The best leadership lesson I have learned as a small business owner is this:

When it comes to leadership, It’s not about me. (I know, shocking, right?)

The real job of a leader is to ensure the organization aligns with what the team is looking to achieve personally with what the company is looking to do. 

If this sounds too fluffy for you, stick with me for a couple minutes. 

A good leader nurtures the team. A good leader empowers the team. A good leader understands the goals and objectives of the employees. Why? Because a good leader knows that the happier and more supported employees are, the more profitable a business will be.

I wasn’t always the supportive leader that I am today. But, I love seeing my employees succeed, and if I can be instrumental in that, I am. Here. For. It. 

This doesn’t mean I have a line of employees outside of my office door waiting to discuss their challenges. It does mean that I, and the president of our company, Kelsey, have implemented several systems and visuals around the office for our colleagues to share their personal and professional goals. In response to their shared goals, we try to align the goals of the company to make space for, or financially support, employees’ goals. (This is also where profit sharing comes in, but that’s a whole other blog.)

So, how do we gather all of this goal alignment intel? Our Q1 meeting is made up mostly of my colleagues and me going over last year’s goals, and the new goals we want to achieve. Yes, we discuss sales and marketing strategies and profitability. But who is making that happen?

The team. 

The humans in your organization are the ones scaling your business. When they have fulfilled lives, your company’s efficiency increases. After all, your team is made up of the people who implement all of your grand plans, right? 

We spend about 10-15 minutes for each team member, discussing how their previous goals went, and what their new ones are. And, in each meeting we have during the week, each person has a turn to report on their professional and personal development. This gives us an opportunity to make suggestions, support them, and help them pivot if needed. 

We walk all of this talk too. When you enter our office you’re basically bombarded with evidence of goals everywhere you look. It kind of acts as one huge mood board. Everyone has their goals written on a poster at their desks. Heck I have a typewriter with my goals on a page sticking out of it. Representation of what we want to achieve and measurement of it is everywhere watch the video for the full monty). It may sound overwhelming at first, but even our most introverted employees are on board because they’ve seen how goal alignment works in their lives. 

Start understanding the goals and objectives that your colleagues have. Not just for the business, but for themselves. Then, you can align your business around their goals to help them meet those goals. It takes nothing away from you or your business. In fact, it will only enhance efficiency and productivity (read: profit).

What are your teams’ intentions for 2022? It’s not too late to find out. Hold a meeting with a personal goals exercise and see how you can align your business and your employees to meet personal and business goals all at once. 

Remember, a good leader marches the path with the team.