Yesterday at the EO Zürich Entrepreneurs Summit, the theme was: “Lonely at the top”.
Dominique Reber invited me to share some of the hardest moments I’ve faced in my journey, and how I got through them, on stage alongside with Wendy Jordan and Vito Critti.
For me, the moments of isolation showed up more than once, for example:
– When I was splitting up with a co-founder.
– When we had to let go of a third of the staff.
– Or three years ago, when I genuinely questioned if I was still the right person to lead the company forward.
Every time, the same weight hit me:
Silence. No one to lean on. Pressure to make the call alone + being accountable for the fallout.
That’s the tax you pay at the top. You shoulder the weight no one else sees.
But here’s what I finally figured out. To deal with loneliness, you just need to do the most obvious thing:
𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
Sounds simple, but here’s 5 ways I found to make it work:
𝟭. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗘 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱.
Strategic decisions shouldn’t fall on your shoulders alone. That’s what a board of directors is for.
So make sure this body is functional + does its part — making decisions jointly on critical issues AND sharing the responsibility.
𝟮. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 “𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀”.
This idea from Dave Hersh changed the game for me.
Who would you elect into your “personal board of directors”? Who can you count on to check in monthly, quarterly – people who challenge you, support you in your personal development, and help you make the hard calls?
𝟯. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀.
Entrepreneurs’ Organization, Young Presidents Organisation, whatever you find in your city – use it. Groups with like-minded entrepreneurs are often the only place where you can say what you really feel and hear “Yeah, me too”.
𝟰. 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵.
I used to be the guy who’d frequently recommend coaching to others; but never got one for myself.
That changed two years ago. I decided to mandate Grégoire E. Leresche to work through a few hard challenges. Best move I made: The right coach gives you clarity & zero emotional bias. That’s a leverage most founders overlook.
𝟱. 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿.
Many entrepreneurs go 150% all in on that one thing they’re building.
Great – focus on one thing breeds excellence. But it also means you’re fully exposed to the tough calls that come with that venture.
Today, I run on three business pillars. I do it because it gives me balance, increases resilience and avoids being solely dependent on one venture.