Why focusing on you creates meaningful growth

We live in a world obsessed with performance - scaling plans, KPIs, and speed. But the most meaningful and sustainable growth doesn’t start with better business models or bigger teams. It starts with you.

The paradox of growth

We tend to define progress by what’s visible - promotions, impact, expansion. Yet, every organisational shift has an inner mirror. In my work with scale-up leaders, and through the stories in How to Survive in a Scale-Up Business, I’ve seen that external success always follows internal change.

This is what I call the emotional capacity gap, the space between what your environment demands of you and what your inner resources can hold. When the gap widens, it shows up as stress, over-control, self-doubt or burnout. The good news: that capacity can be built. It’s a skill, one that comes from self-awareness, reflection and the courage to pause.

Self-work is leadership work

In one story, a product leader was paralysed after feeling betrayed by his founders. He couldn’t let go of the injustice. What helped him move forward wasn’t analysing others’ behaviour but examining his own attachment to recognition and control. Once he reconnected with his values, he made his next move with calm conviction.

Another leader, a senior manager in a fast-growing business, was exhausted trying to emulate the loud, high-visibility leadership style around her. Through coaching, she discovered that her natural reflective style was a strength - it allowed her to see patterns and make thoughtful, balanced decisions. When she stopped trying to be someone else, her confidence and influence grew.

These are not stories of strategy, but of self-awareness. In scale-ups, it isn’t the smartest people who thrive - it’s those who can regulate themselves under pressure, stay curious, and lead from clarity rather than fear.

Three dimensions of meaningful growth

Focusing on yourself isn’t indulgence; it’s intelligent leadership. Every successful transformation begins when leaders develop awareness across three dimensions:

1. Know yourself – What drives you? What drains you? What do you value most? A leader in her forties described realising that her frustration at not being promoted wasn’t about ambition, but about meaning. She reframed success around balance and mentoring others, and found the fulfilment that eluded her when she was chasing titles.
   
   
2. Understand others – Growth happens through relationships.
   A founder once told me he couldn’t understand why his team didn’t share his all-hours passion for the business. When he recognised that impact matters more than intention, he began modelling empathy and boundaries instead of exhaustion. His culture improved, and so did performance.
   
   
3. Expand your emotional capacity – Emotional capacity allows you to remain steady while navigating chaos. A senior executive who lost his job unexpectedly described how reflection - rather than self-blame - helped him rebuild confidence, rediscover purpose, and start his next venture with more awareness and less fear.
   

Mindfulness: the leadership superpower

Mindfulness isn’t a wellness extra; it’s a leadership essential. It’s the discipline of attention mastery, noticing thoughts and emotions without being driven by them.

One leader featured in the book used mindfulness techniques during tense meetings: slowing his breathing before responding, grounding his attention on what mattered rather than reacting to tone or hierarchy. Over time, his calm became his influence.

Research backs what experience shows - calm is contagious. Teams mirror the emotional state of their leaders. In turbulent times, mindfulness is not about doing less; it’s about leading with clarity instead of chaos.

Coaching as a catalyst

Several stories in the book show that coaching creates the space for this transformation. One executive, caught in a pattern of over-preparing and under-trusting, realised through coaching that her drive for perfection was rooted in fear of being exposed. Another discovered that his “problem with authority” stemmed from early experiences of needing approval. Once seen, these patterns lost their power.

Coaching moves people from reaction to reflection, from “Why are they like this?” to “What’s being triggered in me?”. That simple shift changes how leaders show up, how teams function, and how organisations grow.

Turning insight into practice

Awareness without action fades. The leaders who sustain growth are those who integrate small reflective habits into their daily rhythm. One COO in the book keeps a leadership journal — not to track what she does, but how she shows up. After difficult conversations, she asks herself:

● What emotion was driving me?

● How did it land with others?

● What will I do differently next time?

That five-minute pause has become her competitive advantage. Over time, reflection builds the muscle of self-regulation far more powerfully than any training course.

From doing more to being more

We’re conditioned to equate movement with progress. Yet every leader I interviewed who truly thrived had learned to pause. One described it perfectly:

“I realised I was running on a treadmill — fast, but not forward.”

When leaders slow down - to think, breathe, or listen - they access the creativity and intuition buried under constant motion. Presence is not passivity; it’s precision.

The ripple effect

When leaders focus on developing themselves - their awareness, boundaries, and presence - everyone benefits. Teams feel safer. Collaboration improves. Cultures become more human.

This work is ultimately about our shared human qualities — curiosity, compassion, and connection — and our intention to thrive, individually and collectively.

Meaningful growth doesn’t start with scaling up. It starts with slowing down and looking within.

Many thanks to Vidya for her guest blog.

Vidya Murali is a leadership coach and author of How to Survive in a Scale-Up Business (Routledge, 2026); 40% off for readers with code HSSB40. She works with leaders and teams to navigate high-growth environments with awareness, compassion, and resilience.