Basecamp for Entrepreneurs
Terri Finney
Author
“If one wants to climb mountains one must have a good basecamp, a place where there are shelters and provisions, where one may receive nurture and rest before one ventures forth to seek another summit. Successful mountain climbers know that they must spend at least as much time, if not more, tending to their base camp as we do in climbing mountains. Their survival is dependent upon their seeing to it that their base camp is sturdily constructed and well stocked.” - M. Scott Peck, The Load Less Traveled
My Superpower is helping people understand why they do what they do, and how they get in their own way. I’ve honed this gift over thirty years of working with individuals, entrepreneurs, teams, and families in coaching, consulting, teaching, and clinical contexts. Each day I go to work and chip away at the ‘ice’ of long-held beliefs and other objectified thoughts while simultaneous ‘presencing the river’ – speaking to the health and wisdom inside people, drawing it up to the surface more and more. My job is to bring out the best people, to help them gain more insights from themselves, and bring another perspective into their experience. If I do my job well I will help others do what they do better. This can occur with grace and ease, rather than harderfasterharderfaster.
Mental Health and Staying Sane
Sometimes my job is to keep founders off the ledge. More grounding, less stressing. Sometimes there are mental health challenges that get in the way. It’s helpful for each of us to understand mental health challenges including “disorders”, what they look like, how they can be used for good. Often mental health challenges merit additional support and resources. Entrepreneurs know that there is loneliness at the top.
Developing Emotional Capacity
People with high emotional capacity are more able to cope with challenges quickly and move on from setbacks. The organization will never get beyond the developmental stage of the leader. I have partnered entrepreneurs to move from pleasing others and needing to belong… to integration and self-actualization. Life can get pretty uncomfortable when internal or past issues get in the way of performance and leadership. When you get stuck there is likely to be a part of you that is unconscious and in charge. Getting unstuck requires radical self-inquiry. When leaders fail to look at themselves, they turn their inner turmoil and very human contradictions outward in a way that affects those around them. We all bring baggage from our past, such as premature adulthood and other self-shapers. We operate out of beliefs taught to us by people whose job it was to protect us. Many of these are not true, or at least not useful.
You Are Not Your Business
Starting a business is risky. If your company fails, and statistically it will at least once, you may identify as a failure. Instead, see yourself as a jigsaw puzzle. Your business is one bright shiny part of you. You need all the other parts to be a whole. Shame is toxic. Imposter syndrome or shame perpetuated through impression management is toxic.
Final Thoughts
Here are some strategies I offer to entrepreneurs. Slow down. Don’t rush the process. Take stock in what you have already accomplished and the successes you have had. It’s easier to build on top of a solid foundation. Developing rituals and boundaries will help you feel most stable. Get comfortable with uncertainty. Pretending that all is well around others is a quick path to unrelenting depression. Take care of yourself. Read things that wake up your heart and inspire you toward greatness. Surround yourself with people who support your passion. The quality of your relationships is more important than the quantity. Talk with others who deal with the same issues. Take your play more seriously. It’s good for your heart, body, and cognitive development. Use your alone time to support and nurture yourself. Neurologically your brain is still developing into its adult shape well into your thirties; pruning away unused connections and strengthing the ones that remain. Be conscious about the neural connections you want to strengthen.