Challenges Founders can face [and how Start Up Coaching helps >>>]
To be honest, this post comes from the lived experiences I have found come in waves throughout any venture creation and its growth cycles…
Sometimes it takes a day or a week or even longer, depending on how deep into the trenches we are as a team or community pushing for that collective change. I have learnt over the last 35 years these sit at my own the top 3 I see in Founders I work with across the world…
Burnout and mental fatigue
Problem - as Founders, we can be juggling so many different roles or wearing so many ‘hats’ we feel the weight of these daily pivots between CEO and financial controller, through to public speaker and team motivator. It’s a drag on our mental clarity and overall mental health over time. It’s not fun as the burnout creeps in and you feel like decision-making is becoming poorer and your own and the team’s productivity is listless, at best.
Solution - work with an empathetic leadership coach who understands the Founder journey and can integrate the softer resilience building tools. With the right creative mindset training you can build more mental capacity and resilience which aids more focus, motivation and productivity. Our work 1-2-1 with Founders or strategically with teams boosts energy and recommitment to the big picture mission for more sustained growth.
Scaling whilst losing sight of the big dream or mission
Problem - the drive for rapid growth, which is so prevalent in the start up to scale ecosystems around the world, forgets to take into account the humans at the heart of each venture creation. Most start from a pain point from lived experience, so any growth that doesn’t align with the team’s ability to scale can distract and dilute from the mission. This leads Founders and their teams to feel disconnected from the original social mission and feel less purposeful, at worst, like giving up.
Solution - through coaching programmes that align to where a Founder is at, where they want to go and a reassessment of what tools for healthy innovation vs’ fast growth get the Founder back in control of their mission. We use playful, hands-on on creative problem-solving tools alongside walking coaching to walk out the problem to health. Founders get moving again to feel re-energised to stay the course their way.
Having the capacity to build a higher performing team
Problem - as a Founder the seed to start up phase is all about doing everything, all at once, it feels like. But as you grow you bring team around you to help you excel in ways you can’t alone. But like many Founders leading creative start ups you can struggle with communication, motivation and filling those gaps to innovate, especially working hybrid which can feel super isolating.
Solution - to work together with the team to craft milestone moments co-facilitated with a coach who gets the need to be away from the screen for a day or two to ‘play out’ together. Using collaborative, innovation driven and leadership development tools we can help your team bond is ways that light up that spark of collective imagination. A team with a reignited sense of passion, purpose and drive will delight in getting cracking on that next sticky problem and tackle it together like pros!
DO YOU AGREE with the above 3?
What are yours?