Everyone Struggles with the F Words
You set your intention for 2020. You did your goal-setting AND your personal KPIs. High fives 👋 So now what? It’s time to actually take action and get out of your own way!
It’s supposed to be new year, new you… but maybe you’re feeling any (perhaps all) of the following instead?
Exhausted
Over-scheduled and overwhelmed
Reactive vs. proactive
Anxious, worried, stressed
It’s OK, most of us are. And, in the “always on”, “hustle harder” world of entrepreneurship, these feelings can be even more amplified. In fact, it’s our experience that the majority of our clients, when truly being honest with themselves, answer a resounding yes to all of the above.
So... before we coach anyone through specific goals or areas of leadership development, we first work with them on “Managing The F Words.” The F Words are foundational to our well-being (physical, mental and spiritual) and are what enable us to bring our best selves to work and to be our best selves at work.
Photo by Adrian Swancar
Fatigue:
Public Service Annoucement: Hustle culture is bullshit.
I am not saying that entrepreneurship does not require hustle and hard work. I am saying that working 24/7 and expecting your team to do the same is doing your business a disservice.
Entrepreneurs are notorious for prioritizing their companies over themselves. And yet, the success of your company is directly related to your well-being, As a founder, your job is to walk into your office every morning as healthy, energetic, optimistic, creative and productive as possible. So, Operating at Peak Performance must be a top priority for you AND your team.
Photo by Stefan Cosma
Focus:
Focus – or lack thereof - can make or break a startup. As the saying goes, “It’s not the idea, but the execution that matters.”
Execution takes discipline and focus. And in a world of opportunity and shiny objects, these can be tough to master. As a leader, you must be crystal clear on your priorities and get super comfortable with saying “no”. You must also be diligent about managing not just your time, but also your attention and energy.
Fear:
We save this F Word for last, as it is the one folks don’t love to talk about. But don’t worry, we do.
There is a lot of bravado in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. But the truth is that no one is really crushing it. Building and leading companies is hard. And lonely. And scary. How you manage your mindset through the inevitable ups and downs can literally be the difference between success and that other F word.
Mark Suster nails it when he says:
“The CEO job requires you to go to bed every night with self-doubt and fear but turn up every morning with optimism, encouragement and energy.”
So those are the FounderForward F Words. Hopefully, as you were reading this, you were thinking about how Fatigue, Focus and Fear might be holding you back…
Congrats! 👏 Getting real with yourself and gaining awareness is the first step.
The second step is acceptance. Treat yourself with self-compassion for where you are.
The third step is action. Put together a plan of ways you might make incremental changes in any or all of the F Words.
Missed our F Words Masterclass, but still need tools and practices to help manage your F Words? We got you 👊
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