#Snowmageddon2021 in Texas is in full force.
For the first time in history, the entire state of Texas was under winter storm warnings at one time. With a -2°F on the thermometer Wednesday morning, we tied a 1949 record for the coldest recorded temperature in Dallas/Fort Worth. The stress of having too much cold, for too long, over the entire state of Texas (270,000 square miles, 254 counties) broke our system.
When a dynamic, charismatic, super-genius entrepreneur creates a fast-growing company, we see the same kinds of breakdowns. An expanding client base, growing employee roster, and lack of mature processes frequently cause a failure like the Texas electric grid.
Early in our consulting practice, we made a bad assumption that super-genius entrepreneurs could grow and reproduce leaders. After 10 years, we have evolved from making suggestions to actually solving problems for our clients.
Here is how to fix leadership voids and breakdowns in your SMB.
#1 Work on yourself first.
Strong leaders want to work with strong leaders. If you have a big #XtraMile vision for your business, your leadership skills will have to grow every year. Business owners, the statement ‘What got you here, won’t get you there,’ applies to your leadership capability and capacity.
#2 Coach your leaders and managers.
One of our friendly competitors in Texas, Lee Colan wrote one of the best books I have seen for mastering the basics: “The Power of Positive Coaching” – For $24 per person (cost of the book) and a little time you can lead a weekly conversation with your leaders and managers about each of these habits.
XM Truth: You can’t afford not to do this.
#3 Invest in Leadership Development for your high potential teammates.
A class on leadership won’t help as much as a 6-12 month systematic program for building leadership skills in your team. The ROI on effective leadership development and coaching is substantial.
To share our gifts and talents with those asking for help with leadership training, we’ve developed a program for front-line and executive-level leaders. We also facilitate monthly Mastermind/Accountability sessions for SMB business owners rowing in the same boat and looking to go the #XtraMile with their leadership.
Is your system getting overwhelmed? You’d be amazed at how throwing ideas on the whiteboard together can help off-load the burden. I’d love to help solve your most pressing leadership issue, no strings attached. Reach out today.