Morning beehiivcommunity!

This newsletter turns experience into actionable lessons for your startup. As a growth partner for visionary founders, we sharpen leadership skills and unlock growth potential.

How Introverted Leaders Show Up Authentically in High-Pressure Rooms

What if the most powerful thing an introverted leader can do in a high-pressure room isn't to push harder, but to show up more honestly as themselves?

Last week’s Silent Strength panel discussed what this practically looks like. Below are links to a highlight reel, as well as the full event.

Soraya Depowski, Founder & CEO of Sharely: “I've found a way to bring my authentic self into fundraising and sales. I'm very mission-driven, and leading with that in my conversations, while still pitching the value proposition and financial upside to VCs, has helped me present my vision in my own calm, excited way.”

Jerry Colonna, CEO and Co-Founder of Reboot.io, described a 2013 talk at the Imperial Palace of the Habsburg Empire in Vienna. “There were 1,500 people in the room. I’m comfortable in those environments, but I can get overwhelmed, especially when the speech is over, and the wave of people comes. So, I ended the talk, ‘Just so you know, I'm an introvert, and if you want to come up and speak, my eyes are probably going to be dropping inward, and it has nothing to do with you.’”

Pamela Slim, author of Body of Work and The Widest Net, shared about knowing ourselves: “Authenticity is one of those words that gets used a lot, but I take a lot of time to notice how people are in different environments, especially people with less power. We want to be conscientious of how we're navigating in different ways.”

Our conversation built a new layer for how we think about introversion, authenticity, and leadership. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Watch a five-minute highlight reel HERE or the full recording HERE (available upon registration). Special thanks to Christopher Lind for making this happen.

Expert Tips for Startups

The Advantage of Knowing What You Don’t Know

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” — Confucius 

When left unchecked, blind spots hinder growth, lead to poor decisions, and increase the risk of setbacks.

Because we can’t see what we’re missing, we need other people. With an outside perspective, those from different roles and experiences can see things we can’t and can give constructive input. 

As your startup scales, embrace “what got you here won’t get you there,” a phrase popularized by Executive coach Marshall Goldsmith.

Every week, ask at least one stakeholder (team, investor, customer, or vendor) to tell you what’s not working or what could make your plan stronger. The leaders who thrive are willing to learn again and again.

Need Some Help?

What if the quietest person in the room is the one who changes the world?

Build Scale Grow provides expert strategies and clear metrics for social impact, EdTech, and health tech startups, with a focus on introverted founders. With five successful M&As in ten years, we’ll help your startup reach its full potential and beyond.

Book a free 30-minute call HERE to see how we can help.