Leading a company is vulnerable, risky, and lonely. Yet, you are not alone.
As a leader, you are putting yourself forward for criticism, disappointment, and failure.
The potential return on the risk is tremendous:
Positive impact.
Deep connections.
Personal and professional exploration and growth.
These are the 2 sides of the entrepreneur coin that every leader faces, day in and day out.
Yet, you don’t have to always face this duality alone.
In this article, I outline how to start determining your tribe of loyal supporters to help you overcome the feelings of disappointment, criticism, and loneliness every day.
Why you need to feel disappointment
My partner has been facing a major decision on his career the past six months. It has been weighing on his shoulders. We discuss it every night for at least an hour–and most times up to 3.
It’s been an incredibly intense, exhausting process.
He feels immense pressure from colleagues. He feels pressure from family and friends. And the biggest pressure? Himself.
All those pressures stacked up amount to feeling that any decision he makes is the wrong one—because he’s going to disappoint at least one person.
This feeling of disappointment is causing him to revisit his choices, and constantly re-evaluate the process.
Now, I know he doesn’t run his own company. But I see this hesitation with decision-making in my clients, too. And it always brings me back to this line from Seth Godin:
Determine WHO is important to you.
I’m sure you know the feeling of disappointing someone. The shame and self-doubt. Backtracking and re-evaluating your decision.
It can be crushing.
As someone who HIGHLY values independence and autonomy, I am in constant battle with the fear that I’ll make the wrong move.
But no matter who I might disappoint, I also must remember the people who love and support me.
