September 30, 2024
You’ve heard us dish out leadership advice a lot – how to be a better leader, lead with confidence, create a thriving team culture, yada yada yada. And even though we’ll never stop sharing everything we know to make this whole side of your job feel easier, we’re switching things up a bit today.
Instead of just telling you what makes a great leader, we’re sharing advice from real leaders who are living it every day. No hypotheticals or fluffy management buzzwords here – just insights from the lived experiences of people who are in your shoes. Maybe they’re a step or two ahead, but that’s exactly what makes their advice so valuable.
What we love most about these stories is that they’re not coming from leadership “gurus” who have spent decades perfecting their craft. These are business owners turned managers, many of them stepping into leadership for the first time, who are navigating the same challenges, wins, and growing pains that you are.
So, whether you’re managing a team for the first time or just looking to sharpen your leadership skills, keep reading. These tips are pulled straight from interviews on our weekly podcast, On The Up & Up, so if you want to dive deeper, be sure to tune in to each episode linked throughout to hear even more of their wisdom, straight from the source.
Leadership Advice #1: Knowing Yourself As a Leader Is The Key To Building A Strong Team
LoriAnn Kuntz, founder of Profit Priority, never imagined herself as a team leader. As a finance expert, she was used to managing numbers, not people. But when her business started growing, LoriAnn realized that to have more control and consistency, she needed to hire employees instead of contractors.
LoriAnn is open about the mental hurdles that came with this transition, sharing the real mindset shift that happens when you move from managing independent contractors to becoming a full-blown boss of employees.
Her breakthrough came when she realized that great leadership starts with knowing yourself – your strengths, weaknesses, and unique style.
Here’s why this matters: when you understand and lean into your leadership style, you’ll know how to communicate more confidently and effectively, set clear expectations, and build stronger trust with your team.
As LoriAnn put it, knowing herself as a leader didn’t just help her in the day-to-day, it set the foundation for long-term success. You don’t need to be a perfect leader – but you do need to be an authentic one.
LoriAnn’s Leadership Takeaway:
If you want to build a successful, empowered team, start by knowing yourself as a leader first. Your authenticity will create a ripple effect that shapes your team culture and the way you grow your business. Great leadership doesn’t just matter in the here and now – it has a lasting impact that can shape your employees’ lives for years to come.
Catch More Leadership Advice From LoriAnn:
Leadership Advice #2: Empowering Your Team to Discover What Excites Them Elevates Your Whole Business
When Kristin Richards launched her business, In Flow Design Co., she was living in her creative zone doing what she loved: designing stunning brands and bringing clients’ visions to life. But as her business grew, so did her responsibilities. Suddenly, Kristin found herself juggling team performance reviews, payroll, and people management…none of which fueled her creative spirit.
And while having a team does feel like you’ve reached a new level of success, it can also feel like you’ve suddenly shifted from creator to HR manager overnight. That’s a tough pill to swallow. For Kristin, it wasn’t easy at first, but she found a way to balance leadership with keeping her creative fire alive:
Empowering her team to discover their zone of genius.
Kristin quickly realized that leadership isn’t about micromanaging or making sure people stick to rigid roles. It’s about giving your team the freedom to explore what excites them.
Creating space for your team to thrive in areas that align with their passions leads to more engagement, creativity, and productivity. By allowing her team members to lean into their strengths, Kristin not only created a more joyful workplace but also elevated the overall quality of work within her business.
Bonus advice from Kristin: Accountability is crucial, both for yourself and your team! She believes that when people are excited about their work, they’re more likely to take ownership and perform at a higher level.
Kristin’s Leadership Takeaway:
Leadership isn’t about controlling every detail – it’s about creating an environment where your team can discover what excites them and empowering them to excel. When you tap into their passions, you unlock their full potential and elevate the whole business.
Catch More Leadership Advice From Kristin:
Leadership Advice #3: Prioritize Hiring For Internal Culture Fit Over External Brand Alignment
Culture, culture, culture. It’s the lifeblood of any team, especially a small one. But as a leader, there’s a unique challenge when your external brand doesn’t fully reflect your internal company culture.
Kaitlyn Parker, founder of Copy Uncorked, has crafted an external brand that’s steeped in wine culture – fun, celebratory, and a touch refined. But for Kaitlyn, it was essential that her team’s internal culture isn’t just about the brand image but rooted in core values of hard work, professionalism, and service excellence.
Her advice is to clearly distinguish your external brand from your internal company culture, especially when leading and growing a small team. From her experience, she’s found that culture-driven hiring – focusing on cultural alignment over just fitting with the brand’s persona – is crucial for effective leadership. In her case, someone might have all the technical skills for the job, but if they’re more attracted to the idea of sipping wine at team happy hours than delivering work worth celebrating, it’s a setup for leadership challenges.
She leverages tools like personality tests to help ensure that her team members not only bring their skills but also fit seamlessly into the company culture. By hiring for alignment with the mission, values, and work ethic, Kaitlyn has made her leadership journey that much easier.
Kaitlyn’s Leadership Takeaway:
When building a small but effective team, prioritizing cultural fit over external brand alignment is crucial. Skills are important, of course, but if someone doesn’t resonate with your core values, it can create long-term challenges. Hiring people who align with your mission and internal culture makes leadership smoother and helps create a more cohesive, high-performing team.
Catch More Leadership Advice From Kaitlyn:
Leadership Advice #4: You Have To Overcome the Fear of Hiring Your First Employee
Hiring your first employee can be downright terrifying.
Especially when you realize that stepping into leadership means more than just letting go of tasks. It’s actually about embracing a new role of guiding, inspiring, and shaping others. No pressure.
Meg Evans, founder of Born To Roam Bookkeeping, felt the same fear when she transitioned from solopreneur to leading a team. Her biggest fear – like so many of us – was letting go of control of some of those tasks that made her business, her business.
Meg’s advice for overcoming this fear is to take your own ego out of the equation and find people you trust (eh ehm, the cornerstone of effective leadership.) Because if you don’t trust the person you’re leading, how can you show up as the best version of yourself as a leader?
At the end of the day, effective leadership isn’t just about delegating, it’s about the relationships you build with a team to carry your business forward while creating a culture of mutual respect.
Meg’s Leadership Takeaway:
Don’t let the fear of losing control hold you back from growing your team. By embracing your leadership role and hiring with intention, you’ll build a team that supports your business and helps shape a thriving company culture you’re proud of.
Catch More Leadership Advice From Meg:
What’s Your Next Leadership Step?
Whether you’re leading a team for the first time or you’ve been at it for a while, these real-life insights show that leadership is always a learning journey. But taking these lessons in stride becomes so much more powerful when you’ve invested in learning the fundamentals of management and leadership. With a solid foundation, you’ll have the skills you need to pivot, adjust, and thrive as you navigate the challenges that come with leading a team.
That’s where a management and leadership training program like People On Purpose® comes in. PoP is designed to help you master the essentials, giving you confidence in the foundational skills you need to lead effectively and equipping you to implement these valuable lessons and take your leadership to the next level.
Join us inside People On Purpose® today and start leading with purpose, authenticity, and the ability to adapt and grow on the job.
