Self-management and self-forgiveness this December.
Learn how to master yourself and your shortcomings. Q&A with Shivani Berry, CEO of Ascend, a business born from mistakes. (Pt 2 on leading yourself).
We’re close to the finish line of 2022 and I know from speaking to many of you how wiped out you’re feeling and more than ready for a break. We’re cold, tired and frazzled from another year of pandemic life.
I see the next two weeks as about finding the balance between getting as much work done as possible before everyone finishes for the holidays but not pushing so hard that you burn out and can’t enjoy your break. Or that you annoy the people who are trying to switch off with your requests(!).
It’s a juggle. So whilst we continue to explore last weeks post on how to ‘lead yourself so you can lead your company to success’ I also want to give you permission to be operating as your best self right now.
…If you saw me this morning, rushing around my house and leaving a trail of destruction behind me, stressed, late for a meeting… then this was not me leading myself effectively.
But leading yourself is not always about cracking the whip so that you ‘work harder, faster or stronger’ but about about acknowledging what you need in that moment, as you would treat a child or a new employee. Sometimes it is best to choose kindness. Notice and observe yourself in that moment, but rather than moan about being better, extending yourself grace and forgiveness.
My friend Mandy couldn’t have said it better in her kind text:
So, it may be time to put your ‘Chief Relaxation Officer’ in charge if you have to, as a member of The Stack World said in a call this Monday.
Keep on reading in this post for the usual: A Founder Profile, more resources and tools to level up…
Shivani Berry is on a mission to help women to excel as leaders
Not only is Shivani helping others to lead themselves better in their careers as CEO of the online leadership programme for women Ascend, Shivani is also on a journey herself as first time founder after working in investment banking, tech and completing an MBA at Harvard Business School.
Shivani is an inspiring women and I was delighted to get her take on what it means to lead yourself effectively as a founder, make decisions, learn from mistakes and failures.
Considering the mission Shivani is on to equip women with the skills and tools to be valued as a leader and gain confidence, I could think of no one better for this weeks’ topic.
Watch the 20 min interview here:
Some of my personal takeaways from Shivani’s advice in this interview:
Being strategic in your communication is about considering how others receive feedback from you so that you can get the best out of a situation. It was from a failure in communication that led Shivani to build Ascend.
A core framework in decision making is always keeping the end goal in mind as a North Start to lead you to make the right decisions.
Accepting that the first version of something is never perfect but it will create more information to use for the future.
There is not always enough data to make decisions in business, in which case the right course of action is to use data as a signal and combine it with intuition and customer/problem understanding.
Differentiate between Type 1 and Type 2 decisions (irreversible vs reversible) and know how long to spend making them.
Advice is best taken from those who understand your struggles and have been through what you’re going through.
Dealing with hard things during the rollercoaster journey of the founder journey is about not getting caught up in your own head. Stop second guessing yourself and know upfront that failure is part of the process.
Follow Shivani on LinkedIn, Twitter or sign up to future Ascend cohorts here.
In 2022 I have already got some incredible guests lined up, from top newsletter creators, leading consumer VCs, experts on gen Z and more. If you’re new here be sure to subscribe now to stay in the loop.
Wynter can help you extra income and learn at the same time.
An opportunity for The Ask readers: Get paid up to $180 per hour to join a research panel and give feedback to leading businesses on new products. Great way to earn some extra cash to fund your business building or side projects!
Sign up as a panelist here
Lead yourself to be the best founder you can be
If you want to get more done as a leader and individual, then ProductiveGrowth is a monthly newsletter that will help you achieve success through leadership and the 3Ps: productivity, personal development and process building. Subscribe here.
You’re not lazy or unproductive, you just need to slow down. I discovered this post this morning in perfect time for today’s post. We can be on top of our game some days and need a push the next and that doesn’t make us bad at our jobs nor should it be tied up with our self-worth.
A message for Founders: You weren’t born knowing how to be a CEO. When a great founder becomes a great CEO incredible things will happen. Hear from founder of Bazaarvoice and former CEO Brett Hurt on his top six tips for transitioning to be a great CEO.
As you reflect on how you’ve led yourself this year, it’s important to capture the wins more than anything. Where attention goes, energy flows and we want more reasons to feel positive about ourselves and our businesses. How better to do this then by Creating a Win Log of your 2021. Find a post and Notion template, from yours truly.
Business advice from 67 founders. I love this round up of quotes and advice from those who have been through the trenches. Read their tips on time, money and self management and more.
Free business planning coaching to get ready for 2022.
I know that the end of the year is exciting but also a bit concerning especially for business owners wanting to set get everything set up so that you can both smash your end of year goals but get some rest and reflection in over the new year. I coach early stage and aspiring founders to get crystal clear on their vision for their business, and the plan and confidence they need to achieve it.
This December I have opened a few slots open in my calendar for newsletter readers, to get clear on the 3 things that you can do in December to set you up for success.
Hit reply or email me to schedule your complimentary session this December.
Thanks as always for reading!
Next week I’ll be wrapping up the company building series we’ve been through and share some final thoughts to guide your early stage businesses to greater heights.
Ellen Donnelly, Founder + Chief Coach, The Ask.