This week in the world’s #1 newsletter on leadership communication:

Your Impostor Syndrome is Lying to You
On the Show: You Have 30 Seconds to Prove You’re a Leader
Book Recommendation: The Most Dangerous Startup Risk No One Talks About

Your Impostor Syndrome is Lying to You

“It’s only a matter of time before they find out.”

Suffering from Imposter Syndrome? You are in good company: 70% of us experience it at some point.

Even Tom Hanks said: “When are they going to discover that I am, in fact, a fraud?”

It can happen to all of us. In fact, even some of my 1:1 CEO coaching clients experience it. It was part of the dirty fuel that got them where they are.

And if you are constantly pushing yourself, feeling out of depth is to be expected.

This shows: Imposter syndrome is not a lack of ability. There is nothing wrong with you. It is also not about gender, age or seniority.

But studies have shown that it is linked to two things: perfectionism and negative self-talk.

It shows up strongest when you speak. But it’s not speaking that you fear. You fear being judged.

Here’s how you can start to overcome it:

1/ Don’t “Fake it Till You Make It”

It backfires because now you really feel like a fraud. Instead, “face it and ace it.”

2/ Separate Feelings from Facts

Your brain produces 70,000 words a day. Many aren’t true. When a negative thought pops up, try this sentence: “That’s a thought.”

Should the thought “I’m a terrible speaker” pop up, ask yourself: “Do I know this to be true in all cases?” The answer may be: “Actually, I've given some pretty good presentations in the past.” That's when you know it's a feeling and not a fact.

3/ Replace Perfection with Connection

Tell yourself before a talk or presentation: “The goal isn’t perfection – I’m here to be helpful.”

See above: perfectionism triggers impostor syndrome.

4/ Shift from Status to Service

These sentences can help:

“If one person benefits, it’s worth showing up.”

“What insight or lesson can I share today that might be useful to someone?”

5/ Stop Confusing Habits with Identity

“I’m not good at this” is not a life sentence. Skill is trainable. Identity is expandable.

6/ Take Action to Escape the Rumination Trap

Imposter syndrome feeds on “What if it goes wrong?” loops. Action kills rumination.

7/ Regulate Your Nervous System

Nervousness is a threat response. Shift from Threat to Trust: breathe, move, reframe.

8/ Build Your Confidence System

Confidence isn't coincidence.

Confidence = Preparation + Past Successes + Intrinsic Self-Esteem + Support System.

The bad news is imposter syndrome is real and can be stifling. The good news is that you can overcome it.

If you want “confidence on command”, I recorded this short video for you.

ON THE SHOW

You Have 30 Seconds to Prove You’re a Leader

I do a weekly show to help you become a top 1% communicator. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or Youtube.

You walk into a room, and within seconds your team is judging you. Strong or weak. Clear or confusing. Selfish or selfless.

This week on Speak Like a CEO, you’ll learn exactly how to win the room in the first 30 seconds.

I’m joined by Nancy Duarte. Calling Nancy a guru wouldn’t do her justice. As a persuasion expert, she cracked the code for effectively incorporating story patterns into business communications.

She has written six bestselling books including Resonate and DataStory, and has advised some of the highest-performing brands and executives in the world for over three decades.

We break down the fastest way leaders lose an audience, what actually happens psychologically in the first minute, and the framework elite communicators use to move the audience to action.

You have 30 seconds to prove you’re a leader. Let’s elevate your first 30 seconds.

Watch and listen to the full episode here:

BOOK RECOMMENDATION

The Most Dangerous Startup Risk No One Talks About

I’m friends with a lot of founders and I co-authored THE book on founder communications.

Founders obsess over product-market fit and message-market-fit. Their investors obsess over burn rate. And their boards obsess over growth.

But there’s one variable that quietly determines whether a startup scales or implodes: The relationship between the cofounders.

In The Cofounder Effect, Dr. Matthew Jones – a clinical psychologist turned cofounder coach – argues that most startups don’t fail because of strategy.
They fail because two people stop communicating well.

What makes this book different is that it doesn’t offer vague advice about “better communication.” It gives founders a clear system to diagnose and repair relational breakdowns before they become existential threats.

Three ideas stood out for me:

1/ Operational vs. psychological language

Founders are fluent in KPIs and execution. That’s operational language.
But most conflict lives below the surface, in assumptions, resentment, and unspoken expectations. When leaders apply operational language to psychological fractures, the same issues keep resurfacing.

2/ Conflict isn’t the problem. Avoidance is.

Cofounder conflict is relational misalignment, not just disagreement over tactics. Handled well, tension sharpens thinking. Handled poorly, it erodes trust and decision-making.

3/ A practical conflict navigation system

The book outlines a simple three-phase model any founder team can apply today: Prepare. Talk. Repair.

It’s structured enough to use without a coach, but deep enough to change how founders relate under pressure.

My biggest takeaway:

The cofounder relationship is the cultural foundation of the company.
How founders handle conflict becomes the blueprint for how everyone else handles it.

If you’re a founder, this is required reading. If you’re an investor, it might save one of your portfolio companies.

Have an inspired weekend,

Oliver