Imposter Syndrome is Created By Institutions and Experienced by Individuals
On FoodShare Toronto, the Tigre King comedy special, and an incredible new book
This week I read an incredible new book called “Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work” written by Ruchika Tulshyan and published in March 2022 by MIT Press.
I loved it. It is rare to have a book “about equity” that feels like it sees and is speaking to women of colour, but in this book, I felt seen. It talks to women of colour, while recognising that women of colour are not the same. We all have work to do to become more equitable practitioners.
On the individual level, among many other take-aways, this book explains why “fixing your imposter syndrome” is not an individual problem, it requires examination of systems that have produced such anxiety. The book also discusses why “underestimated” is a better framing than “underrepresented”, and explores how having an inclusion mindset requires the same skills as developing a growth mindset. On the organizational front, it discusses how to have inclusive hiring practices, how to deliver feedback, and why disaggregated data is important among other topics.
More than other “equity books” I’ve read, this one gave specific examples that really spoke to conversations I’ve had, but I haven’t seen in other reads. For example, Tulshyan gave examples of the impact on inclusion when workplace events are centered around alcohol, and how that impacts both employees who don’t drink or who are trying to refrain from drinking. She gave examples of what Islamophobia can look like in the workplace, and the high emotional and physical cost women of colour experience when they do not feel a sense of inclusion or belonging at work.
The book isn’t perfect, but overall, it is an excellent read that combines stories, research and insight into a very readable text. In particular, I recommend this book if you are in a leadership role and want to learn how to create more inclusion and belonging in your sphere of influence.
Part One of the book is focused on individual behaviours to drive inclusion and purpose, and includes behaviors such as recognising and seeing past privilege, cultivating an inclusion mindset, developing empathy, and elevating women of colour into “glamour work” opportunities through sponsorship and rotating office housework tasks.
The second part of the book is focused on organizational behaviours to drive inclusion and purpose. The final section addresses the future of inclusion by looking at questions of technology.
Here are some of my takeaways from the book. (I emphasize the word some, because I have many many notes from this book, but these are some of my highlights.)
The answer to fixing work is not the work of individual women
Tulshyan argues that for too long, conversations about women’s experiences at work have revolved around what women can individually do to improve their workplace experience. Books like “Lean In”, conversations about imposter syndrome, and individual leadership programs that encourage women to “negotiate more”, “be a boss”, be assertive, and/or “ask for more” de-emphasize, (or worse ignore) that these are systemic problems. Tulshyan mentions research that assessed the impact listening to Lean In messages had on women, concluding that:
“The book’s narrative could cause victim blaming, where individual women were blamed for not being able to progress at work, not the structural barriers that prevented any women from advancing. For women of colour who navigate tropes that they’re angry, hysterical or submissive, there’s often no way to lean in and be rewarded.”1
Focus on exclusionary systems
To create more equitable and inclusive workplaces requires understanding resource flows, power, processes and policies. It’s not true that simply by taking a course or two, organizations will do better. Deep change requires analyzing systems and processes. When I was in an undergraduate student, I took a course on comparative policy studies where we examined how different countries came up with different policy solutions to similar problems. What was the reason? What was their lever of change? It felt like being an detective, and I loved it. Doing organizational work is similar. It requires digging deep into what is happening, how it is happening, and understanding power, resource flows, and culture (Tulshyan defines culture as what you reward, punish and tolerate).2
A focus on exclusionary systems also helps shed individual defensiveness, and helps frame the “problem” in ways that bring more people in.
I never liked framing things in systems until I started couples therapy, and noticed that every couple therapist I tried had a different approach and a differing level of effectiveness, despite trying to get us to a similar place. One of the greatest gifts of our current therapist (side note: I recommend everyone having a couples therapist that you see every several months if possible) is how he helped us reframe our work together as not being “against” each other but being aligned together against patriarchy. My partner is a straight man, and despite having a feminist lens, there is a lot that he has had to/is still learning and undoing. So he frequently gets things wrong. He also frequently gets it right. This framing however of challenging oppressive systems through long-term relationship, has changed the way I think about equity and has helped us affirm that building a less patriarchal home is a lifelong journey.
3. Words matter.
Words matter, and this book calls us to think about the language that we use when talking about equity. Referencing the work of Arlan Hamilton, Tulshyan notes:
“Hamilton urges leaders to call people of colour “underestimated” - not underrepresented. The shift in nomenclature could be profound. If you consider someone underrepresented, you may rationalize that it is not in your hands to increase representation; they need to shift from being underrepresented to “represented.” But if someone is underestimated, the onus now shifts to you, as the leader, to ensure that they are recognized for their full potential.” (59).
