Is the weight of leadership or ownership pressing down on you? Do you wake up each day drained, overwhelmed, and uninspired? Maybe you are struggling to find the energy to lead with purpose. Perhaps you are hoping for a breakthrough but hesitating, waiting for someone else to spark the change you desperately need. I’ve been where you are, and it’s exhausting.
I was a younger manager many years ago who had accepted many new responsibilities. Rather than leading one department, I was quickly over many. Every time I took over a new department, the leader would leave, causing me to fill in for them, including the hiring, training and onboarding of each new leader. All the while, I still had all of the individual responsibilities that come with being a long-term employee somewhere. Here I was with all this new responsibility and higher compensation – which I asked for – and I was crumbling under the pressure.
The exhaustion was so severe that I decided the best way to fix it would be to find a new job and start fresh. Maybe I was running away, but I desperately needed a reset. Yet, I didn’t want to leave my team vulnerable. I had to prepare my team to thrive without me. First, I started teaching them all of the parts of their job that I was doing for them. Next, I started exposing them to challenging parts of the culture to help them learn to navigate it without me. Finally, I started pushing them to present their ideas to senior leaders so they had more credibility once I was gone.
The more I did to prepare them for my departure, the more exciting my job became. I was learning an important lesson. If you want things to change, you have to change! Once you change, everything will change for you. That lesson carries through to my consulting work today, where I say that business transformation requires personal transformation.
As a leader or business owner, you’ve likely faced moments where your challenges feel insurmountable. Business owners don’t get to run away – they usually have to pick one of the automatic physiological responses when facing threats: fight, flight or freeze. You might not realize that the key to unlocking your team or business’s potential almost always lies in unlocking your own potential!
If you believe, as I do, that every team or business is a reflection of its leader, then transforming your business begins with transforming yourself. Different leaders face different challenges, and the success of your business hinges on your willingness to embrace the transformation that comes from overcoming those challenges.
Here are some common areas where personal transformation can drive business transformation — and how leaders can self-reflect and evolve to create lasting change:
Yogi Berra famously said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.” If you’re not sure where you’re going, neither is your team. No matter how hard you or they work, you won’t be rowing in the same direction. What transformations can you make?
As the saying goes, “If everything is important, nothing is important.” Lack of focus dilutes impact, while clear priorities drive momentum. What transformations can you make?
Quick fixes may seem tempting, but they often create bigger challenges down the line. Thoughtful, intentional problem-solving is key to sustainable success. What transformations can you make?
“You’ll get a lot more done together than doing it alone.” This is what I was struggling with as a young manager. Great businesses are built on strong teams, not solitary leaders!
Building a strong, aligned team is critical, but even the best team can’t compensate for a leader who hasn’t invested in their own growth. To truly unlock the potential of your team and business, you must first unlock your own. This is where self-reflection becomes a powerful tool for transformation, allowing you to identify the changes you need to make to lead more effectively and with greater clarity. Let’s explore how self-reflection can become the catalyst for both personal and business transformation.
Personal transformation begins with self-awareness. Here are three ways you can start reflecting on your personal growth:
Business transformation isn’t just about processes, systems, or products—it’s about people. And as the leader, it starts with you. When you embrace personal transformation, your team and business will follow.
By growing into a leader who is clear, focused, intentional, and collaborative, you’ll create a ripple effect of positive change throughout your organization. Transformation isn’t easy—but it’s always worth it.
The path to a thriving business begins with the decision to become the best version of yourself. Are you ready to take that first step?
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