CEOs of startups tend to have a lot of energy regarding their company, but they should take the time to reflect on basic business elements.
A recent piece in Entrepreneur by Kep Sweeney and Ken Willis looked at the application of "mindfulness" in the role of a startup CEO.
What does this mean, exactly? The authors take it to be an approach that encourages sound decision-making and meaningful action as opposed to the less purposeful actions that might accompany an immature venture.
In addition to maintaining a cool head and being aware of all the different factors that could impact success, CEOs should use "mindfulness" to focus on what needs to be done without abandoning their duties, the article states.
"The mindful startup CEO guides his or her venture with clear, intuitive decision making, finding quiet time to consider relevant facts and find intuitive insights," the authors write. "Mindfulness helps the startup CEO avoid knee-jerk reactions that undermine effective leadership."
One of the simpler things that promotes mindfulness is a healthy amount of sleep. This is echoed in a piece in Reuters, which looks at this trend in the U.K., where writer Kathleen Brooks talks about the difficulties in balancing a desire for clearheadedness with the fast-paced environment of a business.
She suggests that business leaders can deprive themselves of sleep if they have to, but should do it selectively: Devoting oneself to the job too much might end up being counterproductive and hurt the business instead of help it.
Using a recruitment consultant, companies can try to find someone who has already mastered this fine and tricky balancing act. "Mindfulness" may mean different things to different CEO candidates, and present itself in particular types of business behavior.
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