angelou couldn't escape that doubt that she really hadn't earned her accomplishments.

Albert Einstein also experienced these feelings. He actually called himself an involuntary swindler whose work didn't deserve as much attention as it was receiving Angelo and Einstein, they both accomplished some pretty rare things in their lifetimes. But these feelings of fraudulence that they experienced are actually extremely common.

So I'm here to talk to you today about why so many of us experience these feelings of being an impostor. I'm Kelly Cage, a cio of surety at Liberty Mutual Insurance. And I've been with Liberty for about 15 years. During that time, I have worked in several different teams and held several different roles across the organization. But one of the fun things I like to highlight about my background is that I actually did not go to school for computer science. I didn't start in technology. I actually started my career as a microbiologist. So after transitioning from microbiology into technology I started my career at Liberty Mutual and found my passion for tech and went back and got my master's in information technology. So, starting with imposter syndrome, I'll pause there for a minute.

I mean, talk about feeling like an imposter. I got hired to work in a tech organization with software engineers without having any background in computer science. And it's something that I've actually really come to appreciate about myself and my background because it gives me a really good advantage when we're problem solving to look at things a little bit differently than some of my peers might. And I also think it's important to realize that we all have these type of unique experiences that really are what we should be bringing to the table. So we have a few people in the room here. I'd like everybody to take a minute and share with the chat. What is a unique experience that you feel like you bring to the table? So if you can take a minute and just type it right in there for me. Yeah. And while you're doing that and typing that in the chat, we'll start to jump right into what is imposter syndrome. So, imposter syndrome, it's like that feeling that you're in the middle of something you can't get out of, you don't really know how you got there and you don't have the skills to get the work done.

But somehow you fooled everybody around you into thinking you're the right person for the job and then when you figure it out and you do complete that task and you feel like you got away with something that you weren't really qualified to do in the first place. And you kind of feel like you just got lucky. It can kind of feel like the diagram that you actually see on the page right above me here. So when I think about this diagram, I actually think about a few phrases and I'd love it if people just type yes in the chat, if you can relate to something that I'm gonna say. So I want you to pause for a minute and think about your last big success. Really? Take a minute and picture it in your mind and now I want you to picture somebody congratulating you on a job. Well done. Have you ever responded to that person congratulating to you or ever thought to yourself? I just got lucky. Oh I didn't really deserve that award. Honestly, I have no idea how we got that done. I must have said something right? Or fooled everybody. And my favorite is I was just in the right place at the right time. It wasn't me. And I'm seeing a ton of comments. Yes, 100% of the time. I'm always asking why. Oh and somebody that said no, not really.

And actually that's a great thing that you haven't had those feelings, but it doesn't mean, they won't come up. So a lot of people have the same experiences and I know I've told myself these things at one point or another too. And all of those comments have in common that they are all forms of imposter syndrome talk. And all of those words are discounting the fact that you earned through your hard work to be where you are. So I wanna make this a little bit more real for everybody. Usually, when we think about imposter syndrome, we think about something that impacts a specific group of people or a specific level in an organization but not imposter syndrome, imposter syndrome actually impacts people at all levels. And the tough part about it is the more successful you become the stronger those feelings can be. And I was actually sharing that I was speaking today on this topic with some of the executives that I work with. And it amazed me how many of them actually opened up about their feelings of impostor syndrome. And it was almost like they just breathed a sigh of relief that they could talk to somebody else about these feelings that they were having about being unsure of their skills. So I want you to think about that in your leadership roles. And as you progress through the organization, as you become that next c suite leader, you're still going to have some of these feelings too.

So it's going to be important for you to figure out how to work through those feelings yourself, but also how to help others work through those feelings. Even Melinda Gates admits to feeling like an imposter in Brene Brown's book. Dare to lead Melinda actually admitted that she made up a story in her head that she didn't know enough about the science behind the work at her foundation. And so she didn't want to come across as stupid. And so she sat quietly in the meetings, didn't ask any questions and wasn't fully engaging with her teams. She said she felt like a total impostor. And when she realized she needed to rewrite that story for herself. And, you know, she had to say in her mind, I am enough and I know just enough to ask these questions. And so even when she feels like it's a seemingly stupid question, she's confident enough to ask those questions because she's learned a lot of times those questions are rarely stupid and they're probably the most important questions that we need to be asking all of the celebrities that you see on this slide right here.

