Before I get into talking about running the business in later posts, I want to talk about the leaders themselves.

The business is its own beast, but the leaders as individuals needs to be looked at. Who that leader is – their fears, their concerns, their strong points, and their constraints forms a key part of the ‘thing’ they are leading. 

Who they are influences…

• Culture – This is more than the nice words hung up in reception, or the HR manual. Culture is the micro decisions made by everyone. Leadership is who sets that tone. It’s the one-on-one that keeps getting pushed out. It is in the state the lunchroom is left in. It is what happens when an employee calls in sick. It is what is done when a customer calls with a complaint. What the leader decides is important is what will become important.
• The leaders limits = the organisation’s limits. If you do not know what you are realistically able to deliver and to what standard of quality, then you cannot demand more of your teams. Your limitation becomes the most that people can and will do do. Similarly, if you do not know what it takes to optimise your capacity, then you cannot know what it will take to optimise your team’s. 
• Trust and integrity comes from self-understanding. If you want a team that you can trust and one that acts with integrity, you first need to be able to have those things in yourself. You need to be able to trust yourself. Self-trust means showing up as you, advocating for you, speaking truthfully to you. Integrity starts from a similar place. It requires the ‘real’ you to show up in all places. This is not the private, weirdo that sings Broadway classics in the shower; it’s the consistent values known to all that interact with you. It is showing up as that person. When you, as a leader, are able to unlock the qualities of trust and integrity within yourself, your team sees and senses that. Even if they don’t embody those values, as a leader you start involuntarily coaching and coaxing that out of them. Your ability to find those qualities in yourself draws that out of your team. 

All of this means that, as a leader, your understanding and accepting yourself mean that you create space for teams that build stronger relationships, show up as the best versions of themselves, and make better decisions under pressure that are aligned with the common vision and values. In doing this, you create a stronger organisation because you are able to see yourself, understand your reactions, your triggers – making you more able to respond when the boat gets rocked. And, as a leader, it means that you create this in your organisation. 

As a leader, it is your responsibility to do exactly this. As someone that has created this thing, this entity, you owe it to the people that rely on you and your income, your employees, your clientele, and everyone else in your ecosystem of responsibility to do this. Understanding yourself is part of your duty as a leader. 

Start treating the understanding yourself as part of your job, because whether you think so or not – it is as much a part of your work as keeping things afloat, or pushing for the next stage in your business’ growth. Exploring and understanding who you are, why you do, how you think could make all the difference next fiscal.