The founders who last aren’t the ones who push hardest. They’re the ones who find a pace they can sustain.
Most founders set an unsustainable pace because they believe they have no choice. It works, for a while! Then the pace burns them out, and they’re done. I know because I lived it, as an a16z-backed founder and early product leader at Slack.
When I faced stress, I believed I had no choice but to push through it.
When I faced conflict, I believed I had no choice but to push for my way—or silence myself to keep the peace.
When I faced failure, I believed I had no choice too: that my career was over if I couldn’t prove my value next time around.
It took being fired from two of the best jobs I ever had to realize none of these beliefs were true. Now I help startup founders and executives master the art of leading with intention before they reach a breaking point: so they can pursue their wildest ambitions at a sustainable pace. I’ve coached leaders at 70+ startups and spent 20+ years in tech as a founder, operator, and coach.
The truth was I always had a choice. I could have directly addressed the sources of my stress and set a sustainable pace. It was just a matter of a few hard conversations. But it didn’t seem possible because I was scared. I never called it fear at the time, of course! I thought of myself as realistic, pragmatic, even responsible. I thought avoiding the hard conversations was protecting me from stress, conflict, and failure—not perpetuating them.
The truth was I was living in fear. I had been trying so hard to avoid failure I had forgotten why I’d fallen in love with this work in the first place. So after my untimely exit from Slack, I decided it was time to reignite my love for work. I started asking myself the tough questions as I began to explore my next role. What would make me proud of how I led? What kind of relationships would I cultivate? What impact did I hope to make on the world?
The truth was I wasn’t sure yet. So instead of waiting to be sure, I started experimenting and proving how I could make an impact. I interviewed for prestigious startup exec and VC roles, but I struggled to get excited about them. Coaching as a career was barely on my radar at the time! But I couldn’t deny the deep fulfillment I felt when I helped my first client see possibility where none existed before. I’m coming up on 10 years of coaching this year, and my sense of purpose is still as strong as ever.
Kenneth is an amazing coach that will take you not where you expect him to, but where you need to go.
Godsend. Rockstar. Total boss. As a coach, Kenneth is fantastic, and I couldn’t recommend him more highly.
I’ve worked with Kenneth to help me scale alongside our 10x growth. It’s been a groundbreaking experience and I wouldn’t be the asset I am for our team today without his help and guidance.
Kenneth's coaching wasn't what I expected going in but it was definitely what I needed. He's very good at his job. I highly recommend Kenneth to anyone seeking a coach.
Kenneth helped me to unlock my true potential, and for that I will be forever grateful.
Working with Kenneth allowed me to discover the need I had to make a change from my current trajectory. And I did.…the anxiety and stress I was feeling previously has lifted.
