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Two years ago, I was depressed. Business was struggling, the country faced war, and I had no idea how to support myself and the team. Instead of complaining, I decided to work on myself: I went to therapy, consulted a coach and read self-help books.
I realized that the survival of my startup was 100% up to me, so I started working on mindful leadership.
My startup didn’t just survive — it thrived. We’ve launched new products, received great metrics, and raised investment.
Founders, don’t rush to give up, lay off your team, or shut down your startup. Start by working on yourself. Here are three qualities of a mindful leader that will help you navigate through turbulency.
1. Recognize destructive patterns and change the scenario
If you were an outstanding student in high school and your family praised you for good grades, you probably formed a pattern: “I need to be the best to be loved.” This happened to me as well.
During brainstorming sessions, I found myself growing anxious and defensive when my ideas weren’t immediately hailed as the best. Criticism, no matter how constructive, felt like a personal attack. This certainly affected business results — discussions dragged on for hours, I wasted a lot of energy on conflicts, and the team thought I was toxic.
After reading Young and Klosko’s book “Reinventing Your Life,” I discovered this pattern and understood how to change it. Now, I don’t feel discomfort when someone criticizes me. I’ve adopted a new approach: to speak last in discussions. By allowing my team to express their thoughts first, I can listen attentively and objectively evaluate each idea’s merits.
Related: Supercharge Your Team’s Creativity With This Powerful Brainstorming Technique
Here’s another habit to watch out for: Are you always afraid your team will leave you? If you’re constantly worried about this, you might have what’s called an “anxious attachment” pattern. If you don’t change this, your team might actually leave – not because they were going to anyway, but because they get tired of you always being suspicious.
2. Separate yourself from your ego
Your ego is like a voice that thinks it knows best. It can trick you into believing things that aren’t true, like thinking you’re a terrible person if you’re not constantly praised.
How this shows up at work: Imagine you’re interviewing someone more intelligent than you in some areas. If your ego is in charge, you might see this person as a threat instead of admitting their valuable expertise. This can lead to poor decision-making.
Your ego also affects how you feel about yourself. If your business results drop, your ego might make you think you’re a failure, but others might see this as a chance to improve.
I found what ego was when I was depressed and tried different practices, like ice baths. My rational mind knew it was good for me, but another voice kept saying, “Don’t do it, stay in bed, it’s safer.” I learned this was my ego talking. My job was not to let this voice win.
Are you wondering how much your ego is controlling you? Read Eckhart Tolle’s book “A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose”. It helped me understand the concept of ego.
Sometimes, the ego can do dreadful things to company founders and even lead to business crashes. I know a founder who always compared himself to other businesses because of his big ego. He started breaking rules just to be first instead of focusing on making a real impact and building a sustainable business.
3. Find your inner driver
No matter what you do or what business decisions you make, psychology explains it with two types of drivers. The first is the pleasure drive, where you do something for reward or recognition. The second is the aggressive drive, where you want to challenge others, be first, or succeed at others’ expense.
However, there is a third driver that defines an influential leader. It is the generative drive. People with it are curious and always want to grow and improve things around them.
An excellent example of a generative leader for me is Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft). He encourages Microsoft to invest in projects that may not be immediately profitable but significantly impact education and medicine. Or Jensen Huang (CEO of NVIDIA): He is humble and focused on making a difference. He talks about his employees and how their work, such as creating chips for essential technologies, contributes to the world’s progress.
Related: Don’t Let Your Ego Get in the Way — How Humble Leaders Build Stronger, More Motivated Teams
When you understand what truly drives you, especially if it’s a generative drive, you can lead your business in a way that’s not just about profit but about positively impacting the world.
Nothing helps you analyze your actions better than feedback from the outside. Surround yourself with honest people and experts. Communicate with them. And be honest with yourself about what your inner driver is.
