Many leaders hire a new employee and instantly feel like they’ve gone from business leader to babysitter. When leaders describe what they mean by “babysitting” employees, what they’re really saying is they don’t want to spend any time at all with a new employee. The first day on the job they think they should be able to just show them their desk, give them a task, and the employee will know exactly what to do.

When Michael and I got married, we made a deal: I had to learn to like the drums, so that I could fully appreciate my husband’s percussive skills, and Michael had to learn to like football—specifically, the NFL. I fell in love with the NFL long before I fell in
love with Michael. I’m a 49ers fan first but root for Green Bay on the back end.

Michael thinks I got the easier part of the deal. Drumming seasons come and go, but the NFL is relentless.

One of the great stories of the NFL—especially for 49ers fans—is a story about how Coach Bill Walsh turned the struggling 49ers around with his leadership and management during the late ’70s and ’80s. Humor me for a second—I just have to geek out a little.

When I was twenty-seven years old, Kathryn and I had been married about a year and a half. One afternoon, I was walking across the parking lot from our car to our apartment, and I was feeling great. I had a skip in my step. Life was good. I thought to myself, "What can I be doing differently? What area do I need to grow in?" Almost immediately, I came to the happy conclusion: "Nothing. I'm good. There is nothing I need to improve!"

Celebrations, surprises, and random acts of kindness are key components of building a Passion and Provision company and creating a company culture employees look forward to coming to each day. When employees work at a place they enjoy and feel cared about, they'll find fulfillment in their contribution and do good work.

At 2,320 miles long, the Mississippi River is the second-longest river in the U.S. It has the world’s fourth-largest drainage basin, including all or parts of 32 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. 

And it all starts from Lake Itasca, a small glacial lake only about 1.8 square miles in area, with an average depth of 20 to 35 feet.

Just as that small lake fuels a gigantic network of rivers and tributaries, the leader of a company has an exponential impact on the workplace culture. As a leader, one of your most important jobs is as CCO—chief culture officer.

Every organization goes through transitions. Whether it is planned or unplanned, it is part of “the circle of life” of a business or organization. As a leader, in the midst of transitions, you can keep your organization moving forward and stay on track to be the best you can be and move through the transition, coming out better than before!

To have the best business in your industry, you have to figure out a way to be a better leader. You already know that being a good leader is important, but why does this matter to your business? Let’s learn more on how to be a good leader to create a better business.

Amazing leaders in history have always understood that their role as a leader is to contribute to the world and to others. They know and they’ve worked at knowing who they are and what they can contribute – you can’t be a great leader without knowing that, especially if you want to have a successful small business.

Among the more notable business leaders in recent history are Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Warren Buffet, Donald Trump…and Michael Scott? The thing is, you can be in a position of leadership and not lead well. This is the fault of Michael Scott. You know the one. The manager of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company on the hit show “The Office.” As much as we might like – err put up with – Michael Scott as a person (or as much as he likes himself!) he sucks as a leader.

[Photo courtesy of: memeblender.com]

Leaders come in all shapes and sizes and they are NOT based on a position. But when you are in a leadership position and have the responsibilities of running a company, developing and learning how to be a good leader is essential to having a business filled with passion and provision.

Since companies will rise and fall based on the quality of leadership, you want to make sure your company thrives!

How do you be a good leader?

Whether you are a small business owner, managing a department, or working on a project with your team, time management is an important part of running a successful small business full of passion and provision. Keeping the plates spinning and knowing who’s on first and what’s on second is essential in keeping up with the demands of your role as well as your needs as a human being- like sleep and rest and free blocks of time to use your creativity to solve problems, envision the future, and build something bigger and better.