By WCorp Editorial Team

#InclusionMatters | #RethinkLeadership | #EquityStartsInside

The Myth of Self-Doubt

When women hesitate to speak up, question their readiness for leadership, or feel the need to “prove” themselves twice as hard, they’re often told to lean in, toughen up, or just be more confident.

The root issue lies in culture, not confidence.

According to KPMG, 75% of female executives across industries have experienced impostor syndrome. These accomplished, high-performing women continue to second-guess themselves even in rooms where they’ve already earned a seat.

Their self-doubt stems from missing support, visibility, and inclusion - the workplace conditions that build real confidence.

Mixed Messages and Missed Opportunities

Too many companies claim to value flexibility while reinforcing old patterns that undermine it. While policies say “work where you work best,” research shows that one in three women who can work remotely are still expected to be in the office more than men.

Meanwhile, 37% of women report unpredictable or irregular work schedules, a persistent barrier to wellbeing and advancement.

The result includes high levels of stress, diminished trust in leadership, and a growing sense that flexibility remains a privilege rather than a standard.

Exclusion Still Happens Behind Closed Doors

Progress in representation means little when inclusion doesn’t follow.

A McKinsey & LeanIn.Org study found that 38% of women report being excluded from informal interactions, mentorship, or key meetings. Sometimes it’s subtle - missed invites, “informal” huddles, decisions made after the Zoom ends. But the impact is clear: women are left out of conversations where strategy happens, visibility is gained, and leadership presence is built.

It’s hard to feel like you belong when you’re not even in the room.

Why It Matters to Retention

Impostor syndrome doesn’t start in someone’s head. It starts when systems treat people as outsiders through bias, unpredictability, and exclusion.

Over time, these patterns erode engagement, performance, and ambition. Talented women opt out of promotions, disengage from leadership tracks, or quietly exit organisations that never felt like theirs.

They weren’t held back by capability - they lacked the conditions to lead with confidence.

The New Inclusion Standard

Companies committed to real equity are moving beyond surface-level fixes. They’re re-engineering culture to make inclusion unavoidable, baked into every policy, meeting, and decision-making space.

Here’s how they’re doing it:

• Ensuring transparent, predictable work schedules that respect personal lives
• Making inclusion in meetings a standard, not a suggestion
• Holding leaders accountable for flexibility enforcement
• Offering coaching and mentorship programs that address impostor syndrome systemically
• Elevating performance frameworks that reward impact over visibility

Confidence grows where people are seen, supported, and trusted to lead.

This Isn’t About Fixing Women. It’s About Fixing the Workplace.

The next generation of female leaders requires workplaces that remove the barriers causing self-doubt, rather than just confidence coaching.

Let’s stop treating imposter syndrome as a personal hurdle and start naming it for what it is: a symptom of exclusionary systems.

Step Into Inclusive Leadership

At WCorp, we help organisations turn equity into infrastructure through certified practices that create lasting change, not just messaging.

✔️ Audit your inclusion blind spots

✔️ Build systems that support, not sideline, leadership potential

✔️ Get certified and show your workforce you’re serious

Leadership confidence starts with culture. Let’s build one that doesn’t leave anyone out. 

PS. In this candid discussion between WCorp CEO & perimenopause advocate Geeta Sidhu-Robb, and a renowned hormonal health doctor, you'll learn the answers to so many of your questions. Including... 

• What are the wide-ranging symptoms I might experience? 
• How do I ask my doctor for the right kind of HRT? 
• What ways might different kinds of HRT affect me and my mental health? 
• Why are my periods so erratic? 
• Can I still get pregnant? 
• Is weight gain inevitable? 
• Why don’t normal weight loss methods work? What should I do instead? 

...and much, much more. 

Click this text for instant access for just $9.99. 
Take minutes today that could change the next 10 years of your life.