This is a radical candor post that covers one of those issues that you rarely see top founders (or founders in general) expand upon. It’s the issue of life and how the macro unrelated things can impact your near term focus on the business. What you should take away from this read is that it is not only important perhaps crucial that you have solid co-founders but also that you have a good leadership team to deal with the unknown unknowns that will absolutely occur.

I’m waking up this morning with the knowledge that my mom is rapidly slipping away from this life. For those who read this and follow me, you know that I have cared for my mother for a significant chunk of my career. This point was always inevitable but it hurts no less that it is finally happening. Earlier this summer I unexpectedly lost my sister. That was a shock to the system that came out of the blue. I’ve not fully recovered from that and now I am sitting here staring at my phone like it is a poisonous viper waiting to sting me with the call.

Last week I sat down for drinks with one of my team members for a catch up. At the end of the conversation he asked me if I was happy. I politely told him “Heck no I’m not happy. Life kinda sucks right now” and then I explained the why. We then discussed how people fake their response to that question. This is especially true of founders. I often talk to founders who say all is good and there are no problems when things aren’t so good. We put on the game face regardless of the inner turmoil we might be addressing.

The secret of how to cope with these points of life is first to accept them; then face them head-on leveraging friends, family and your team to get through it. Not being transparent about your state of mind prevents your support network from knowing where to pick up the load and be of maximal value. If you can’t tell your team that you need help then you’re not the leader you need to be and they can’t be the team you brought them in to be. I can tell you there will be points on the growth path where you will absolutely need to tell your team you need help. Make sure that you recruit the right people to help you carry that load when it gets a bit heavy.

So for clarity, I’ve told my leadership team my situation and they’ve absolutely risen to the occasion. I’m really grateful for that and it allows for me to function better knowing that when I need to step out again they’ve got the ship and I can focus on myself for however long I need to.

For my friends and peers who may read this, no worries. This is not a cry for help. My circle of loved ones is strong and I (We) are getting through this period of time. I am continuing to work and live life while at the same time not ignoring my state of mind. I am not alone in this world and in the end I’m certain my mom is at peace during this transition knowing this fact.