Recently, my client Gail sent me this picture, and I felt it was so true of our relationship. We’re rowing together to keep her company moving forward, whether we’re in choppy waters or it’s smooth sailing.
You may be asking yourself how we grew to this point. How did we make it happen?
To answer that, let’s start from the beginning, in Gail’s words.
“As an accidental business owner, I have struggled for years to get out of my business details so I could get on with my message! You see, I had an idea that became popular around the world. And, although it helps people, I did not have time to meet the constant requests for new products and services. Every day, I felt I was letting people down. My business had grown to adolescent proportions – lots of big ideas, but not a lot of know-how. Brenda quickly guided us into young adulthood!”
Work = Heart Purpose + Love + Vision
For Gail, her heart is her work. She does what she loves, and she didn’t think much about creating a business until it happened. This true Visionary came up with an idea and a vision to change the world. In no time, she created a paradigm to help moms prepare for and have easier births. After becoming clear about what she wanted, she was in her groove and helping more people. She followed her heart, her love, and her vision.
Before she knew it, she became a business owner by accident. She found changing lives was exciting. On the flip side, owning a business was scary because she wasn’t a businessperson. Soon, she realized she needed a framework for her business to grow efficiently and effectively. She needed an Integrator. Perhaps you can relate to Gail’s situation?
The Core Struggle for Successful Visionaries
Visionaries know that to take their genius into the world, their businesses need structure. Of course, most business owners don’t know how to create that, nor do they want to. They resist it because it takes them away from their grassroots. Also, it feels foreign, and it uses precious time they could use to create and connect.
To build structure, they need Integrators™ who will protect their hearts and visions by understanding and being patient. The right Integrator™ holds space for the framework, allowing the Visionary’s genius to come through while the business runs efficiently.
That's where I came in for Gail. I’m the bridge from Gail’s heart and soul to the world. To effectively help her grow her business, I needed to align with and absorb her vision of what the company should look like. From there, I knew we would by able to accomplish her vision by rowing together.Clear in Vision, but Not Always Clear in Communication
Communication can be a challenge for Visionaries like Gail. Despite having clear ideas in their minds, expressing them to a constantly changing team can be difficult, especially when they’re extremely busy. Often, Visionaries will express frustration when new hires don't follow their directions, not realizing that this could be due to unclear communication rather than the employee's fault.
As an Integrator™, my role is to decode the Visionary’s ideas and convey them in a manner that the entire team can rally behind. A cornerstone of our success? Active listening. Gail needed a leader who could amplify her voice within the company, by taking her ideas and turning them into communication the rest of the company could understand and execute – which is another example of rowing together.
Bringing Clarity to the Team and Changing the Dynamic so We Can Start Rowing Together
Whether your business has a team of two or 200, you want everyone to feel like they’re heard, with good communication and proper accountability.
My first step with Gail’s team was to bring clarity to task assignments and how they connected to the rest of the company. First, I did team assessments and met with all the members to see how they felt about the company and their current roles. Next, I asked about the top ten things they spent the most time doing and how they felt about them. Then, I asked about the five things they would love to do.
From there, we saw which seats were right for whom and who could lead which departments. I then set up a new structure for the team and helped them to set goals. In the next quarter, we went over their goals and determined what kind of support they needed.
With Clear Goals, the Team Unites and Thrives - Rowing Together
As a result, the team now feels excited about their roles and can better see how their work is connected to the company’s goals and growth. Their roles are clear now, and they know what we expect. Moreover, they’re gaining new skills in accomplishing their goals. And they're getting leadership support to help them accomplish the goals they want for themselves, as well as for the company. They’ve also mentioned how they find it easier to do their work, and they’re more satisfied knowing we’re all rowing together.
This clarity was crucial to Gail because the team and I align every action, decision, and task with her vision, mission, and goals of the company. We don’t have ego clashes, and we don’t struggle to be on the same page – we both want the company to thrive.
As Gail says, “In a short time, our team has grown closer, roles are clarified, systems are flowing, and I have released three new products with more on the way. Furthermore, I feel more in flow with time now since when I first began. Free now to be in my role, I show up with my talents. I relax into my creativity because I can depend on Brenda. I feel like I own a business and am no longer owned by my business”.
Are you ready to experience rowing together toward your dreams and goals? Is it time to stop spinning in place and feeling frustrated and burnt out? Contact me today to schedule a no-investment discovery call to see if we’d make good boat-mates.
I'd love to hear your feedback in the comments below.