4. Learn to make room for women of colour to shine, give credit and then get out of the way.3
Tulshyan shares what researchers call “glamour work” as: “work [that] gets you noticed by higher ups, gives you the opportunity to stretch your skills with a new challenge, and can lead to your next promotion. It’s the project for a major client, the opportunity to build out a new team, or the chance to represent the company at an industry conference,” says feminist legal scholar Joan C. Williams, whose research shows how women and people of color - especially women of color- are unfairly assigned work that keeps workplaces running smoothly, but doesn’t lead to advancement or a raise. It’s what she calls “office housework.”By contrast, men and white people are more likely to get glamour work.””4
One way to do this is to sponsor women of colour for high visibility projects and roles.
The first time I heard the term sponsor was from a friend who used to work at a Big 4 accounting firm, and initially, I was confused. Essentially, her organizational sponsor was a senior colleague who would advocate for her advancement through the organization, ensure she was at the right level at the right time, was getting on skill building projects. I had no idea such people existed.
Tulshyan recommends a similar process here, encouraging leaders with power and privilege to recommend women of colour for high visibility projects. While formal career sponsorship exists, Tushyan recommends just making a personal commitment to being a career sponsor and supporting high potential and performing individuals, even in the absence of such programs.5
She defines a career sponsor as the following:
“A career sponsor is someone who uses their social capital to advance someone’s career. They will leverage their influence to open the doors for their protege by recommending them for glamour work opportunities. Research shows that while women have more mentors than men - people they can have casual conversations with about their career - men have more sponsors.”6
5. In Hiring Processes, Prioritize Candidates Who Can Do the Job
In a detailed section about how to make hiring and recruitment processes more inclusive, Tulshyan suggests that when hiring, instead of prioritizing specific educational institutions, culture fit, or other criteria that are less linked to job performance , as much as possible, link hiring processes to the requirements of a job:
“Tying pay to the educational institution that a person attended is just another way of perpetuating a racist system where white men are paid more than women of colour.[..] The concept that everyone who advances in the workplace does so because they were entirely self-reliant and motivated is not only detrimental to the progress of women of color but also false. Women of color face persistent biases about their capabilities, so even when they do demonstrate grit, they’re underestimated. We know mentorship and sponsorship are critical components of success regardless of race, and women of color are the least likely to receive it.”7
Other hiring practices of note are being transparent with pay, not requiring previous salary histories for roles, not relying on negotiating tactics, and simply being honest about what the compensation of a particular role vis a vis your budget and the demands of the role.
On the subject of inclusive hiring practices, this week I heard an incredible story about how Food Share Toronto will pay candidates for interviews and for any supplemental assignments required for the interview process, at the hourly rate of compensation of the job they are applying for. More details about their program can be found in this series of tweets by the FoodShare Toronto ED Paul Taylor here.
6. Consider Your Intention Before Giving Feedback
Feedback is helpful when we know why we are giving feedback. Tulshyan quotes Amy Gallo, workplace conflict expert and author of the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict, who says:
“To give helpful and fair feedback, get real clear on the ‘why.’ Oftentimes we give feedback because we believe it’s our job as managers and we think it’s the right thing to do,” she says. But before you even utter the feedback, take a moment to ask yourself, What is my intention here? And if your intention is not focused on that person’s development and growth, then reconsider giving the feedback.”8
Tulshyan notes that when feedback is rooted in being invested in another person’s success, that transforms feedback to something that can be heard without defensiveness. It is meant for growth, rooted in a desire for success and is specific. If it is simply something that you are transmitting from someone else however, Tulshyan suggests that this is less helpful to share.
There is so much more to share about this book (perhaps in a future newsletter?) but for now, I recommend this book if you are looking to think through your own leadership practices and want to support the creation of inclusive workplaces. If you’ve read it, what have been your favourite take-aways thus far? I’d love to hear from you.
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Favourites this week:
This week I heard Tigre King, an incredible comedy special by Hisham Kelati, a Black, Muslim comedian from Toronto. The album was a 2021 Juno Award nominee, and is a love letter to his Mum. It is wonderful storytelling, and comedic brilliance, rooted in Toronto and stories of his fierce, small (in height) hijab-wearing Mum. A must listen.
Inclusion on Purpose, p.80
Inclusion on Purpose, p.30
Inclusion on Purpose, p.78
Inclusion on Purpose, p.79
Inclusion on Purpose, p.87
Inclusion on Purpose, p.87
Inclusion on Purpose, p.126
Inclusion on Purpose, p.149