Congratulations! You’ve made it to the top. You’re the business owner or leader of a successful company. You’ve shown enormous courage, achieving the things you’d set out to achieve. You’ve got a good team, board and customers. You’re making decent profits and your systems and processes are working well.
However, something doesn’t feel right. You’ve achieved all this and perhaps even become an influencer in your industry, yet you feel it’s not enough. Your board is questioning you; your team is challenging you. They want more – more systems, processes and profit.
You thought that once you’d achieved all your goals, things would get better. People would get off your back, you’d feel sure of yourself, and you could relax a little. However, that’s not the case.
So, what’s next?
Now, you need an advisor or advisory board chair. You need someone who’s biased towards you, who has your back. Every great business leader needs a sounding board to give them clarity on what direction to take and help them make the tough decisions. You need a punching bag, if you will; someone you can vent your frustrations to so you can clear your mind and move forward.
An advisor or advisory board chair will hold a mirror up to you and ask, “What do you think the consequences of this will be? Why did you make that decision? Would you do the same thing next time?” Their questioning will uncover your true motivations and help you develop your emotional and business intelligence, taking you and your business from good to great.
Advisors can anticipate what you’ll do and the issues that will arise. It’s like they have eyes in the back of their head. Remember when you were a kid and you thought, “Wow, Mum can see everything! How did she know I was going to do that?” That’s what an advisor is like. It may be confronting at times, but you need someone to tell you, “Try this instead.”
Remember, an advisor gives you advice, but you still make the decisions. You are in control. And your advisor will always have your back.
An advisor is a team player.
In a football team, the players’ job is to have everyone else’s back. They pass the ball to the right person at the right time, defend at the right time and attack at the right time.
In business, it’s not always like that. Often, leaders and business owners want to attack or defend based on their values, priorities, career and profit share. They may want to do these things at the wrong time for the business. And their team may not be on board.
Who in your team has your back? Does anyone? Unfortunately, not all businesses are like football teams; not everyone wants the best outcome for the CEO.
One of our business owner clients had no one to back her up. Her people believed they wanted what was best for the business, but truthfully, they wanted what was best for themselves. Their motivations were personal, and their actions reflected their career goals.
After engaging an advisor, the business owner finally had someone who had her back. She had a sounding board – someone who asked her the tough questions, provided clarity and helped her explore all options. The result was that the people on her team were replaced by a new set of managers who put the business first.
So, who has your back? Perhaps it’s time you engaged an advisor. Email me at [email protected]