Thriving Under Pressure – Shift 4
SHIFT 4: Serving the mission and staying low in self-orientation, even while being in the center of it all.
In the entrepreneurial seat, one is often in the center of it all. She is the go-to for many constituents – managing the tensions between customers, team members, investors and even other stakeholders. Customers naturally want more product/service for less, team members would like more compensation and better work-life balance, investors want more profit or more impact. You are naturally at the center of it all, managing these tensions. You are in the spotlight, even setting the tone and the culture. You likely got here because of a vision you had for yourself, leading people, innovating, contributing to the world. So there is a lot of attention on you, from within and from without.
And yet, to truly succeed both objectively and in having the most joy along the way, I have found that one has to shed it all and instead, embrace the role of the servant – putting all the gifts that you have been given in service of something bigger ... in service of the mission that you have been given the privilege of leading.
The focus on mission creates a much more natural force of action and accountability. Instead of people doing things for you, doing things just to make a bonus or create value in equity, they are now doing things because we have all decided together that this mission is worthwhile and we will achieve it as a team. The satisfaction in that is much greater. If you need to course correct with someone, referencing the mission is more powerful than referencing the job description.
A lower self orientation also allows you to hire people even more talented than you while you lead as the steward of the mission, without the need to feel like everyone is looking up to you all the time. Focus on helping each member understand what their role is in the bigger vision, and become their coach in achieving that. Understand that your role is to determine this mission and vision and serving it, while helping your team understand the relationship that they each have to it.
Ironically, a low self orientation also reduces stress. Both success and potential failure are not so personal. This does not mean relinquishing any responsibility whatsoever. We do our best and take action, without being fully defined in whether we succeed or fail in this role.
One of the most necessary things in keeping a low self orientation is not getting your identity wrapped up in your leadership role. To do this, frequent and complete disconnection from the role has to happen. You have heard me discuss daily check in and check out rituals from the CEO role. Maintaining discipline around these is critical. So is taking time off multiple times each year with 100% disconnection. I start planning my vacations weeks in advance and inform all my direct reports as well as my Board that I will disconnect completely.
It is also important that one maintains close connection to other roles in life – the role of parent, partner, son or daughter, valued friend; the role of kiteboarder, dancer, runner, or whatever else is important to you. Bad things happen when you are mostly identified with the CEO role. Life is more easeful and fulfilling when that role is one of many.
You can still be the creator, the one who is manifesting powerful things in the world. But the energy around it is not just for your own satisfaction – we’ve all known that crazy artistic type that is extremely talented, but self absorbed and not any fun to be around. Instead, we offer our creation out to others, to serve the world in its own way.
May all of us entrepreneurs keep a low self orientation, be in service of the mission at hand, and be present in stewardship energy rather than in the crazy artist energy.
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