I’ve been an entrepreneur for 23 years, and never have I accumulated as many learnings as I have in the last 365 days. It all began during a retreat in Ibiza with my friend Pablo, an entrepreneur and trainer who helps his clients lose weight, stay fit, and feel better—in essence, helping them enter “airplane mode.” In fact, he refers to his clients using exactly those words—they are his airplanes.
One week of gym sessions, healthy eating, and hiking along Ibiza’s trails. In particular, we did one of the most beautiful hikes I can remember, leading to Es Vedrá, where we witnessed literally the most incredible sunset of my life.
Ibiza Hike Station’s trails are meant to help you truly connect with yourself, to escape the daily whirlwind that consumes us all, and to think about yourself. 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 gives wonderful things back to you. Conversely, if you run around like a headless chicken, life gives you more situations to keep you in that chaotic mood. Life perfectly reflects back what you give to it.
Next week, I return to my favorite island and will again enter airplane mode—to disconnect 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 “Here, CEOs cry”, and that’s exactly what I’ll go there for—to cry for a bit with him.
The first lesson is about delegating, about teams, about the people you choose to journey with as an entrepreneur. Knowledge is crucial, essential, fundamental; as Anxo Pérez says, talent is love—but it’s not the most important thing, it’s not. In the age of artificial intelligence and endless knowledge, in a time 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 coming in the next few years due to artificial intelligence will be—indeed, already are—much deeper than the birth of the internet, which I also experienced firsthand. Companies comfortable with constant change will succeed; those stuck doing the same things, resisting change, will quickly fade away.
People who will lead companies in the future will be measured by intangible factors—the desire to improve their teammates, joy at others’ growth, empathy when handling projects, the passion they bring to sales, and even their ability to enter airplane mode, step away from daily routines, and come back hungry on Monday morning, eager to dive into their 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 real role of a leader is to create more leaders, to inspire others through your actions, dedication, and empathy, enabling them to inspire those around them. The magic word is responsibility. Great leaders don’t wait to be given responsibility—they take it. They see a problem and solve it; they don’t wait to be asked. I often say that, throughout our company’s history, I’ve actually made very few decisions about who leads, despite appearances. Great professionals naturally choose themselves. I remember Armando, currently our head of collaboration and sponsorship design at Siroko. When he first joined our early-stage team, nobody told him what to do—he saw the need for structure and stepped up to lead the design team himself. Or Luján, our product director, who gradually took responsibility for everything product-related simply due to her passion for creating wonderful things. A manager’s job is to observe more than others, recognizing who wants to, who can, and who knows—and identifying those who possess all three traits. If any of these three aspects 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. This might sound like a “Mr. Wonderful” mantra, but it’s as real as life itself. I believed we’d sponsor the Los Angeles Lakers before I even tried, before I even fully understood what it would take. I believed that Siroko needed something remarkable to elevate our brand’s story, so I poured all my knowledge, skills, and whatever talent I possessed into achieving it. The day I presented this idea at the agency, no one understood it. In another post, I explain how to sponsor the Los Angeles Lakers, detailing how the most iconic team in basketball history handpicks its sponsors, something I later learned, making the sponsorship even more valuable. The fact that the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, and the best player of the present and future, Luka Doncic—number 77—currently play there adds even greater value.
The final lesson is about setting boundaries. This might be the most significant because, personally, it’s one I struggle with internally. Limits must be set on ambition, finances, projects, relationships, and even colleagues. Achieving everything you set out to do is great, but ultimately, the most important thing is to ensure that the most important thing remains the most important thing.
And that most important thing is you and your energy. If you don’t set boundaries here, nothing else matters. So next week, I’ll activate airplane mode, enjoy 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 without restraint, in industrial quantities.
To lead means to delegate, inspire, and step aside.
Peace.
Borja Mera.