It’s lonely at the top.
When you’re the leader, you seem to be carrying the weight of the world and the future of your whole business on your shoulders.
Most leaders spend their days barely surviving emotionally, but nobody talks about it. In fact, I bet if your employees and colleagues knew how you feel most of the time, they would be shocked.
Starting and growing a company comes with a high level of stress, uncertainty, and fear – not to mention all the making-stuff-up-out-of-thin-air while trying to look like you’ve got it all together!
But you know the drill. When you’re on an airplane, you have to put the oxygen mask on yourself first – because you can’t help anyone if you don’t have oxygen yourself. Similarly, when you’re running a team, if you are personally struggling, your business will struggle too.
So what is a stressed out business leader to do? Begin by asking yourself the following questions.
8 Questions Every Business Leader Should Ask Themselves
The reality that we can all face as small business leaders is that being the one in control is challenging! So, what do we do about it?
First, business leaders need to ask themselves the following 8 questions. Be honest! No one is judging your answers but you.
- Do I often feel like an imposter – just waiting for someone to realize that I don’t know what I am doing?
- Do I avoid dealing with conflict – hoping it will just go away on its own?
- Am I always looking for that next great idea – what is often referred to as “shiny thing syndrome?”
- Do I get up in the morning with no real plan for what I have to do today to put money in the bank so I can make the next payroll?
- Do I have people on my team that I hired that seemed like a good idea at the time but now they don’t fit into my short or long-term plans – but I don’t know what to do about it?
- Do I have big dreams, but find myself surrounded with people who think I am out of my mind?
- Do I know my numbers – you know, the financials, production results, sales and outstanding orders?
- Am I feeling so burned out at times that it’s negatively affecting my personal and professional relationships?
Now for the ‘get real’ moment – how many of these questions did you answer ‘yes’ to? Most business leaders will say yes to at least 5.
And if you’re saying yes to 5 or more, not only are you not personally thriving, I bet your business isn’t thriving like it could, either.
Struggling to stay on top of things? You might benefit from outside help.
How To Get Off The Roller Coaster
No doubt you have your own business because you’re a go-getter, used to taking charge and getting things done – all by yourself when necessary.
I totally understand. But I also know something you don’t know – or at least won’t admit to yourself: you can’t do this alone.
I’ve worked with hundreds of business leaders and small business owners over the course of my career, and I know what works and what doesn’t. And what doesn’t work is trying to white-knuckle yourself to business success, without the proper systems and support in place.
Bottom line: if you want to grow, you need a team to support you on your journey, including Human Resources. That doesn’t necessarily require a full time HR department. But it does have to be someone who can help you with sticking to commitments, as well as setting up systems, processes, plans, goals, and metrics and also train someone internally to handle the day-to-day HR stuff.
The good news? Those commitments, processes, plans, goals, and metrics is exactly what you need to enjoy building your business and get back to enjoying your life again!
The even better news? You don’t have to figure this out all on your own. You just need a little consulting with some leadership coaching thrown in.
Options for Small Business Owners
I know that small businesses often have to work with small budgets, so do not worry: you do not have to spend a fortune hiring a team of full-time HR specialists and consultants.
When you work with a business consultant like me, I can help you maximize your resources without the risk, frustration, stress and overwhelm of audits, lawsuits and low productivity.
I offer HR consulting, providing ‘large-company’ strategies that can give smaller companies a competitive edge without all the red tape.
My team and I can also help boost your workplace skills, with 285+ on-demand training modules in customer service, safety, diversity, sexual harassment, dealing with multiple generations in the office, business ethics, and more.
If you’re ready to stop struggling and get your life back, please get in touch to set up a complimentary consultation. (YOU CAN INCLUDE MY CALENDLY LINK – https://calendly.com/katherine2010/30min
Business Leadership, Career Management