I empower individuals and organizations to come alive by creating and fulfilling on their vision for the future.
don't freak out
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WHEN "THEY" WANT THE FIRE ALARM TO GO OFF One of my clients had a security audit done on his software, using one of his friends as a consultant. The consultant came back with a serious concern—a glaring vulnerability. The kind of thing that could maybe trigger a lawsuit or a full on system failure. My client’s response? “Okay, thanks for bringing this up. We'll have to address this immediately. How's the fam doing?” The consultant stared at him, baffled—and then angry. “Why aren’t you taking this seriously?!” But here’s the thing: he was. When solving problems in business, there are two parrallel workstreams that come up every time a major problem comes up:
Most of us conflate the two. The moment something goes wrong, the brain fires up its internal doomsday committee:
It’s natural. But it’s noise. And actually distracting. What separates seasoned leaders from scattered ones is that they don’t chase those questions. They don’t spiral. They simply act, even if there's noise trying to distract them. And my client responded: That’s leadership. Not because it’s cold. But because it’s clear. The emotional flailing doesn’t make you more responsible. It makes you less effective. Reacting with calm doesn’t mean you don’t care. It means you care enough to stay effective. So the next time something blows up—and it will—try asking a different question: LEADERSHIP IS LEARNED I’ve got two open spots in my coaching roster. I’m offering one complimentary session to any founder—yes, even if we’ve worked together before. Just reply with: “Yes!” Also would love to catch up with any of you! Emailed forwarded to you? Want to read more?
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Andrew Elliot Stern Group
I empower individuals and organizations to come alive by creating and fulfilling on their vision for the future.
oasis on your journey We often come to the wrong conclusions when we think about ourselves. We think: If only I were more disciplined. We think: If only I had more energy. We think: If only... We think: I’ve been created without what I really need to succeed. If only I had a few more tools, a little more talent, a couple fewer flaws—then I’d feel like I’ve arrived. And sure, you’ve heard what I’m about to say before.But have you actually internalized it? There comes a moment when two paths...
tale of two founders I just realized last night (11:43 p.m.) that I was five weeks away from running out of cash. No more payroll, no more runway, no clear path. I went home, but I didn’t sleep. The next morning, the pressure was unbearable. I couldn’t bring myself to tell my investors. I couldn’t face my team. I tried to work on a plan, but the fear, the exhaustion, the burnout—it was all too much. Last night, I ended up in the ER thinking I couldn't breath. The doctors found nothing wrong....
preventing burn out "Wow, that was the best night I’ve had in months!" - Quote from a founder I work with. AVOIDING BURNOUT Lately, I’ve been focused on helping founders avoid burnout. With fundraising tougher than ever and investors laser-focused on profitability over raw growth, founders are feeling the squeeze. More pressure, more work, and often—less time for themselves. One thing I encourage? Leveraged social events. LEVERAGED SOCIAL EVENTS Here’s what my founder did: He’s a massive rock...