April 19, 2023
What’s your motivation as an entrepreneur? Most of us decided to take this route because we were tired of life in big corporations. We didn’t want to continue working in toxic cultures with narcissistic bosses, problematic hiring practices, and workaholic expectations. We wanted to do things differently! We wanted to do better!
As entrepreneurs and business owners, we get to create better businesses — companies built on inclusivity, diversity, healthy boundaries, and human connections.
That’s what I’m discussing with special guest Grace Blacksea. Grace is the founder of Quench Collective, an online community for female entrepreneurs who want to do business their way, instead of continuing the toxic traits of corporate culture.
Grace and I talked about what it really means to be a good leader and covered a range of other business management topics:
- Nightmare bosses and narcissistic leaders: Sometimes, the best way to determine how to run your business is knowing what NOT to do.
- The responsibilities of leadership: One of the most important things you can do as a leader is to bring out the best in your employees.
- Leading with intention and intuition: It’s crucial to make sure that interactions (even the tough ones) are conversations, not confrontations.
- Choosing the right team members: Look for people who share your vision and goals but also bring their own unique skills to the table. Leadership isn’t about making clones of yourself.
- How to trust your team: Are you building a team you can trust to handle things if you needed to be away for a while — and are you putting that trust into practice?
- What happens when an employee doesn’t work out: Even the best interview process doesn’t always lead to a person who’s the perfect fit for the team. So you need a plan for handling performance reviews — or even terminations — with integrity and kindness.
- Creating space for growth: There’s a balance between giving team members the space to mess up and learn while still protecting your interests and other team members.
- Dealing with financial pressure: Being an entrepreneur comes with a lot of financial challenges and uncertainty — how do you manage that?
Leadership isn’t always easy, especially if you’re committed to being humble, treating people well, and actively working to create an inclusive culture. But it’s easier when you have a community of other entrepreneurs and mentors who align with your values. We can learn so much from each other and together, we can figure out how to create, grow, and run better businesses.
If you’ve got questions about leadership or being an entrepreneur, tag @theparadigmm or send me a DM on Instagram! And don’t forget to review and share this episode with any small business owners you know.
Listen Now!
Links mentioned:
Find Grace on her Website and Instagram
