Leading with Love: How Family Values Scale Your Business
Posted on 14th September 2023 at 18:24
Imagine your family as a business, with various family members taking on different roles within the organization. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? The family, like any business, thrives on a well-thought-out business strategy, leadership development, and a strong value proposition. All these elements combined create what we can call "Business Joy" within the family unit. 🤗
Aligning Family and Business Strategy
Firstly, let's focus on the family, our context for this discussion. Family dynamics are often complicated, as are business relationships. Just as in a business, it's essential to define the business vision for your family. What are your shared goals? What kind of business planning is required to reach these goals? Just like in the Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System (ESUS) by Kevin Brent, the strategy serves as a stepping stone toward profitable growth.
Remember the Jeff Bezos ‘two-pizza’ rule mentioned in the ESUS book? This rule works perfectly in a family setting too. A family team should be large enough for good collaboration but not so large that communication becomes a challenge. Can you think of a 'two-pizza' rule that could apply to your family dynamics? 🍕
Leadership in Family and Business
The heart of both family and business success lies in leadership. Just like the ESUS book emphasizes, leadership in the family isn't about ruling with an iron fist. It's about inspiring and aligning people so that everyone believes in where we're heading and wants to get there.
Think about leadership development at home. Are you nurturing your children to be future family leaders? Are you setting up KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that help measure growth and performance feedback at home?
Some key thoughts from ESUS on leadership:
Teams operate best in units of 4-7
Leadership cuts across everything.
Developing our own authentic leadership style is an art, not a science.
Leadership is about inspiring and aligning people.
Self-Leadership Before Leading Others
Dr. Tom Nebel of GiANT Worldwide illustrates the leadership loop that starts with understanding oneself. (see diagram below in later section).This concept of 'physician, heal thyself' from ESUS is fundamental. In the business as a family, every member should ideally understand themselves and others through a personality profile. Consider using tools like the Wiley DISC Work of Leaders Profile to gain further insights into your leadership strengths and weaknesses.
Now, the pertinent question is: have you ever tried applying your business leadership development strategies to your family setting? "Great conversations = fabulous results," right? By opening up this dialogue, you might just unearth the secret to balancing both worlds effectively.
Strategy, Leadership, and Family: A Symphony in the Making
One beautiful and integral component of scaling up your business journey is understanding leadership, as Kevin Brent explores in his book "Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System" (ESUS). You see, leadership isn't just about dictating; it's about inspiring and aligning people. Now, let's dive a bit deeper into this through the lens of "family," both in the literal and metaphorical sense, such as your work family. 🤗
Ever thought about how your family shapes your approach to business strategy and leadership development? Whether it's the unconditional support, the valuable lessons learned, or even the tough love received, all of these play a significant role. At its core, leadership is about fostering a family spirit within your organization. But how can we translate these into practical steps?
Translate Family Values into Business Strategy
Trust: Just as trust is essential within a family, it's crucial for team building in your company.
Open Communication: Just like great conversations lead to fabulous results at the dinner table, the same holds for meeting management and performance feedback.
Imagine your organization as an extended family, each playing different roles but all connected by a shared business vision. How aligned are your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with your family values? Are they designed to bring joy in the workplace?
From Managing Self to Managing Others
Jim Collins defines leadership as the "art of getting people to want to do what must be done." It's worth noting that leadership starts with self-awareness. You might have encountered Dr. Tom Nebel's work on personality traits and their impact on behavior, and the infinity loop he discusses is a fascinating diagram.
What are your traits, and how do they affect your leadership style?
Note: Your actions lead to consequences that produce results. Understanding this loop is key to both family and business success.
Ask yourself, have you considered embracing employee accountability, as you would hold a family member accountable? What hiring strategies would you deploy to make sure you bring into your team members who fit your family? 🤔
Nurture the Seeds and Watch Them Grow 🌱
Your role as a leader evolves just like your role within your family does over time. As ESUS suggests, you should start delegating tasks that you're not the best at, like bookkeeping, focusing on value proposition and profitable growth. As you grow, your focus shifts more towards leadership development.
Now consider this—what if you applied a 90-Day Planning strategy to nurture the budding leaders within your team? Not only does it offer a structure but also provides the space for continuous improvement.
The Golden Thread: Leadership
Leadership isn't a one-off action; it's a continuous process. It cuts across every aspect of the business—be it cash flow management, sales techniques, or marketing strategies. And just like a family needs a head to keep things in order, your business needs you to tie everything together.
Do you think you're the roadblock in your business's path to success, or are you the enabler? The answer to this question might just lead you to a goldmine of self-discovery and ultimately, business joy. 😊
As you're scaling your business, never forget to apply the principle of "Fix what bugs you" and "Just do it and find out." Adapt, and you'll find your company not just surviving but thriving, thanks to your authentic leadership style.
Let me leave you with this thought: What would it take for you to incorporate the best aspects of family unity and strategy into a leadership model that doesn't just foster growth but brings about a sense of business joy? 🌟
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