Taking the Pressure So Your Team Doesn’t Have To

by rshafir | May 23, 2025 | Entrepreneurship, Uncategorized

Isadore Sharp, the founder of the Four Seasons said, “Excellence is the capacity to take pain.” 

Emotional self-regulation is the hallmark of a strong mental core. Founders need to be able to tolerate the pressure so that their team doesn’t have to. “Pressure” is the emotional and strategic weight of uncertainty that a founder has to bear.   

It’s the capacity to take late-night calls, take ownership when things go sideways, and walk out of brutal boardroom meetings with calm and poise. Just like a strong physical core improves balance, endurance, and prevents injury, a strong mental core protects you from the daily darts and arrows that come your way.

When Howard Schultz returned as CEO of Starbucks in 2008, the company was in free fall. Sales were plummeting, morale was low, and the brand had lost its essence. Schultz made the unpopular decision to close over 7,000 stores temporarily to retrain baristas on how to make the perfect espresso. This move cost the company millions in lost revenue.

Behind the scenes, Schultz was under enormous pressure—from investors, analysts, and the media. But he absorbed that pressure, shielding his team from the external panic and allowing them to focus on rebuilding the culture. He maintained a calm, long-term vision and emotionally grounded leadership style, which became a stabilizing force. His ability to regulate his own fear and frustration gave others space to believe the turnaround was possible.

This kind of COREageousness may be acquired from past experiences—military service, health crises, family dysfunction, financial collapse. If you’ve been spared those, your mental core must be forged through daily reps:

• Dedicated spiritual inspiration
• Self-care routines (sleep, diet, meditation, fun)
• Deep study regimens
• Listening to podcasts (see the Resources section for my favorites)
• Exercise that pushes you past your comfort zone
• Surrounding yourself with people who stand up to the hard stuff

These reps build the COREage to lean into adversity, take calculated risks, and tolerate pressure without sacrificing your mental health—or the mental health of your team. If you build this kind of strength, you won’t burn out. And neither will they. Momentum, morale, and productivity will stay high—even when the stakes are higher.

CoreCoaching can help you get comfortable with the uncomfortable. It’s about building confidence and the grit your team needs to survive. For help contact me at Rebecca@MindfulCommunication.com