They have all admitted to experiencing some form of imposter syndrome as well. And if these feelings of imposter syndrome are intense enough, it can lead people to not share their ideas to not go after that job or promotion and it can make us limit things and not make things better for ourselves or our teams or organizations or even more broadly not have us make the impact we could have on the world.

So it's important to combat these feelings by starting to talk about them a little bit more, which is exactly what we're doing today. We need to have these open conversations on the topic so that people can realize they're not alone and we can really figure out how to work through them together. So the important thing as we start to talk about this a little bit more is something I want you all to remember. You are all talented, you are all capable and you belong where you are. So let's talk about different ways that imposter syndrome is currently experienced. I love the comments in the chat. Keep those coming too. So the first step is identifying where these feelings of imposter syndrome manifest themselves for you. There are a few different types of imposter syndrome listed on the slide up here and whether you're the perfectionist who needs control of that final output and just feels like they can't delegate or the superhero that feels like you always have to prove yourself and push yourself to your limits to prove yourself.

You can move through and be any of these based on the experience that you're going through. And for me, I know I've felt this too. And so a little bit of a personal story for me with the imposter syndrome is as I was progressing into management roles before I became a cio and I was working in technology in a space that I knew frontwards and backwards inside and out. I had been doing the job for years in a couple of different industries and I was actually extremely confident in my ability to get the work done and others seemed pretty confident in me as well. Well, an opportunity came up to manage a team in a new area where I really didn't have a lot of experience and I had never had a role with this many direct reports. And so I was really terrified about the new space more than anything. And my boss reassured me, take the job, you can do this, you're gonna be successful. My colleagues believed in me. My friends and family knew I could do it. But I was terrified. I ended up taking the position and took that risk. But I had to tell myself that I was going to start that job and fake it until I made it because I felt like the expert type of imposter syndrome. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I was going to give it a try.

So when I started the role, I immediately felt like I didn't belong every team meeting, every business meeting, every one on one that I had. I was so worried that it was evident that they should have picked somebody else for the job that there were people so much more qualified to sit in that seat than I was and somebody was going to figure that out. So I was constantly questioning myself and why I was there. Well, there are a few things that I did to help overcome those feelings of imposter syndrome. And one of those is called a 360 survey review where I sent a survey to my direct reports, my managers, my peers, and I was really nervous to hear what people were going to say about me in this anonymous forum. And when the results came in through email, it took me a few days to actually click the link and, and see what people had said. And what I found is though, even though I felt like I lacked some of that confidence and I was questioning my abilities that my team actually really appreciated what I was bringing to the table.

They thought I was a dynamic leader with fresh perspective and that I was really capable about bringing positive change to the organization. The second thing that I did was I put a plan in place for myself to help me build knowledge so that I felt like I could get to a level of competency where I would feel less like an impostor and less like I was faking it and more like I was armed with the knowledge that I needed to help my teams and just having that plan gave me more confidence.

But I'll tell you, I still have days where I walk into the room and I feel like I don't belong and I feel like it's a work in progress and it's always going to be that way to some degree. And there's, there might be people in those rooms that are thinking the same thing about themselves. But I have to remind myself that I am doing my best. I am working hard and I've realized that I'm not faking it until I make it, that I have made it. And then I'm here because I've earned it and I deserved it. And to me that is the most impactful thing that we have to tell ourselves. So I'm going to repeat it. I'm not thinking it until I'm making it. I have made it, I'm here because I earned it and I deserved it. And it's important that you tell yourself those same things too. So this is my imposter experience, but everybody is going to experience it a little bit differently. The good news is, it's really easy to start overcoming those feelings and the way that you do that is the same regardless of the situation that you're in. So how do you stop feeling like an impostor? Here are some key tips and tricks that you can all take away when you start to question yourself. So number one, know the signs of what imposter syndrome can feel like, which we've just talked about.

