I recently had the pleasure of moderating a virtual event for International Women’s Day with 10 amazing, female founders. These business leaders, while all within lifestyle brands, came from diverse backgrounds and with a range of years in business. Some had been at it for over a decade and some were just beginning their journey as a founder. All of them were generous with their insights and willingness to share very tangible personal experiences.
What struck me, was a common theme that they all expressed. Prior to the actual event I had one on one conversations with everyone. This is invaluable as it gives me a chance to connect with people prior to the event and reveals topics and issues we might not have uncovered in the moment of the actual event. Through these chats each of these women referenced issues related to mental health.
The pandemic has allowed us to talk, reflect and take positive action to address and support mental wellness in a way that has not been on the table previously. So I dug a bit deeper. I found myself asking:
Is the hustle dead?
Entrepreneurship has been cloaked for decades in a swath of bro-culture mania – the hustle of don’t sleep, don’t eat, go, go, GO. This is what it takes to succeed. This is what it means, what it looks like, to be a leader. And these 10 business leaders are saying no. That is not what being a leader looks like.
These leaders all described the power of acknowledging their own needs; the senselessness of constant churning; the impact of allowing staff to be vulnerable and communicate when work and life collide and allowing space for shifts without sacrificing the health of the business.
We touched on other important issues such as the race/ wealth disparity; how do you define “rewarding work” when work ground to a halt for months on end. And I say touched because it was a jam packed hour when you can only touch upon, not excavate, the details of such pertinent social and personal issues.
You can view the entire Lucid Chats IWD Celebration and learn more about these leaders that are changing the way we define leadership.
