CEO Winter Gathering- Recap
The 2nd annual ONE WORLD CEO Winter Gathering ⸺ Building the Ultimate CEO Survival Guide ⸺ brought together impact CEOs and special guests for a virtual day of learning, inspiration, action and networking. Guests included CEOs from both public and private companies, as well as leaders who on a regular basis face extreme situations due to the nature of their profession. While the vantage points were varied, each speaker carried a common thread: investment in one’s own self-care is non-negotiable in one’s survival kit. Read on or listen in for tactical tips from hard-learned lessons that apply to any stage of company and any type of leader.
[4:30-33:40] Our first keynote conversation featured Tim Brown, Co-Founder & CEO of allbirds.
Allbirds was launched in 2014 with a kickstarter campaign, and according to Tim, the initial year was the hardest of his life. Now a public company, allbirds employs 1,000 people and has 50 retail stores selling direct in 34 countries.
Tim’s key lessons around leadership for early stage entrepreneurs include:
Keep going through the ebbs and flows, as many times the best part of a company’s story is found in the darkest moments.
Unless you take care of yourself, nothing else matters
The art of stopping. Leave everything behind and have a period of rest. Stick to it.
The single biggest job you have as a leader, regardless of company size, is to set the vision. Step back and re-evaluate it to ensure continued clarity.
You don’t get rewarded for working hard; you get rewarded because you win, and you win because of deep focus. Be clear about what you’re NOT going to do: simplify and focus; this applies to not only the company, but to your own energy deployment.
The power of a good “no” is one of the most underutilized skills
It’s OK to think about quitting. Think about the entrepreneurial journey in 3-year chapters to ensure the company is continuing to move in the intended direction and you are still the right leader to take it there.
Be honest about the 1 or 2 things that you do well and fill the gaps with an extraordinary team
Humor is a valuable leadership tool. Give yourself permission to not take yourself too seriously.
Leverage Advisors in a formal manner. Put them in the business to be a sounding board around processes and decisions and pay them in equity.
Moving Mountains, Shaping Systems with Julia Collins, Founder of Planet FWD + Moonshot Snacks
[33:47-1:00:11] Our opening hour continued with a discussion with Julia Collins.
Julia has been working at the intersection of food and technology for 15 years, looking at how to use technology to reimagine food systems so they work better for people and the planet.
Julia’s guidance for CEOs include:
Double down on focusing on the elements of your work that bring you joy, and let that joy carry you through the tough times, as the tough times don’t last.
Fall in love with a problem so you keep showing up during the challenging times to develop better and better solutions.
In order to survive the ups and downs of the macro environment, you need sound CEO fundamentals:
Strong fiscal hygiene & fiscal discipline
Process orientation
Ability to raise capital opportunistically
The right to enjoy your job, even during a down market, as the intrinsic value of what you’re trying to create hasn’t changed
Focus on physical wellness as a form of empowerment. Balance this with deep rest.
Proactively develop a network with aligned CEOs. Have this in place before you have to leverage it.
Create moments of levity and joy to make your team excited to show up every day.
When fundraising, remember that “clarity is kindness.” Be clear about your timeline so you can quickly focus on those that are more inclined to support you while allowing others to bow out. Create a sense of urgency and FOMO.
Venture funds are sitting on a lot of dry powder, but they are taking longer, so have patience. Ask existing investors if they could support a bridge or extend existing timelines.
While there is no magic solution to tackling climate change, we all have the power to vote and use our voice and we must continue to do so.
Leading Through Extreme Situations
Our second session highlighted three leaders in “TED-like” talks who have shepherded teams through challenging times. Each rose above adversity, coming out stronger; and each shared tips and tools for CEOs facing difficult situations.
[1:01:52-1:20:56] Dr. Guy Shochat, ER Physician & Clinical Educator, UCSF Health
Dr. Shochat described his experience stepping into the ER as a Director on the first day of COVID lockdown, sharing his own lessons of leadership and how after 5 months of 18-hour days with 3 days off, he cracked. In response, he paused, approaching the next 18 months of the pandemic differently.
Highlights include:
Lead by example. You can do this either by charging into a problem, or by modeling self-care. Don’t wait until a crisis to dive into self-care.
Have enforced periods off. Find the “thing” that works for you, based on the period of intensity. For Shochat it was exercise, connected to nature, and it had to be alone. More prolonged periods of alone time allowed him to be a more strategic thinker.
