From the Founders Desk: The Power of Balance

As a student and early career professional, I was highly achievement-oriented. “Accumulation” and “Coming First” were critical themes around prizes, degrees, and accolades. I had developed and nurtured solid professional and breadwinner identities.
 
Before exploring other identities fully, motherhood became my most prominent role. A resultant career break caused gaping holes in my carefully crafted identity, and it felt like a rug had been pulled out from under me. 

                                                                                     
 
This loss eventually alchemized into a more significant purpose with my co-founders, to help qualified women return to work. 

External and Internal

But there was one more work that needed doing - the one on myself. As I proceeded to peel layers of conditioning, I learned of worth beyond what society certified, my work and my use. 
 
The balance had been tilted for too long in favour of the external. 
 
It was time to add things that could not be measured - hobbies, play, relationships, and a spiritual connection. As my inner life transformed, the outer transformed too. After all, the exterior is, I learnt - a mirror image. 
 
Luckily for the business itself, it was the external manifestation of a robust internal purpose of helping Women work flexibly. Hence progress was made on both.
 
Founders today face this immense pressure of balancing the External with the Internal, both within and outside of work. While we exist in “the ecosystem”, we often need to remind ourselves of the worth of our business and ourselves, taking note of the extremes. Balance, in this regard, impacts our very survival. 
 
                                                                                    

Logic and Intuition

All is not lost when we meander from the golden mean, though. The heart gives the siren call, or at least whispers when we have been too off. Intuition is the ability to hear and heed these calls. Easier said than done!
 
How often have founders encountered opportunities in golden robes, seeming logically sound in all kinds of analysis, but something “seemed off”? Or when the “presentation” of a thing or person was so off-beat that you would not have picked them. But something made you choose anyway, and everything clicked? 
 
Ironically honing intuition itself takes practice and failure. If we are slow, we will receive the gift of the “perfect failure” that will clarify the intuition in hindsight. If we are lucky, clarity and courage will be present during a decision.
 
                                                                                         

Growth and Protection

As a founder, some of the most memorable times for me have been when team members demonstrated thinking and understanding beyond their roles and cracked a big challenge by themselves. In some instances, the circumstances pushed the envelope. In others, they were conscious choices and attempts to empower while finally learning to delegate. 
 
Founders have a need and responsibility to enable growth for team members, and this can come only when we stop “protecting” them from bigger tasks that make them uncomfortable or demand more from them. On the other hand, we need to protect them from over-stretch and burnout and be responsible for staying engaged with the organization. 

The Power of Balance

Founding journeys are filled with competing choices. The most challenging thing is to figure out our priorities at any point in time. 
                                                                                      
 
We will likely find the right balance on the spectrum if we know the competing options we are grappling with and understand our priorities in context. Until something changes, and we have to figure them out again.