Who Do You Talk to When You Can't Talk to Your Team?
There are certain things you can't tell your team. You can't always tell them you're worried about cash flow. You can't tell them you're questioning the strategy. You can't tell them you're exhausted. You can't tell them you're wondering whether you've made a terrible decision.
Because you're the founder. People are looking at you. You're supposed to know. So you put on the face. You walk into the meeting. You say, “We're good.”
And sometimes you're not. That's one of the strange contradictions of leadership.
The more people who rely on you, the fewer people you feel you can be completely honest with. Your team needs confidence from you. Your investors need confidence. Your customers need confidence.
But where does the founder get to put theirs down?
I think this is one of the least discussed parts of building a business. We talk endlessly about hiring the right people, building the right team and finding the right advisors. But there is a difference between having people around you and having people you can actually be vulnerable with.
That's why I think trusted peers are so important.
Not coaches who have a programme to sell you. Not consultants who need a project. Not employees who are affected by the decision.
Just people who are also in the arena.
People who understand that sometimes you don't need an answer. You just need to say: “I'm really struggling with this.” And have someone reply: “Yeah. Me too.”
There is enormous power in not being the only person carrying something. Sometimes that's enough to make the problem feel smaller. And sometimes, once you've said it out loud, you realise you already know what to do.
Maybe that's one of the simplest reasons we need a Village. Because sometimes the person you need isn't someone with the answer. It's someone you trust enough to ask the question out loud.