#272: My Biggest Regret After 10 Years of Building My Business

This is one of those super uncomfortable moments when I have to admit…I don’t have it ALL figured out.

Recently, I was at the EntreLeadership live event and Dave Ramsey’s words cut right to my soul. He said, “Organizations are never limited by their opportunity or their team, they are limited by their leader.”

And the honest truth is, I regret not putting more focus on being a better leader for my team much sooner than I did.

No one is born with amazing leadership skills. They take years to develop and the earlier you start, the better off you’ll be. 

Because here’s the truth: you can’t build an empire by yourself. 

Eventually, you’ll need to bring people on who stand behind your vision and are just as motivated as you are to achieve it. 

As my business grows and scales, my job is to be a visionary and show up for my team as a leader in a stronger way. I’ve always thought of my students and my business, but now it’s time to focus on creating a bigger stronger team of people who are empowered to make decisions, come up with ideas, and grow with my business.

EntreLeadership was one of the best events I’ve attended. It blew my mind. After it lit a fire under my chair to become a better leader, I knew I had to share my biggest takeaways with you.

I hope you learn from these and implement them into your business right away. Do not pass go, just do it. I promise you won’t regret it.

Here are the main takeaways:

• [15:00] There’s always room for improvement, no matter how ‘big’ your organization is.
• [16:12] Takeaway #1: Dave Ramsey shared how organizations are never limited by their team. They are limited by their leader. (This one really hit me in the gut!)
• [19:38] Takeaway #2: Henry Cloud asked, “Does your team know how you are going to win?” It’s important to define what winning looks like for yourself and then share it with your team. 
• [23:39] Takeaway #3: Patrick Lencioni dropped a major value bomb when he said that fear of conflict will stifle productivity and keep you playing small. He explained that you’re cutting yourself short if you’re not encouraging your team to show their opinions even when they are challenging. 
• [32:43] Takeaway #4: Patrick Lencioni also talked about hiring people that are humble, hungry, and smart. He explained that these type of people lack excessive ego, are self-motivated, and use good judgment with people. 
• [39:32] Takeaway #5: Jesse Itzler shared his motto of “remember tomorrow.” He encourages you to ask yourself how you will feel tomorrow about any decisions that you make today. Listen to learn how I’ve implemented the Full Focus Planner with my team.
• [43:41] Takeaway #6: Sara Blakely, the creator of Spanx, told the story of her early days in the business where she went above and beyond to educate customers on her product — she would go to the department store and talk to customers. She’s such a good example of never being too proud to get in there and do the work and get your hands dirty. 
• [48:13] Extra Credit: Write down three things that you would love your team, or your team of the future, to say about your leadership style. I’m doing this exercise too and I wish I would have asked myself this question years ago. Don’t wait. 

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Free List Building Masterclass
• EntreLeadership Summit
• Sara Blakely
• Patrick Lencioni
• Jesse Itzler
• Henry Cloud
• Brooke Castillo
• Kolbe Assessment
• Read This >> The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable
• Read This >> Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity
• Read This >> Ideal Team Player
• Full Focus Planner