Anton Guinea
Entrepreneur, Speaker, bestselling author, and founder of The Guinea Group of Companies. For over 15 years, Anton has helped leaders move their teams to become psychologically safe, physically safe and overall better versions of themselves.
Have you ever stopped long enough to hear yourself think… and trusted what you heard?
Most leaders I meet are tuned into everything except themselves. They’re scanning for results, pressure points, people problems. But they’re not checking in with their own head and heart. And when that voice is ignored? Safety takes a hit.
Inner work isn’t optional
You can’t lead safely if you’re not leading yourself first. That means knowing when you’re stressed. Catching yourself before you snap. Owning your stuff, even when it’s uncomfortable.
I learned this the hard way. If you want to know how a near-death experience at work changed everything for me, I shared that my 25-year anniversary of a near-fatal workplace incident.
Short version? Self-awareness isn’t fluff. It’s survival.
You don’t have to be bulletproof
You know what makes things unsafe? Leaders pretending they’re fine when they’re not. Faking confidence. Rushing through instead of pausing.
Listening to yourself isn’t weakness. It’s real strength. It’s being the kind of leader who can say, “I’m off today. I need a beat.” And in doing that, you make space for others to be human too.
Want more on how to build this skill? I wrote about it five key listening skills every leader must master.
A five-minute self-check
You don’t need a meditation app or a retreat. Just ask yourself:
- Where did I lead from fear today?
- Where did I respond instead of react?
- What do I need to reset?
This kind of self-reflection is baked into our leadership sessions. Because change starts with awareness.
Leading from care, not control
We love talking about risk assessments for systems. But what about for people? What about you?
Are you calm? Focused? Are you leading with care—or just trying to control?
Care matters. I go deeper into that the conscious and care factor approach to building high-performing teams.
Teams don’t need perfect leaders. They need present ones. Honest ones.
This stuff works
Want to dig in deeper? Try:
- this piece on self-leadership
- how EQ shows up in real leadership
- why vulnerability matters more than ever
- how to tell if you’re leading from stress
One final thing
Safer leadership doesn’t always mean doing more. Sometimes, it means stopping. Taking a breath. Choosing presence over pressure.
If you want to explore that, I go further transform yourself first: the inner work of transformational leadership and leading with emotion: why emotional intelligence is a leader’s greatest asset.
And if you’re ready to do the work? Book a call or reach out.
This isn’t theory. It’s how people stay safe. And it starts with you.
Please click the image below if you’d like to chat about what leadership means to you
If you would like to learn more about Anton or The Guinea Group, please click here to book into Anton’s calendar, to:
UPGRADE your Mindset
UPSKILL your Leadership
UPLIFT your Teams