5th April 2023
“The 5 skills that got you to Multi-6/ 7 figures, that are now stagnating your growth (and sucking your time). ”
From the desk of Skye Barbour.
Oxford, United Kingdom.
Creator of Leadership Design™️
We work with business owners and their teams to enhance people's performance that directly grows your bottom line.
I see you; growing your business, having happy clients, a great reputation and building a team.
It’s amazing you got here, but it’s not possible to work harder, create more time, or grow to the next level in the same way.
You likely started this business to have MORE freedom and flexibility, but instead you're stagnated, you're being held back, you're not growing.
Your energy battery is draining, cost pressures are mounting and your motivation sometimes wanes.
You can’t see the wood for the trees?
Truth: What you have done so far, won't get you to the next phase of business.
Whilst your amazing skills and tenancy have got you here - right now, they could be making you the bottleneck.
From working with hundreds of business owners like you...
Here are the top 5 skills that I know are now causing you stress and stagnation.
1.
Before: Working in the business
Now: Thinking on the business
We have been taught from a young age that “hard work” gets you everywhere, that business is hard, and to be “busy” is a success sign. No wonder when we have said “yes” to opportunities that don’t quite sit right, we have blurred boundaries with clients, worked longer on projects, overcommitted to additions to the briefs and working in the night over caring about a piece of work that isn’t perfect yet.
We have taken on any task, rolled our sleeves up and got it done. But now there aren’t enough hands for all the things you want and should be doing… and you feel like all the plates you're spinning are about to fall.
This is where you need to step into leadership to work ON the business not just IN it. This takes a whole new level of thinking. More hands off approach, and allowing others in to take responsibility for the “doing”.
From “doing” to strategic thinking allows you to step out of the daily fire fighting and see opportunities coming. Ways to improve your service, cut costs, increase your team morale. It’s time to say yes to support, delegate responsibility, and remove yourself from the front line.
Your skill is not based on how much you can get “done” in a day. It’s based on the amount of value you can bring to the business.
2.
Before: In the weeds
Now: Birds Eye view
You have always wanted to see everything. Even when getting others to help “do”, your eyes want to sign it off and ensure everything is done to your standards. You're critical of how others complete work, knowing as the business owner you're likely to care to a whole new level. In short, the control you are wanting is to keep you safe, yet stuck.
It’s time to move out of the tiny weeds, and have a birds eye view of the whole business. Trusting others to deliver to your standards (or even above!) You can still have control, without needing the granular details. Weekly score cards, team check in and client feedback loops are just 3 of any practical things you can have in place.
Your team needs you to trust them. It’s time to step back, and give permission for them to do their role to the fullest - Including you. You're the visionary CEO after all.
3.
Before: Fast pace and urgent
Now: Slow down to Systemise
Known for taking fast action, you have always stayed ahead of the competition. You don’t overthink, you get on with it. This fast paced urgency has allowed you to try new ideas regularly, keep momentum up, and get results for clients faster than others.
The only problem is now… your speed is leaving some team members behind. Working fast can seem like you will get more done, but this can create a culture where mistakes happen, and your team spends too much time looking forward, they don’t reflect, learn and improve.
Instead, it’s time to slow down, systemise your thinking, to allow other people into your head, so you can speed up later. If everything is in your head, how do you expect people to know exactly what you want? Don’t wait for people to “pick things up”. Systemising your business is a game changer in allowing people to stay ahead of you.
Speed and energy is a great strength, but it’s time to slow down your leadership, as you scale.
4.
Before: Being the reliable lone wolf
Now: Seeing the strengths in others
If you say you will do something, you do. You're reliable, dependable, and can always find a solution. It’s why you are so successful. You can achieve anything that you put your mind to. Happy to be the lone wolf, delegation and team building has been more of a challenge. Except that at times, you're NOT the best person for the job, or sharing with your team you can’t do something seems out of place.
To step into this next level of leadership, you need to recognise and maximize your own talents and that of those around you. Your ability to lead a 7-figure business is now reliant on your ability to understand people. I call this Leadership Design™ - everyone has a unique set of qualities that make them accelerate or stagnate your business growth.
Now is your time to understand your Leadership Design™ and the powerful skills of those around you. No more lone wolf, you're the leader of the pack!
5.
Before: Developing technical skills
Now: Developing teams
Your ability to learn the latest piece of technology, social media channel or marketing technique has served you well. Now, it’s not a make or break of your business growth. People in your company are.
Having the right people, in the right place, with the right skills - extremely important.
Beyond this, in a time with flexible workforces, a less loyal workforce, and the great resignation on our hands. Keeping, retaining and therefore developing talent is key to your survival.
Leaders who scale with more ease, have learnt how to “read’ their people - both clients and team. They are able to go beyond the tick box HR practices and truly see the People Dynamics™ at play. To do this you need to learn how to see their perspective. We teach this in our Leadership Design™ method. A system that brings together human behavior, unconscious leadership and intuitive intelligence to be able to see the people dynamics and systems to scale with ease.
Skills can be learnt, but people’s unconscious patterns are hard to change. Develop your people's performance, accelerate your business results.
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