Are you keeping your cool?
Are you keeping your cool?
Every summer I forget just how much harder it is to think when it's hot. Recently it’s been the kind of heat where your concentration drifts, your patience shortens and simple decisions seem to take twice as much energy.
A few weeks ago, after one too many video calls spent melting, I finally gave in and bought one of those wearable neck fans. I resisted for ages because they looked a little ridiculous. Now, you'll struggle to prise it off me.
It made me smile because it reminded me of something we often do as founders and leaders. We put up with unnecessary discomfort for far longer than we need to. We convince ourselves we should simply cope.
I've been talking to a number of Female Founders and Leaders recently and, while the weather has been a frequent topic of conversation, it has quickly led somewhere more interesting.
"It's amazing how much harder leadership feels when your capacity is already stretched." And struggling in the heat has amplified the challenges we already have.
When we're tired, under pressure or uncomfortable, we have less capacity to listen well, think strategically, coach others or respond thoughtfully instead of reacting.
As our businesses grow, those moments become more frequent and the cracks become bigger. So here are three things I'm reminding myself to pay attention to, to beat the heat.
Tip 1: Make it easier to do your best
"I realised I was making work even harder."
My new neck fan won't transform my business. Neither will closing the blinds in the afternoon, starting earlier, carrying a water bottle everywhere or taking having meetings (my favourite type of meetings) before the heat builds.
But together they reduce unnecessary friction.
The same is true in our organisations. How many processes, meetings or ways of working make life harder than it needs to be?
Small improvements rarely feel transformational on their own, but collectively they free up energy for the work that really matters.
As businesses that care about people and planet, we often focus on solving the world's biggest challenges.
Don't overlook the small changes that help your people do their best work every day.
Tip 2: Protect your energy before you need it
"I kept telling myself I’d slow down after next week”
We've all said it. The challenge is that another busy week always appears. When the pressure increases, many founders and leaders work longer, skip breaks and power through.
For a while, it works. Until it doesn't.
The businesses that scale well don't rely on extraordinary endurance from their leaders. They create rhythms that allow people to perform sustainably and pay attention to recovery as much as productivity.
Great performance needs enough energy left to make good decisions tomorrow.
Tip 3: Create the conditions for others to thrive
"My team don’t all need the same things."
One person loves a cool office. Another works better from home during a heatwave. Someone else shifts their hours to avoid travelling in the hottest part of the day.
There isn't one right answer. Great leadership is less about treating everyone identically and more about creating the conditions where different people can do their best work.
That flexibility builds trust. Trust strengthens culture. And culture becomes one of the strongest drivers of sustainable growth.
The businesses that grow without burning people out are not the ones with the fanciest perks. They're the ones where leaders intentionally attend to what their people need.
Great leadership keeps its cool
One thing I've learnt over the years is that organisations behave much like people. When pressure rises, what's underneath becomes visible. A heatwave reveals your deeper culture.
If people feel trusted, they'll continue to thrive. If decisions only happen through one person, the cracks become more obvious. If your culture supports wellbeing as part of performance, people find ways to adapt together.
For purpose-driven businesses, leadership is about creating environments where people can perform brilliantly without sacrificing themselves in the process. Whether it's buying a neck fan, redesigning a meeting, trusting your team with more responsibility or creating healthier ways of working, the principle is the same.
Remove unnecessary friction.
Protect what matters.
Create the conditions for people to flourish.
Businesses that care about performance, people and planet grow by making it easier for people to do their best work.
Stay cool!
Sarah
P.s. if you’re in the market for a neck fan, I can recommend buying the biggest battery power in your price range.
my email my website my Linked In
——————————————————————————————————
I’m Sarah, Founder of Loafspark.
Sign up for more insights on leading and scaling B Corps and values-led brands without losing your soul. At Loafspark we turn leadership and culture into scalable growth engines for businesses that care about people and planet. Consultancy, facilitation, programs and coaching for Female Founders £0.5-£20m and all senior BCorp/Social/Environmental leaders £20m+.