Leadership development series - Expectations
One of the best things that Rock Solid has brought to my life is the opportunity to meet so many amazing people! It’s truly the thing that excites me as I’m getting out of bed each work day! Hearing the hopes and dreams and goals and challenges that these incredible leaders carry is inspiring, to say the least. However, helping them grow into the leaders they are meant to be is my absolute favorite!
I’ve met people who have scaled amazing heights in business and are on their way to second and third businesses. I’ve spoken with men and women who had a dream and forged their way to ridiculous success when everything was stacked against them. The stories are endless. But one common thread weaved through the majority of them is that building an incredible business doesn’t automatically make you the best leader when it comes time to build a team. I see the strongest, most strategic CEOs almost cower in fear when they get to this point!
So, let’s chat about this and shine some light on these blind spots!!
What can we apply to real business life that steadies our feet as we step into this new territory? Maybe bringing on a teammate isn’t new to you, but your skills could use a bit of polishing and refreshing? We’re starting a 3-part series that’ll give you confidence and even a bit of excitement as you consider your next steps! There will even be a couple of exercises along the way to get things rolling in the right direction as we progress.
Are you ready? Let’s dive in!
Part One: Mindset Shift
“A leader’s job is not to do the work for others. It’s to help others figure out how to do it themselves, to get things done, and to succeed beyond what they thought possible. ”
We’re shifting into another gear when it comes to building a team of incredible people around us with one common goal ~ and though I wish I could tell you it’ll be easy, I can’t. It won’t be easy, BUT… it’ll be worth every single bit of effort you put forth!
There was a time early on that I was on the edge of the steep cliff most commonly known as BURN OUT. Not only was I not of aware how dangerously close to the edge I was, but I had almost turned it into my comfort zone, or my “norm”. We had been beyond busy for months - and in the middle of everything, I brought on 2 new team members. I still feel apologetic because I was so busy that I didn’t do any proper onboarding, but more about that later. There’s no way to find words to express accurately enough just how busy we were without sounding incredibly dramatic. You get it, I know you do! So, with this kind of busyness, we tend to dig our heels in, roll up our sleeves, and get to work, right? That’s what I did… for about 3 months in a row.
I was leaving my office overly exhausted and mentally drained late each evening.
My normal routine had become working at least one day each weekend.
That is when I finally realized I was on the road to burnout!
Success is most often the catalyst to drowning! It is the thing that makes us see that we need help and that, in reality, we don’t “got this”. Even the very best “Hustlers” and “Boss Babes” weren’t meant to go it alone! So many people come to Rock Solid after finding a measure of success but knowing if they are going to continue to grow, they need help.
These people are:
Aware of their passions, gifts, and talents.
Drowning. They're working too much, working on the wrong things, and making decisions based on reactive responses. They are unable to be proactive within their business anymore.
Doing okay in business, or maybe even well. However, they are at a pivotal point of either changing things or breaking things.
On the road to burnout.
Because they’ve found a measure of success, they assume they are capable and ready to build the team to keep things afloat and move the ship forward. They’ve most likely made every decision up to this point without help. They’ve built the thing with their heart, blood, sweat, & tears! But… just because they CAN do all the things, doesn’t mean they should be doing all the things!
We must learn to shift our mindset from solopreneur to CEO!
Every single week I meet outstanding and incredibly impressive businessmen and women! I have the privilege of hearing how they’ve built amazing platforms, courses, apps, and communities! We’re talking seriously stunning people!! But… owning a business and LEADING a business are two very different things and I don’t think anyone wants to talk about that. I don’t hear this being shouted from the rooftops.
Enlisting the help of a teammate for the very first time often gives these amazing clients the idea that from here on out will be smooth sailing into magical sunsets. They’ve taken the leap and made the investment. They've done their homework and hired the right person. They’ve got a general idea of what they’d like to hand off and even possibly started an Asana board with to-do tasks.
Check.
Check.
Check.
So at the first sign of rough waters, they begin to question E V E R Y T H I N G!
This brings us to our first lesson in leadership development ~
Expectations
We are going to look at the expectations you have for your team as well as for yourself. First of all, we must KNOW our expectations. Once that is identified, we’ll work on learning to clearly COMMUNICATE them. Finally, we’re going to make sure they’re measurable so we can EVALUATE them regularly!
Knowing the expectations you have for yourself as a visionary and as a team leader is key. You are the CEO and leadership implies leading! Yes, you did just bring on help, and you must lead them in the way you work, what you expect them to do (and how) within your business, and be very clear every step of the way.
But, where does that leave you? You must also clearly define the expectations you place on yourself AS A CEO! You have handed off a few tasks and can now focus on the bigger ones that have been placed on the back burner due to time and brain-space constraints. It’s time to dream and plan and revisit the vision for your business. Simply put, it’s time to do the things that will cause business growth! Lay out those tasks, prioritize them, and get to work!
There’s something I always try to touch on -- nobody really likes talking about it. Sadly, we’ve learned this from business owners who aren’t good leaders and who have proven to be uncoachable in this area. It’s something I like to call “Rising to low expectations”
We are all human and we are busy. I think we're far busier than we were ever meant to be, but that's a different lesson I'm still trying to learn myself! Because of the potential for life to overwhelm us at any given moment, I think we've learned where we must overachieve and where we can “just get by”. One important reason why we are so intentional about setting and stating expectations is that in the busyness of life, each and every one of us has the potential to only rise to low expectations if allowed. I don’t believe this is intentional, but when you don’t take the time to clearly identify and state your expectations, you will end up only doing what it takes to get by in times of overwhelm and stress.
Rock Solid people overachieve! It's how we are built; it's in our hearts to serve with excellence! The reason this naturally fits with the plan of clearly defining and stating expectations is that nobody is a mind-reader and we all need a mark to aim for.
This is very different from the well-known to-do list. Settling and clearly stating expectations is the M.O. for how the to-do items are executed. When expectations are clear within the team, we are all able to see the big picture, evaluate each piece, analyze the priorities, and proactively execute each needed step.
Simple example: If I say to my EA, “Make sure my inbox is handled each morning before I get to the office” and don’t provide any type of direction or expectations, there will be a problem immediately. Let’s say this EA has had 25 years of EA experience and handling inboxes. That honestly means very little as her previous CEO might have liked things handled vastly different than what I have in mind.
All of this should allow us to see why expectations are so important!
Let’s jump right into an exercise to get you started and keep moving forward. We’ve created an awesome worksheet so you guys can really dig in and do this on your own time! It’s super important as you develop your business-leader mindset. Sign up below to receive the worksheet!
Ok, so we’ve brainstormed and outlined what our expectations are as we begin developing our business-leader mindset and building a team. Of course, we know that this is a moving, growing, living, breathing machine and things will change with us as we grow, but we’ve done our due diligence to set a solid foundation. (Also keep this in mind: as things grow and change, returning to this exercise is a quick and easy way to get refocused and change gears as necessary!)
This is a foundational piece and I don’t want you to just blow through it and then set it aside. Chew on it for a bit. Look over your notes every other day or so… see if your thoughts are shifting in any specific direction as you consider what you originally wrote down. We’re building something meaningful and meant to last - let’s make sure we’ve got our feet beneath us and are on *Rock Solid* ground!
We’ll be back in about 10 days for the next step! Make sure you’re ready because you don’t want to miss part 2: Delegation!
