49 VISION & STRATEGY www.ceotodaymagazine.com Jenny Devonshire Founder of the performance-focused workplace wellness company Pause2Perform & By Susie Ashfield MD of Professional Speech Coaching Agency Speak2Impact JennyDevonshire, Founder of Pause2Perform, the corporate wellness solution focusing on improving performance, tells The CEOToday that, “Imposter syndrome can be defined as ‘a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident successes. Imposters suffer from chronic self-doubt and fraudulence, that override any feelings of success or external proof of their competence,’ and it may surprise you to know that while 7 out of 10 people will suffer from Imposter Syndrome at some point in their life, 8 out of 10 are at CEO level.” It may seem strange to consider that these high achievers at the top of their game and career suffer feelings of inadequacy, but you can spot it by “looking at exactly what it is that scares you, particularly when it comes to communication,” adds Susie Ashfield MD of Speak2Impact and a professional Speech Coach and TED Talk writer, helping the C-Suite learn, develop, and hone the art of public speaking. For example, she adds, “As a professional public speaking coach, there is one question I ask my clients who suffer from stage fright, to give me a good steer on where the source of their fear is located – ‘Would you prefer to present to a room of 200 hundred strangers, or just six people who are senior to you in your industry?’ If they avoid the six senior professionals, it’s a good indicator to me that the client could be suffering from imposter syndrome.” What both women at the top of their fields agree on, is that whilst imposter syndrome can push you to perform at your best, if it gets to a point where you’re questioning exactly what you have to offer your audience, then it’s time to face up to it. According to Jenny Devonshire, “CEOs often experience imposter syndrome because they have a great deal of responsibility and no one to confide in. Most have probably worked incredibly hard to get to where they are, but despite this may feel as though they don’t deserve their success, are ill-equipped to lead and that others will find this out.” BothAshfield andDevonshire recognise that a little Imposter Syndrome – like stress – can be beneficial in driving you to strive for your best. However, if the Imposter Monster lurking beneath is hindering your route to success, both coaches have compiled some of the top tools up their professional sleeves, to help you tackle the monster within. Devonshire goes on to add, “As withmany limiting belief systems, simply understanding why we feel the way we do can help to reduce the feelings of anxiety associated with it.” A useful place to start is by working out what type of Imposter Monster lurks beneath your route to success – because apparently there are five!”
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