Curing impostor syndrome and rising to CFO

Each week, we delve into the reading lists of finance professionals around the world. This week, we hear from Angela Ho, CPA, CGMA, senior vice president and principal accounting officer at OceanFirst Bank. Here is a sampling of content that has resonated with her:

• “The Cure for Imposter Syndrome is to Admit You Are Right”: The writing by Joe Kwon stood out to Ho, who said she suffers from imposter syndrome. In the article, Kwon writes that sufferers attribute success to things such as luck or the kindness of others.


• “How to Succeed as a Young Woman Executive”: The author, a 31-year-old CFO, is an inspiration to Ho, whose goal is to become a finance chief. The article’s how-to sections offer real-life advice for remaining committed to that goal.


• “Your Life in Weeks”: “For busy professionals, it is easy to lose sight of what’s important in life, what our goals are, and what we’d like to achieve,” Ho said. The article provided her a striking visual depiction of how much time we actually have to accomplish the things we want. “It’s a great reminder of how we should all be more mindful of how we spend a limited resource – our time,” she said.


• “Why Women Aren’t CEOs, According to Women Who Almost Were”: This New York Times article is as important for women to read as it is for men, Ho said. The article explores the reasons that 6% of Fortune 500 chief executives are women. One expert in the article said, “For years, I thought it was a pipeline question.” Read why that’s not how the expert feels now.

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