For a mate, and for all of us.
Many listed leaders carry pressure. We all signed up for this game. But it doesn't mean we need to play it alone.
I went to a memorial last week.
Not just for a friend, although he was that.
But for a founder. A CEO.
A member of this community.
He was 46.
I'm not going to name him, or try to capture his entire story here.
That wouldn't be fair to him, or to you.
But I will say this. He was a larger-than-life leader. He built a very successful business from almost nothing. And like many listed leaders, he carried more weight than most people ever see.
The spotlight, the pressure, the decisions. It all adds up.
In the last few years of his life, it showed. I don't wan't to reduce his story down to a single cause but I do want to reflect. I want to take meaning from it. And I want to get better, personally and collectively.
So over the next few weeks, I'll be sending a series of emails. Each one built around an interview with someone who knows pressure. People from medicine, elite sport, and listed leadership.
People who have spent years working in high-stress, high-visibility environments. I want to learn how they manage, where they struggled, and what habits actually help.
And I want your input.
If you have questions that you'd like me to put to the - whether broad or specific, personal or professional - just reply to this email. Or if you'd prefer, you can submit something anonymously here.
We all signed up for this game. But it doesn't mean we need to play it alone.
More next week,
Ben.