Gemma Allen of IDA Ireland: How To Thrive Despite Experiencing Impostor Syndrome

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Ask yourself, what’s the worst that can happen? I try and do this in so many areas of my life. You might try and fail, but so what. You will learn. Failure can be galvanizing; it allows you the chance to grow from it.

As a part of our series about how very accomplished leaders were able to succeed despite experiencing Imposter Syndrome, I had the pleasure of interviewing Gemma Allen.

Gemma Allen is the vice president of B2C technology at IDA Ireland. In her current role with IDA Ireland, she is responsible for building relations with business leaders, political stakeholders and key industry players, ultimately resulting in millions of dollars of investment into Ireland. Allen is based in New York City and has over 13 years’ experience working with the world’s largest technology companies in the US and Europe.

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?

I was born in the city of Cork in the south of Ireland. I am the youngest of five siblings. My mother stayed home with us and my dad was a car mechanic. My parents had both left school at the age of 12, but they put a huge emphasis on our education and always encouraged us to find new ways to learn about the world. Computers in the home were a new concept, but we had one in school, and I was always curious about the possibilities of a more interconnected world. I got my break in technology when I joined Microsoft. I worked there for eight years and had the opportunity to work across a wide range of roles and responsibilities. It was there that I truly saw how technology can help people and businesses reach their full potential.

Today I am a mother of two little girls, living in NYC and working for IDA Ireland, the Irish government agency responsible for the attraction and retention of inward foreign direct investment into Ireland. I lead our consumer and technology portfolio in NYC and have had the opportunity to meet and learn from some of the greatest minds in the industry. I build relationships with business leaders, key industry players and other stakeholders and work to establish operations in Ireland for some of the most successful technology companies. I am proud of the journey that brought me here.

Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

I started my college career thinking I wanted to be a social worker. Growing up I had seen all sides of socioeconomics, and I really wanted to work somewhere I felt was working for the greater good. I had the opportunity to work on volunteer programs and had a nagging feeling I wasn’t a good fit for this work. However, I thought this was my plan so I had to persevere. But, working in that sector made me realize that the work filled me with trepidation and angst in a way that I could not channel for anyone’s good. When I got my first big world job at Microsoft, which was worlds apart from working in small local community centers, I was apprehensive and also completely overcome with imposter syndrome. But that decision and experience truly changed my life and shaped my career. I learned that you can’t go through life with assumptions. The only way to ever really know what’s right for you is to experience things for yourself. It is as important to know what you’re not good at or what types of work drain your energy as it is to know where you are strong. It’s also ok to change direction. There is no one road and always trust your gut.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

Companies are striving to be value and mission-driven. In my role, I meet with executive leaders for some of the world’s top technology companies and company culture is revered as the only way to get the best out of staff. At IDA Ireland, the culture of a team working together with a shared purpose is truly one of the most unique I have seen. The work we do in winning investment mandates for Ireland can only be done through authentic teamwork and collaboration. In many ways, it feels more like a sports team than a business unit, and that ethos is so important and motivating. I think one of the things that make this team so special is that our work is very patriotic. In many ways, we are flying the flag for Ireland, and that vision comes before everything else when getting the job done. Together we work with 1,600 established global businesses and meet with some of the brightest minds across the industry. It’s our role to demonstrate the truly collaborative, diverse and authentic nature of Ireland and what it can offer an organisation. Of course, we all have egos and individualities, but the organisation is not individualistic in achieving goals and that is what makes us successful.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I am reluctant to call out any one person as I have learned so much from so many people in my career, but if I had to answer this question, I would say the first mentor I ever had in my career, Rona Bowe. I really felt like an alien in a foreign land when I started my role at Microsoft, and in the first week was given that clichéd advice “its fine, fake It until you make it.” However, Rona taught me that mantra was quite damaging and often times faking it can be far more stressful than just being honest and allowing yourself to be vulnerable. It’s ok to admit what you don’t know and ask for help. Mentorship can be a great way to allow yourself the space to be honest too. At the start of my career, when I was in the thick of the day-to-day elements of the job, conversations around me moved so fast. I would often find myself nodding and scribbling down actions while my palms sweated. Afterward, I’d feel so silly asking for clarity, but I didn’t feel confident. Having a frank sounding board and mentor encouraged me to develop my acumen and have the confidence to say, ‘no I don’t understand.’ Sometimes you need someone to force you to step back and assess what is holding you back.

Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the experience of Impostor Syndrome. How would you define Impostor Syndrome? What do people with Imposter Syndrome feel?

