We’ve all been there. A heavy cold, a particularly hacking cough, and before you know it your voice has retreated into a husk, and it’s barely a whisper.

Losing your voice can be frustrating. But we mostly know it’s just temporary. A few hot lemon and honey drinks and we’ll soon be back to our normal vocal abilities.

What happens, however, when you lose your voice to emotions?

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Last week I wrote about making mistakes and how admitting to them seemed to be a fate worse than death. But why is that? And is there a different way to think about it?

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Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s former First Minister, has released her biography and, as I write, this is all over the news. I appreciate that by the time you read this article, some of these books will have made their way into charity shop shelves, ready to be picked up at a bargain price.

Without having to read it, I’ve so far learned she’s ambivalent about her sexuality, she cried when Alex Salmond died, she likes London, and that being arrested is horrific. Oh, and that she considers that she made mistakes during her time as a leader.

Heaven forfend!

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We’re just over ten articles in to this crazy journey around my entrepreneurial brain and it’s probably occurring to you that I might need professional therapy.

There is a lot of s**t to process if you run a business. Like, seriously. And I’ve got more than two decades worth of mental baggage to unpack. Give me time.

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By modern standards, I’ve begun to believe I’m a terrible leader. Honestly, one of the actual worst. I’m wondering if this might be the basis for all my failures?

Of course, I’m basing this assessment of my performance almost entirely on the pervasive narrative of what makes a great leader on social media channels and not much else.

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Before we get into this, I am putting it on the record: I’ve never actually been to a fortune teller.

This mistake is technically not my mistake, but I was involved in a way and, because of that, I’m going to share it with you. It might be useful, it is kind of funny and, let’s face it, business can be tough and we all deserve a chuckle now and then.

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This month the challenges have kept on coming.

Sick dog. Dead dog. Massive project behind. Massive project delivered on time. Team member’s kids sick. Twice. Team member’s kids well. Yay. Team member’s kids sick. Again. Need to sell car. Need to buy new car. Not necessarily in that order. Team member’s husband in hospital. Team member’s husband home, but incapacitated. Team member’s husband now walking. Simple medical procedure planned. Simple medical procedure not so simple. Recovery time needed from not so simple medical procedure unplanned. Deadlines colliding. Work piling in. Wheels have come off.

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Listen to the podcast of the eighth article in the series: How to be S**t at Business.

There’s one day of the month where I feel truly sick to my stomach, and it’s not because I’m a woman. This kind of monthly affliction affects blokes too.

This feeling of utter dread happens every month, without fail, the day before pay day.

Listen to the podcast of the seventh article in the series: How to be S**t at Business.

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Everyone likes to think they are in control. Awake at the wheel. Captaining the boat.

We set ourselves goals and objectives. We plan how we’re going to achieve them. We brief the team. Then we set off on the journey, all gung-ho that our route map is invincible.

Listen to the podcast of the sixth article in the series: How to be S**t at Business.

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The thing about driving in life’s fast lane is that you are inevitably going to lose control. You know that feeling when you’ve misjudged the corner, and taken it too fast, and you’re just on the edge of crashing? That’s what running a business can be like from time to time.

Listen to the podcast of the fifth article in the series: How to be S**t at Business.

How to be S**t at Business is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.