And number two remember that nobody's perfect people make mistakes and we're all gonna have those moments where we're like, oh my gosh, why did I do that or? I wish I had done something differently or why didn't I speak up in that meeting? Well, when those feelings start to creep up, I want you to remind yourself you did your best during that meeting. Don't dwell on that scenario. Instead, celebrate the positives, learn from those challenges that you faced and think about what you're gonna do differently in that next meeting.

So number three, be compassionate for yourself and for others find a mentor or a friend that you can talk to. So just like I mentioned earlier, people at all levels have these feelings. So if you can find somebody that you trust that you can talk to about this, they can help you work through some of those feelings that you're having. And when one of your friends comes to you for help, you can help encourage them to see themselves in that seat or being successful in what they're trying to achieve. It's amazing how good it feels when you can help somebody else see in themselves, what you see in them. And then number four just embrace it. Know that imposter syndrome is a never ending battle. So I don't want you to forget what you're good at. So when someone sends you a nice email, celebrating something that you did, I call it a Kudos folder that I have in my email, I save it there and I go back and I read those emails if I'm having a down day or if I'm feeling that those imposter syndrome feelings start to creep in.

You can shed them really easily by going back and reading all of that positive feedback that you got from everybody and then don't forget to celebrate even a small gesture, like sending that note to one of your colleagues that does a really good job. Lets her put it in her kudos folder for when she's having those feelings too. But yes, the brag board, I've heard a few different people call it different things, but it is so good and I will tell you it will change your mood like that. So what do I want you to remember from today's session? First and foremost, you can definitely overcome imposter syndrome and I do it and I want you to do it by focusing on control or deleting those feelings, start by controlling the way that you're thinking as soon as you start to have those imposter feelings, just acknowledge them, but don't engage with them and alter that mindset to talking about all of the reasons that you are qualified for what you're doing and delete that negative self talk.

I just want you to remember though. It takes practice and it's not going to go away overnight and it's not going to be perfect. So have some grace, have some patience with yourself as you're working through it. And there's one thing I can confidently say about the attendees that are with us today. And I just want you to know that I believe you're not where you are today because you're lucky you're not here today because you're choosing the easy path. You're at a conference like this today because you're strong because you are a leader and you're here to unlock all of that potential that you have within yourself. So knowing what you know, now I want you to think about and write down three qualities you have that got you to where you are today. And anytime you start to have those questions about yourself, reflect back to those things and do not let that imposter syndrome hold you back from going after what you deserve. So thank you all for your time today. We'll open it up for some questions that you have for me. I'd also love to connect with you all on linkedin where I share tips on imposter syndrome and technology and women in tech issues.

So, and for those people that I saw in the comments that felt like they didn't have a unique experience for themselves. You definitely do. We all have personal and professional experiences that shape who we are. So I'd love to connect and help you figure out what yours is because we all have that superpower. Any questions that I can answer, just scrolling through the comments, I love that I needed to hear. That. Can't agree more. This is actually a great opportunity for you all to make connections and network and support each other and find one another through conferences like this. So I can't wait to connect with everybody and I hope to see you all in some of the other sessions too. It's my mantra on linkedin. I'd love to post it on my laptop. Yes, I will make sure to post it out there. And thanks for the linkedin link. I will definitely click on that. So, do you know any numbers on women and men and how often they feel imposter syndrome? So everybody feels imposter syndrome. It's 100% of men and women at some point in their lives. It doesn't mean they feel it all the time, but women tend to feel it a little bit more, especially in the workplace than men. And that's why it's very important.

And in addition to just women, it's people of color and you know, some of the the smaller groups that are out there. So it's important to have allies that can help with some of this, that mentor, that sponsor that can be in those sessions with you and give you that feedback and help you work through some of those challenges. But every single person experiences it in one way or another. Great question. Wonderful. Any other questions? Great. Another linkedin. Wonderful. Well, get ready head to that next session and it was great meeting. You all have a great conference. Bye.