From Start-Up to Grown-Up: Grow Your Leadership to Grow Your Business

Let’s begin our journey with a gentle gaze into the mirror—the mirror of self-awareness. Every founder, every leader, starts their transformation by looking inward. It’s not always comfortable. In fact, leadership, as the book beautifully puts it, is an unnatural act. We’re asked to stretch beyond our instincts, to see ourselves not just as we wish to be, but as we truly are.

Imagine a founder who declares, ‘I’m strategic,’ only to discover through a simple 360-feedback that their team sees them as ‘detailed, focused, critical.’ The truth can sting, but it is also liberating. When you open yourself to honest feedback, you unlock the ability to adapt, to grow, and to lead with intention.

Self-reflection isn’t a one-time event. It’s a daily practice—a reflex you build like a muscle. Ask yourself: What are my triggers? What am I proud of? Where do I need to dial up or down my style? Each day, a moment of honest journaling or a quiet walk can reveal answers that shape not only your day but your company’s destiny.

There’s a subtle magic in seeing how your actions ripple through your organization. One founder noticed their own struggle with delivering tough news and indecision reflected back at them in the behaviors of their team. Your company becomes a mirror—sometimes a funhouse mirror—of your own leadership DNA. If you don’t pause to reflect, you may unknowingly replicate your weaknesses, hiring yourself over and over again, and stifling the diversity and challenge that drive real innovation.

But self-awareness is not just about seeing flaws. It’s about seeing your potential. The process of radical self-examination—sometimes uncomfortable, always enlightening—offers you the chance to choose your response, rather than simply react. You become the conductor of your own growth.

As we move forward, remember: The work starts with you, but it doesn’t end there. In our next section, we’ll explore how to manage the inner critic and build the resilience to weather the emotional storms of start-up life, so you can show up as your best self for your team and your vision.