We were lucky to be joined by Kathy Eastwood for yesterday’s Founder Mental Wellness roundtable. With topics submitted by the community, we covered stress management, creating trust with employees, and how to balance honesty and kindness with leadership and assertiveness. If you liked this topic, join our next roundtable, Thursday, June 20th: Failure Forum. We’ll talk honestly about how failure has instilled growth in us as leaders and what we can learn from each others’ experiences with failure. A recap of the Wellness roundtable is below: How to manage stress as a founder (but really!) Know Yourself and Identify Needs: Stress management does not have a one size fits all solution - to properly manage stress you need to understand yourself first What are your triggers? What are your personal signs of stress? Tailor your stress management strategies to your individual needs - general advice isn’t helpful until you know your needs. For example If you are overwhelmed by a long task list = Define a role for a chief of staff who can prioritize your list - you can use AI tools or the Eisenhower Matrix if you have limited budget If you need people around you to bounce ideas off of = Build a community of trusted friends and founders outside of your team that you can share more honestly with If you need to be alone to recharge = Retreat and take time for solitude when necessary. Create Structure: Structure is essential for managing tasks, even for those who dislike routines. Establish routines and strategies to handle daily responsibilities. Stick to that system each week to create a habit Balancing Honesty with Productivity You may be asking - how do you foster a culture of inclusivity and understanding while ensuring productivity and success remain top priorities? Achieving Goals and Leadership: Express both personal and company visions clearly to guide efforts and maintain motivation on challenging days. Break down goals into actionable items to ensure progress. Strive to understand yourself and others to improve communication and relationships. Anxiety = uncertainty & self doubt - as a leader, instill certainty and confidence for your team to be as productive as possible. The best leaders know no one has all the answers - they know how to bring people in and with them on the journey. Share your vision with others to attract support and create a collaborative environment. You can learn more from Kathy and her Executive Coaching practice here: E Equals Why. --- This post was migrated from connect.com and was originally published at an earlier date.