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I’ve been a founder, CEO, investor, advisor, board member and leader for 37 years and have seen some great successes and some great failures. My entrepreneurial journey has been marked by great hardships, including the Great Recession, when I lost everything. Antifragile optimismIt is a mindset that allows us to overcome adversity and thrive in it.
Strategic foresight and authentic leadership are essential, but in addition to that, we must embrace the darker, less understood parts of ourselves: Carl Jung The well-known “shadow”.
Related: How to Empower Yourself to Reach Your Full Potential
Shadow Concept
Carl Jung introduced the concept of the “shadow,” which represents the unconscious and often repressed aspects of our personality — the traits, behaviors, and feelings that we push into the background because they don’t match our self-image. Jung described the shadow as an unconscious obstacle, an invisible force that can hold us back or weigh us down.
Jung once said: “A man who is obsessed with his own shadow always stands in his own light and falls into his own trap.”
The hidden part of us can subtly influence our decision-making, our leadership style, and the overall success of our business. Left unchecked, the shadow can be a major obstacle to growth, but when confronted and integrated, it can become a powerful ally.
A personal discovery of the shadows
My journey to understanding my shadow began with a recent leadership course taught by John Wineland. The concept of shadow work was new to me, but it made me realize that my shadow was unconsciously influencing many of my decisions and limiting my potential as a leader and entrepreneur.
This was a revelation: I realized that fears and insecurities I had been hiding for so long were impacting my ability to lead effectively. One concrete manifestation of this shadow was the fear of financial instability. This fear reared its head during the IPO downturn of the past two years.
Financial anxiety is a constant for many entrepreneurs. According to a Harvard Business School study, 25% of entrepreneurs face significant financial losses multiple times throughout their careers. If not addressed head-on, this anxiety can become a self-fulfilling prophecy and subconsciously affect your decision-making process.
The Entrepreneur’s Shadow: A Double-Edged Sword
Entrepreneurs are often driven by a combination of confidence, ambition and vision. But these strengths can also have a dark side, a shadow that can lead to serious problems if not recognized.
For example, overconfidence can be both a strength and a weakness. Confidence in our ideas and capabilities is important for any entrepreneur. It drives us to take risks and push our limits. However, overconfidence often leads us to underestimate risks and overcommit resources, leading to strategic failures that could have been avoided with a more cautious approach.
Similarly, fear of failure leads to the carefulness and meticulous planning that are essential in business. But an overwhelming fear of failure can prevent you from taking necessary risks or exploring new opportunities. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), serial entrepreneurs often face multiple failures before achieving lasting success, highlighting the importance of resilience and risk taking.
Another common pitfall is poor work-life balance. While a strong work ethic and dedication are essential to building a successful business, neglecting your personal well-being and relationships can lead to burnout and reduced efficiency, both personally and professionally.
Related: Why Self-Reflection and Self-Awareness are Important Skills for Entrepreneurs
Leveraging the shadows to grow your business
Your shadow isn’t something to be feared or ignored; it’s a part of yourself that you can use to grow. The first step is to become aware of your shadow. This requires you to look honestly at yourself and ask the tough questions: “What am I avoiding? What am I trying to overcompensate for?”
This process requires vulnerability, something many leaders avoid, but which is essential for personal growth. It is also essential to seek feedback from trusted colleagues, mentors, and coaches, who can give us insight into our blind spots – aspects of ourselves that we don’t see clearly but that others can see.
Once you know your shadow traits, you can begin to confront them. This can include setting boundaries, taking calculated risks, and delegating tasks more effectively. Integrating the shadow is an ongoing process that requires patience and consistent effort.
By bringing the shadow into the light, we can use it as a source of innovation and new ideas. For example, embracing vulnerability helps build trust and credibility within a team. Understanding and managing overconfidence helps us make more deliberate decisions, balancing ambition with a realistic assessment of risks.
Recognising the importance of personal wellbeing can create a more sustainable approach to entrepreneurship that embraces personal happiness and health as an essential component of success.
Antifragile thinking and recovery
Antifragile thinking may be the most important trait for being a successful entrepreneur.
According to a report from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), many entrepreneurs start new ventures even after experiencing major failures, and this cycle of failure and recovery is common in the lives of most entrepreneurs.
Financial setbacks are not common and often occur multiple times in an entrepreneur’s career. The key is to learn from these failures, adapt to new circumstances, and keep moving forward. My journey after the Great Recession is a testament to this process. Working on myself and integrating my shadow made me a healthier and more effective CEO. This change not only improved my performance in business, but in all areas of my life.
Related: Embracing Antifragility – How to Leverage Uncertainty, Volatility, and Stress to Achieve Unprecedented Growth and Innovation
The shadow is a powerful framework for achieving both business success and personal fulfillment. Confronting and integrating the shadow unlocks hidden strengths and deepens leadership capabilities.
As a holistic CEO, I believe it’s not just beneficial but essential to bring the best version of yourself to our business and stakeholders. Recognizing and facing my shadow has deepened me as a person and as a leader.
Treating my shadow as an ally has helped me to leverage it in ways that have increased my effectiveness both as a CEO and as an entrepreneur. I encourage all entrepreneurs in pursuit of greatness to embrace their shadow as an ally. The shadow plays a vital role in both personal and professional development, contributing to a more resilient, innovative, and ultimately successful approach to business.
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