Lessons in leadership: training for the long game

In Lessons in leadership, we sit down with entrepreneurs from the YOUNG family to hear about their highs and lows on the journey of building and running a business. This time, the spotlight is on Valeria, CEO Designate of YOUNG, who opens up about the mindset, resilience, and discipline it takes to lead and grow a company with purpose and passion.

By Valeria Zancaner, CEO Designate at YOUNG

Years ago, I hit rock bottom. I realised that comfort, staying where it feels safe, wasn’t serving me. So I made a choice. I flipped the script. I started training my mind. From that moment on, I would be the one giving orders to my brain – not the other way around. Because comfort might feel good in the moment, but it kills growth.

Lesson 1: Show up anyway
I used to be a very undisciplined person. And I can now say with total certainty: a disciplined mind can achieve anything. No matter how hard it gets, it will find a way. That mindset doesn’t just shape the way I train. It shapes how I lead. People often say I love physical training. The truth? I don’t love training. It’s hard. Some days are okay. Some are bad. But I show up anyway. And it’s exactly the same when it comes to work. You won’t always feel like making that call, cancelling that project, or having that tough conversation. But if you don’t do it in time, the cost is always higher later.

 “A disciplined mind can achieve anything”

Lesson 2: Stay consistent with what gives you energy
Right now, consistent training is hard – even with CrossFit, which is still my go-to workout. Leading a company comes with a mental load. Sometimes I don’t sleep well. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about decisions. But I try to stay consistent with the things that give me energy. If I can’t go to CrossFit six times a week, I go at least three. I rest when I need it, even though that part is hard for me. I’ve learned that balance doesn’t mean doing less. It means protecting the things that help you perform.

Lesson 3: Choose discipline, not comfort
To me, discipline means acting in line with your values and goals, especially when there’s no motivation, no instant reward, and everything feels like chaos. In those moments, I move, go for a walk or take my laptop to a café. Changing my environment helps. I might not always be in control, but I can always reset. And keep going.

Lesson 4: Learn to let go
Becoming CEO means learning to let go. That also means trusting my team completely. And allowing imperfection. There are moments I still think: “It’s faster if I do it myself.” But that mindset doesn’t scale. If you want your team to grow, you need to let them try. Let them fail, eventually. And let them do it their way. Letting go doesn’t mean losing control. It means making space – and setting the tone for others to step up.

Lesson 5: Listen
In sports, there’s always a coach, a team, a plan. Structure matters. But it only works when there’s communication. Real communication means listening. Listening to the people who stay, and to the ones who leave. There’s always something to learn. A leader who doesn’t listen, isn’t leading.

“ Letting go doesn’t mean losing control. It means making space, and setting the tone for others to step up.”

Lesson 6: Let yourself be supported
I put a lot of pressure on myself. Probably more than anyone else ever could. I always want to be at 100%. But I’ve learned that’s not sustainable. That’s why I talk. I go to therapy. Lean on the people I trust – especially my husband, who supports me completely. As a mother, guilt is always there. But having that emotional safety makes it easier to lead.

Lesson 7: Build for the long game
If leadership were a training program, I would say that I’m training my ability to accept imperfection. To trust more, and to control less. I used to see and touch every part of the business. But now I’m stepping back. I try to let go of that old urge to be involved in everything, and zoom out without disconnecting.

Lesson 8: You’re not supposed to be liked by everyone

Part of being a leader, and growing into a bigger leadership role like I do now, is accepting that not everyone will like you. It’s not easy, but when you step into leadership, you have to let go of the need for approval. You can’t lead powerfully if you’re trying to please everyone.

Lesson 9: Stop waiting, make it happen

If I could give one final piece of advice to rising leaders, it would be this: don’t wait for motivation. No one is coming to do the work for you. So if you want something, go get it.