No good Iowan, and especially a Hawkeye fan like me, could pass up the opportunity to write about the history-making game last week in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Hawkeye basketball player Caitlin Clark surpassed the record held by Kelsey Plum (U. of Washington) since 2017 to be the all-time highest scoring NCAA women’s basketball player. (And despite some of the rhetoric in the past weeks about COVID years for college athletes, she did it in the same number of years and in fewer games than Plum.)

The very day Clark set the new record (which she will continue to build on for the remainder of the season), the Women’s Meat Industry Network hosted what may have been its most popular educational webinar to date: Imposter Syndrome — And What To Do About It.

What is imposter syndrome, you ask? Imposter syndrome is most easily described as feeling undeserving of achievements despite being held in high esteem by others. It may show up as that anxious feeling you aren’t as qualified as others think you are. Someone who suffers from imposter syndrome might feel like a “fraud” and live in fear that someone will find out they aren’t actually as talented as others believe.

This isn’t something women alone deal with, though a recent poll showed it does plague most women at some point in their lives, but less than half of men. What does this mean for your female employees? At least some of them likely suffer from anxiety and lack of confidence that are hindering their ability to bring their best to your organization.

So, what does any of this have to do with Caitlin Clark? Though I don’t know Caitlin, it would appear from the outside looking in that she is very confident in her abilities — a trait for which she is consistently criticized. How dare she portray such swagger on the court? Who does she think she is to be so outspoken? Why does she keep shooting until she makes it? Does she really belong in the ranks of “generational players” like Jordan, LeBron and Kobe?

For just a moment, put yourself in the shoes of a young women who is trying to build confidence, whether it be in sports or business. If you aren’t confident, you are likely to come across as meek and unimpressive and will fail to speak up or contribute when it’s called for thanks to intense self-doubt and uncertainty. And if you are confident, you are likely to be criticized by your peers, and anyone else who is threatened by your success, for being pushy, opinionated and too serious due to your passion. Feel like a no-win situation? You bet it is!

The only way to overcome imposter syndrome is to change the internal narrative about your own abilities, but I would argue there has to be external support as well. As leaders, I believe we all know the importance of acknowledging the expertise and accomplishments of our talent. But do we also understand how critical it is to counteract the negative perceptions that might come from others when a female portrays externally the confidence that is necessary to be successful? (Kudos to the Meat Institute for having an entire afternoon workshop at its upcoming ELS+ Conference dedicated to Implicit Bias. It is an important topic and one that has gone without attention for too long.)

I am proud to be the Chair of the Women’s Meat Industry Network again this year. I believe it is vitally important that we continue to talk about issues like imposter syndrome and implicit bias so that we can more effectively recruit, retain and develop diverse talent in our industry. If you aren’t already a member of WMIN, check us out at www.wmin.org. Membership is free and open to everyone in our industry, regardless of gender.

Don’t let the Caitlin Clarks in your organization get away. Show them you value them, in spite of the critics who want to tear them down.

What the meat industry can learn from Caitlin Clark

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