Management & Leadership
Management and leadership are essential components of running successful organizations. While management focuses on the day-to-day operations and processes, leadership involves inspiring and guiding individuals and teams towards a shared vision and goal.
Key partnerships and activities provide businesses the tools to access vital resources, gain a competitive advantage, and ultimately create more customer value. However, identifying and leveraging these components can be a challenging process.
As a consultant, I work with small business owners to help them achieve their goals and grow their companies. One common challenge I see is the transition from a “lifestyle business” to a managed growth business. This transition can be difficult, as the owners must shift their focus from their personal needs to the needs of the business, and implement new strategies and systems to support growth.
Small family businesses play an important role in the economy, providing jobs and services to communities, and serving as engines of growth. However, as the owners age and consider retirement, they may face the decision of selling the business to a prospective buyer. This can be an emotional and complex process, as it involves not only the transfer of the business itself but also the financial and personal well-being of the owners and their families.
What are the task and general environments, and why should organizational leaders care? How are managers shaping the internal culture to fit the needs of the external environment and company strategy? Corporate culture is critical in gaining and maintaining a competitive advantage. As managers, we must familiarize ourselves with these elements and change them when possible.
As defined in gymnastics, virtuosity is “performing the common uncommonly well.” My fitness coach taught me to apply this in training by focusing on the fundamentals above sophisticated movements, i.e., air squats vs. squat cleans. Candidly, I can use this mindset in everything I do, i.e. safely driving my car vs. leading a company. Likewise, in the pool & landscape industry, our field service teams must perform the essential things well because our service quality is on stage.
Then a few months later, a global pandemic threatened our business. Once again God redeemed what was originally His. We were “designated essential”, supported by the American economy and our business never stopped moving. It gave us a unique posture of service for our customers and we were able to show a familiar face in a time of uncertainty. There is no “free lunch” in effective leadership and there is no YouTube video that can teach me how to be ethically congruent over decades.
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