Implement media fasts. Consider waking up to a moment of mindfulness vs. immediately looking at your phone. Mindfulness practice is helpful to have in place in advance of a crisis
[1:21:06-1:30-30] Miranda Wang, Co-Founder & CEO, Novoloop. Novoloop is a climate tech start-up and an emerging leader in plastic circularity, transforming post-consumer plastic waste into the world’s first chemically upcycled performance materials.
Miranda shared that for most of Novoloop’s 7-year history, the company was barely surviving. She discussed the challenges of raising funds during COVID and a down-market, and the challenges of ramping up following a successful raise. Miranda relies on gardening for self-care as it is a task that must be done with both hands, therefore she is forced to put her phone down. She continues that this is done without a phone in one’s hand but admits that she has not been as good about her own self-care.
[1:30:41-1:56:55] Susan Farren, Founder, First Responders Resiliency, Inc.
Susan Farren is a published author, educator, and mother of 5. She is founder of the First Responders Resiliency, Inc. – a non-profit that provides a PROACTIVE science-based approach to the physiological, neurological, psychological, and emotional effects of trauma and stress on first responders and their families.
Susan’s guidance for CEOs includes:
Be flexible, as you will always need to pivot.
“Don’t try to see the label from inside the jar.” The work that you do can alter you and many times you’re the last to see. Stress affects us all physiologically and high-performing leaders become desensitized. Stress is the number one contributing factor to disease; the way to prevent disease is to minimize stress.
Remember that “Fear is shouting and truth is whispering.”
As chronic stress comes with penalties, invest in a self-care routine:
Before you go to bed, put your legs up the wall for 10 minutes. This allows the blood to go into your gut and tells your system that it’s not in flight or fright mode.
Practice slow, tactical breathing.
Meditation
Train your brain to follow routines
Create positive mantras, as negative thoughts play on repeat without awareness as an act of survival
Sleep is critical. Sleep tips include:
No technology 60 minutes before sleep
No technology 30 minutes before waking up
No TV in bedroom
Cold, dark room (lower than 67 degrees)
Consider a sound machine in background
Massage and touch calms the nervous system
Tactical breathing (4 seconds in; hold for 4; exhale for 5) useful in any situation (think fundraising). This helps slow one’s breathing and build trust in oneself and allows one to show up authentically and with confidence.
Try to stay in the present moment
Being Present, Setting Intentions
Sometimes recharging our batteries isn’t sufficient; we need a full battery replacement. Our final guest speaker helped remind us of this as he shared stories based in beauty, risk and adventure.
[1:56-55-2:27:10] A self-proclaimed Adventure Capitalist, professional rock climber Timmy O’Neill is a Climbing Ambassador for Patagonia, Executive Director of the Yosemite Climbing Association, and Founder of Paradox Sports.
Timmy had a blood vessel open in his brain during a climb in Southern Chile a few years’ ago. This has allowed him to realize that he is currently on “bonus life.”
Timmy’s experiences provided the following guidance and mantras:
If time is money and you can choose how best to allocate your time, you are instantly rich and you don’t always have to balance the traditional notion of time and money.
Accept who you are
Being called an “inspiration” can lead to objectification. When someone inspires you, think hard about what they have inspired you to do. This moves it from a perceived empty compliment to action and engagement.
Be OK having a “TO DON’T” list.
“don’t aid and abet the world shutting you down and doubting you down”
“don’t amplify the negative”
Recognize where you fit in, foster connections, and express gratitude on a regular basis.
Timmy sends out gratitude cards regularly which acknowledges what each person brings to his life
Own your own time and own yourself
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow, and learn as if you were to live forever.”
Recognize the value of walking and hold yourself accountable
Be authentic in your choices, decisions, and actions
“Time flies, but hopefully you’re the pilot”
Positivity is a choice
The Winter Gathering wrapped up with a preview of the January CEO Network session which will feature Ha Nguyen and Garrett Kelly, formerly of Swimply, who will facilitate a strategic planning exercise. For additional information about the CEO Network, please complete this form or reach out to Renata.
Want to make an impact with your holiday shopping? Make sure to support one of the ONE WORLD entrepreneurs that are listed in our Holiday Gift Guide!
Additional Resources:
A benefit corporation structure helps impact companies explain long-term strategy to stakeholders and investors. It is a legal tool to create a solid foundation for long-term mission alignment and value creation. It differs from B Corp status which is a certification that looks beyond a company’s product attributes and instead reviews a company’s entire business model and operations. B Corps are certified by B-Lab and “meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.”
Trilogy Effect, led by Wendy Appel - a business coaching group recommended by Cat Berman
Book recommendations from Timmy O’Neill:
Thank you for choosing to spend your time with the ONE WORLD community.
