Creating a Psychological Safety Net as a CEO

Very early in my career, I worked at Steve Jobs’ NeXT Computer.

Steve had been forced out of Apple after a brutal power struggle with then CEO John Sculley and the board. After resigning, he founded NeXT and set about revolutionizing the personal computer with highly innovative technology, including NeXTSTEP, its object-oriented operating system.

We built amazing hardware to go with it. Initially targeted at the education market, it ultimately proved too costly and we struggled to get mainstream software support. It was a wild, exciting ride, but it wasn’t to last. We burned through $130 million in investor money, and we never quite found product–market fit.

In 1996, Steve threw in the towel and sold NeXT back to Apple, of all places. He became Apple’s interim CEO, then permanent CEO and, as they say, the rest is history.

At that time, my wife was pregnant with our third child. The very same day, we’d been to the hospital for a scan. We had no savings, a large (for us) mortgage and had just bought our first big purchase - two beautiful deep green leather couches. 

And suddenly, I was out of a job. Just what I needed!

I went through what I can only describe as an existential crisis. On one hand, I had the joy of expecting a new baby. On the other, a deep sense of doom and financial panic - a feeling many readers may relate to.

After 24 hours of feeling sorry for myself, I picked myself back up and started networking and applying for jobs. Eventually, after many sleepless nights, I landed a role with another company, but it came with a punishing hour-and-a-half commute each way through London traffic. Still, I had no choice. I had a family to support. 

The story should have ended there, however my “annus horribilis” continued - the company I joined went out of business just four months later.

That experience changed me. I swore I would never let myself be in such a desperate position again. I learned the hard way that resilience isn’t just about surviving tough times: it’s about preparing for them. In life, you will fall hard from time to time; that’s a given. What makes the difference isn’t whether you fall, but whether you’ve built something to catch you when you do.

Riding the Rollercoaster

Last week, I wrote about “Riding the Emotional Rollercoaster of Being a CEO”, that feeling of being both unstoppable and uncertain, often in the same hour.

This piece builds on that theme. It’s about what helps you stay grounded through those swings, when you fall. It’s about creating a psychological safety net.

“If the worst happens, I’ll still be okay.”

For me this simple phrase might be the most powerful mindset shift a person can make.

Caspar David Friedrich’s famous painting Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (depicted in this article) shows a lone figure standing above the mist, seeing the world clearly while everything below swirls and shifts. That’s what it feels like when you’ve built your own safety net. You can see the bigger picture. You’re no longer lost in the fog.

Part of this comes from diversifying who you are.

As a CEO, if your entire identity rests on your company’s success, you’re standing on a fragile platform. You need other pillars, friendships, hobbies, family, values - things that remind you that you’re still you even if the business hits a wall.

There’s a practical layer too: having a financial buffer, a fallback plan or even a mental “map” of what you’d do if things went sideways. These aren’t signs of pessimism; they’re signs of strength.

After my experience at NeXT, I started saving small amounts of money (finally!) and began tracking everything on a spreadsheet - a habit I still keep to this day. It reminds me that, if the worst happens, we’ll be okay. Even a small runway can make a big difference to your peace of mind.

Wayne Johnson, CEO of ContainerCo, talks about how his resilience comes from protecting his “safety zone” - regular exercise, family time, and small joys that make him feel human. It’s not about detachment from work; it’s about balance.

The People Who Hold the Net

No CEO truly does it alone, though many of us try. It’s one of the traps of leadership: the higher you go, the fewer people you feel you can really talk to. But the strongest leaders I know are intentional about building trusted relationships. Find that person who understands the load you carry. Someone who can say, “Yes, this is hard - but let’s step back and look at the facts,” or who simply listens without judgment.

Don’t wait for a crisis to reach out. Schedule time with peers, mentors, or friends who remind you who you are beyond the company. Those regular check-ins might feel small, but they can stop the spiral before it starts.

Breaking the Doom Loops

When things go wrong, it’s easy to fall into what psychologists call “doom loops”, those spirals of worst-case thinking (Also called “catastrophising”).

I’ve been there. When that happens, I pause and ask myself:

• What are the facts?

• What’s in my control?

• Will this still matter in five years?

That perspective often snaps things back into proportion and allows me to regain my composure.

How You Show Up Matters

One of the hardest parts of being a CEO is knowing your team is always watching how you handle stress.

If they see composure, gratitude and calm under pressure, they’ll learn that it’s okay to face challenges without panic. But speaking from my experience of coaching over 100 CEO’s, that comes at a personal cost. 

It can feel like you always have to have your “game face” on, even when you’re exhausted inside. That’s why your own safety net matters so much. It can’t stop the highs and lows, but it gives you the confidence that no matter what happens, you’ll land on your feet.

Final Thought

As CEOs, we’re expected to lead with confidence and courage. But beneath all that, we’re still human. Our inner stability is what allows everything else to hold together. So build your net, diversify who you are and find your people.

A few questions for you to reflect over:

• If my company disappeared tomorrow, who would I still be?

• What habits, relationships, or values give me a sense of stability beyond work?

• Who are the two or three people I can truly be unfiltered with?

• Do they know I count on them and do I make space to talk before things hit breaking point?