I think above all else it’s feeling like a fraud and a nagging sense that you are not deserving of your achievements and opportunities. It can lead to self-destructive thinking and poor decision-making and act as a catalyst for anxiety and low self-belief. It stops people from living life to the fullest and taking risks.

What are the downsides of Impostor Syndrome? How can it limit people?

Personally, I think imposter syndrome is just one big cycle of downsides, and the more you succumb to it the more It takes hold of you. Every time somebody allows that nagging self-doubt to take hold of their thoughts, they lose a little bit of confidence, hindering their abilities on the next opportunities that come their way. It’s a very limiting feeling and unless the cycle is broken it becomes a perpetual thought process.

How can the experience of Impostor Syndrome impact how one treats others?

For those who battle and overcome imposter syndrome, their advocacy and support can be of tremendous value to others. People can often see in others what they cannot see in themselves. And being able to offer reassurance to people who are battling their own self-sabotage, and reminding them of just how capable they are, can be very powerful. However, for those people who have not overcome imposter syndrome, they can be left feeling limited in careers, and can both consciously and unknowingly foster a culture of judgment and closed-mindedness, which can be infectious and restricting to those around them.

We would love to hear your story about your experience with Impostor Syndrome. Would you be able to share that with us?

The most recent and perhaps monumental battle I have had with imposter syndrome was when I combined my professional and personal life — two worlds that are feeling ever more interconnected. In December of 2019, just before the world fell temporarily off its axis due to the global pandemic, I gave birth and lost my mother in the same week. I was in New York, and she died in Ireland. I went from a labor ward to an airport, and the whole experience was quite earth-shattering for me. I spent my maternity leave in our Brooklyn apartment with my 2-year-old and newborn feeling like the days were a haze and battling post-natal depression in a pandemic. When it came time to go back to work, to a job that I am energized by, I was gripped with anxiety. I spoke to a friend and colleague and admitted that I wasn’t sure if I had baby brain or a lobotomy, but suddenly the idea of doing my role in a virtual world whilst taking care of two children became extremely overwhelming. I started to doubt myself in ways I had never done. I think that’s one of the most important tenets of imposter syndrome, that it can sometimes be triggered by large events in your life like becoming a parent, or loss and grief, or any event where you feel emotionally drained, and your guard is down. Prior to this, I had always thought that imposter syndrome coincides with adrenalin and risk, but for me, it struck hard when my personal life was shaken. It felt like a fundamental mind shift and wasn’t a quick fix.

Did you ever shake the feeling off? If yes, what have you done to mitigate it or eliminate it?

Yes. With the incredible support of my team and organization and some honest conversations about what I had been through, I was able to overcome it. That was perhaps one of the best lessons that I have learned. The more honest you are with yourself, and others, the more empathetic your relationships become. And empathy is the ultimate connector. We can all learn and grow from sharing our true selves with each other and work is no exception to that.

In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone who is experiencing Impostor Syndrome can take to move forward despite feeling like an “Impostor”? Please share a story or an example for each.

Step 1: Acknowledge it. Ask yourself what is really making me think this way, what am I truly worried about?

Step 2- Write it down. It is such a basic step, but a powerful approach. Write a list of 10 things that prove you are capable and accomplished.

Step 3 — Talk about it. Sometimes you need someone else to tell you that you’re your own worst critic. Having a valuable sounding board and mentor can be a great way to force you to be honest with yourself.

Step 4 — Visualise it. Quite literally imagine yourself in the opportunity or role and talk yourself through those scenarios. How would you handle specific issues and situations? What other experiences have you had that are similar? Remind yourself that confidence and ability does not always come from direct experiences, otherwise we would never try anything new. Instead, visualize it and align on what you can bring to it.

Step 5- Ask yourself, what’s the worst that can happen? I try and do this in so many areas of my life. You might try and fail, but so what. You will learn. Failure can be galvanizing; it allows you the chance to grow from it.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Without hesitation, free and equal access to education for every person on this planet. I truly think that education is a solution to so many of the challenges we see in this world. It can open the door to positive social change by encouraging things like political participation, social equality and environmental sustainability. Education creates the opportunity for everyone to partake in a more just society. It levels the playing field.

We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them :-)

I would have to say Jacinda Ardern. I am so impressed with her and what she has done to highlight working mothers and leading with the power of empathy. She is a truly inspirational person.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-allen-15a8b239/

https://twitter.com/home?lang=en

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!