I’ve been an entrepreneur for 23 years, and never have I learned as much as I have in the past 365 days. It all started during a retreat in Ibiza with my friend Pablo, an entrepreneur and trainer who helps his clients lose weight, stay fit, and feel better; essentially, he’s helping them enter what he calls “airplane mode.” In fact, he refers to his clients as his airplanes.
It was a week of gym sessions, healthy eating, and hiking along Ibiza’s trails. One hike, in particular, stands out as one of the most beautiful I can remember. It led to Es Vedrá, where we witnessed the most incredible sunset of my life.
Ibiza Hike Station’s trails are designed to help you truly connect with yourself, escape the daily whirlwind that often consumes us, and focus on your own well-being. On that trail, the concept of “airplane mode” began to take shape, leading to the most important lesson of all: if you protect your energy and set clear limits, life will return wonderful things to you. But if you run around like a headless chicken, life will give you more chaos to keep you in that hectic state. Life perfectly mirrors what you put into it.
Next week, I’ll be returning to my favorite island and once again entering airplane mode: disconnecting in order to reconnect. I’ll repeat that hike with my friend Manuel, just the two of us, phones in airplane mode, talking about life and our entrepreneurial journeys. With Manuel, we recorded a podcast titled “Aquí los CEOs lloran” (“This is where CEOs cry”), and that’s exactly why I’m going back: to cry a bit with him.
The first lesson is about delegating, about building teams, and about the people you choose to journey with as an entrepreneur. Knowledge is crucial, essential, and fundamental. But as Anxo Pérez says, talent is love; yet it’s not the most important thing. In the age of artificial intelligence and limitless knowledge, when everything is just a click away and a simple text prompt can create a company, a logo, a business plan, and translate it into 10 languages, the most important things are not tangible.
The changes artificial intelligence will bring in the next few years will be, and already are, far deeper than the rise of the internet, which I also witnessed firsthand. Companies that adapt to constant change will thrive, while those that resist it will quickly fall behind.
The leaders of tomorrow’s companies will be measured by intangible qualities: their desire to help teammates improve, their joy in seeing others grow, their empathy in managing projects, the passion they bring to sales, and even their ability to enter airplane mode, step away from daily routines, and return on Monday morning eager to dive into work and achieve results.
Future CEOs and managers will surround themselves with passionate, decisive, committed people possessing exceptional teamwork skills; and most importantly, people better than themselves. A big lesson from this past year is that a manager’s role isn’t about managing, and a leader’s role isn’t just leading.
The true role of a leader is to create more leaders, to inspire others through your actions, dedication, and empathy, empowering them to inspire those around them. The key word here is responsibility. Great leaders don’t wait to be given responsibility, they take it. They spot a problem and solve it, without waiting to be asked. I often say that, despite appearances, I’ve made very few decisions about who leads in our company’s history. Great professionals naturally step up. I remember Armando, now our Head of Collab and Sponsorship Design at Siroko. When he first joined our early-stage team, no one told him what to do, he saw the need for structure and took the initiative to lead the design team himself. Or Luján, our Head of Product, who gradually took on full responsibility for everything product-related simply because of her passion for creating amazing things. A manager’s job is to observe more closely than others, identifying those who want to, can, and know how to lead. If any of these three qualities is missing, that’s a problem.
Clearly, managers must assign roles wisely, but the truly exceptional ones, those operating on another level, take responsibility without being asked and independently seek solutions.
The next lesson is that anything is possible if you truly believe it. While this may sound like a cliché, it’s as real as life itself. I believed we could sponsor the Los Angeles Lakers before I even tried, before fully grasping what it would take. I knew that Siroko needed something extraordinary to elevate our brand’s story, so I poured all my knowledge, skills, and whatever talent I had into making it happen. When I first presented the idea at the agency, no one understood it. In another post, I’ll share how we ended up sponsoring the Los Angeles Lakers and the valuable lessons I learned about how the most iconic team in basketball carefully selects its sponsors. And, of course, having NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, and the future legend Luka Dončić—number 77—playing for the team only adds to the value.
The final lesson is about setting boundaries, and this may be the most important one because, personally, it’s something I still struggle with. Boundaries need to be established in ambition, finances, projects, relationships, and even with colleagues. While accomplishing everything you aim for is fulfilling, the real challenge lies in ensuring that what truly matters stays at the forefront.
The most important thing is you and your energy. If you don’t set boundaries here, nothing else truly matters. Next week, I’ll switch to airplane mode, embrace the magic of Ibiza, and revisit the trail that changed everything for me forever.
And if there’s one thing to never limit, let it be your passion, your empathy, and your teamwork. Give these freely, in abundance.
To lead means to delegate, inspire, and step aside.
Peace.
Borja Mera.