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If You Don’t Go Away, Your Business Never Grows Up
One of the reasons business owners stay is because things depend on them. Decisions funnel to them. Problems land on their desk. Customers ask for them by name. Employees wait for their approval. It feels responsible. Even necessary. But here’s what many owners don’t...
Did Leadership Happen to You Too?
In a recent mastermind conversation with now-generation business owners, I asked a simple question: When you look back, how were you taught to lead? The answers were honest, raw, and surprisingly similar. One owner admitted: “I was not taught how to do this job. It...
What Could Happen if You Equip Instead of Delegate?
Many business owners know they should delegate more, but they hesitate because their people aren’t capable. That’s why it rarely happens until you’re stretched too thin. Here’s an alternative mindset: equipping. Equipping means you’re not just handing off...
Family or Small: How it Impacts the Transition
I had the privilege of speaking at the American Cheese Society’s conference last year. A freelance writer is now capturing our breakout session in an article. She sent me this question, and I think you can appreciate my response. Are small, family businesses harder to...
Getting The Right People On The Bus
I just shared this with a client today and thought it might benefit you also! This tool is introduced in the book Traction, which describes the Entrepreneurial Operating System, or EOS. The first part of their People Analyzer tool is a Value Alignment for promoting,...
Doing What You Don’t Want to Do
This is an interesting challenge. I see it from two perspectives: How do I get myself to do things I don’t want to do (creating helpful habits)? How do I stop myself from doing things I don’t want to do (breaking harmful habits)? For example, I’ve long wanted to...
Staying the Course: Commit to Goals and Grow Along the Way
Last week, I received a message from a colleague: “I may have over-reached and committed us all to do too much. I’m not sure we can each develop one article per month for Mind Conquerors. How about if we drop it back to one per quarter per person? One per month may be...
Owner-Operator in One, or Investor and Leader as Two
Owner-Operator is Only One Option As I work with clients in both the Next- and Now-Generation, I’ve found a limiting belief. It’s normal because many small businesses were founded by one person. That one person had the vision, invested their money, and set to work to...