This session is all about resilience and leadership during uncertainty, bringing some of the best aspects of our Upscale mid-programme Cotswolds event online. It is also an opportunity to reconnect with other Upscale founders and to strengthen connections within the network. 

Scale Coaches:

• Cherry Freeman - Co-founder, LoveCrafts

Session Takeaways:

• Reconnect and network with other Upscale 5.0 founders
• Hear from a founder who lead a rapidly scaling business through uncertainty
• Understand key learnings for developing resilience in leadership and your business

> SESSION NOTES

LEADERSHIP & RESILIENCE

Founder behaviours 

Founder behaviours tend to get a lot worse under pressure, however there are ways to manage that. It’s important to reflect and to be aware of your current state as telling everyone around you that you are not stressed will only make the situation worse. Everyone needs to stop and pause every once in a while to then be able to move forward.

Busy does not equal productive

Part of being a founder is living on adrenaline, but it’s important to note that ‘control freakery’ does not scale. When scaling a company, founders may think they need to be a part of every decision making process, or in every meeting that takes place, however if you find that you have no time and are being pulled in all directions, this could indicate that something is wrong. Founders need to exercise a certain amount of trust in order for the business to grow, and the mindset of thinking that no one else will understand will only hinder your success. It is okay to make mistakes, as long as they can be identified quickly and rectified. If you are a bottleneck to something in your business, you need to get out of the way to empower and enable. Think about what decisions can be made without your involvement.

Be honest

Founders are in sales mode all the time; whether pitching externally to investors or internally to colleagues. Be honest and think about what is going right and what isn’t to confront, founders need to think about how things are genuinely going in the business rather than just focusing on the good. Taking that into consideration, be just about honest enough to ensure you are confident to your board. Also be honest about yourself, we all behave differently under pressure and it’s important to be aware of it, not necessarily fix it.

Listen to others

Many founders can sometimes be guilty of thinking they are right about everything and demonstrate a lack of modesty. It can be hugely beneficial to switch on your listening ears and allow others to learn by doing things themselves. No one is good at everything, find the strengths within each team and individual and use that to your advantage.

Passion vs Insight

If we say things convincingly enough over a period of time, we will start to believe them whatever the truth may be. Mistaking passion for insight can be detrimental to a business as we tend to silence the challengers. Instead, think about trust and prioritisation, and if you can relinquish some form of control to other colleagues.

Ask the questions

Have I made a mistake?

Is that person I hired going to work out?

Should we do that?

Don’t be dad!

Founders don’t need to carry everything on their shoulders. It’s about being open and honest in sharing problems. No one is great all of the time, vulnerability builds trust and if you show that side of yourself, most people will feel empowered to support you better

Lastly, make the most of the Upscale network.