In this last of a six-part series of blogs about the growth and leadership of The Little Potato Company’s (LPC) CEO/co-founder Angela Santiago, she offers advice to up-and-coming leaders, based on her life and leadership experience building a rapidly growing company.
As Angela Santiago learned how to be a great leader, she also learned – often the hard way – how to navigate the personal challenges leadership brings.
For people with similar ambitions, here’s her advice:
- Enjoy the journey because it’s long.
- Forgive yourself. You’re going to experience some challenges, hits and misses. Learn from them, forgive yourself and move on.
- Be present in the moment. When you run fast and build a company fast, you’re either looking in the rearview mirror or further ahead and you’re not in the moment, personally and professionally.
“It’s not about getting to somewhere it’s about enjoying it as you’re getting there.”
- Pay attention to your resilience. Rest, recovery and balance between work and family requires much more effort, thought and planning.
- Make appointments. With a trainer to stay physically fit
- Journal and meditate.
- Be intentional about time with friends and family.
- Stay authentic and true to your values. Knowing who you are guides your decisions.
At times, that principle has cost her money, people, and led to misunderstandings. But, as she says, at the end of the day, it’s the reflection in the mirror that matters—that’s how you’ll judge yourself.
What’s next for LPC and Angela
Excited about building something new, Angela (of course) has a list, that includes:
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- Balance and enjoying a different part of life that is not just about building a business, now that her kids are older
- Family governance and opportunities for her children if they want to work in the business
- Expansion for LPC outside of North America
For more, here are links to our recent LPC Case Study and watch the full interview with Angela below.
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