"Transparency is the foundation of everything we do."
- It's NOT All About You, page 39
"The value I add as a Leader is to hold the vision, keep to the strategy and make sure we're all following the same course."- It's NOT All About You, page 12
It’s easy, when running an entrepreneurial organization, to get caught in the weeds. To, as the adage goes, “work in your business, not on your business.” Michele’s message is pretty clear on this – your role as the leader is to own the vision, to share it, and to help your team members connect with it in a way that resonates for them. Each and every one of them.
There’s really two key parts to this:
1. Define a vision that resonates with you, personally.
2. Help employees determine how it resonates for them.
"I find that when I put my goals to pen and paper, cut out pictures, glue and paste them on the page, then post them where I can see them day in and day out, amazing things happen."- It's NOT All About You, page 25
Michele Bailey swears by the value of “vision boarding“. In a first (for me), she’s even taken the well-known concept one step further and created an annual Vision Board Scrap Book, dedicating different pages to different aspects of her business, career and life. (Michele outlines her process, step by step in the book – providing really valuable insight into how and why to do one yourself.) So what’s the point?
Visuals are powerful. We think in pictures; we see stories in pictures. Pictures ignite our passions and aspirations in a way that words can’t always do. Even more importantly for leaders, pictures get everyone on the same page. Whether it’s a traditional vision board, images of staff incentives, or even building a visual collage to represent your brand feel, I encourage you to consider ways to integrate visuals into your regular communications – with staff, clients, and the public at large.
"We encourage open dialogue so they know which job they want in the company, and we then lay out a path for them to follow to obtain the skills or training they require for the promotion."- It's NOT All About You, page 42
Michele appears to agree with me that one of the crucial tasks of leadership is to regularly help team members pull their heads out of the weeds and see the bigger picture (if only briefly). No, we don’t need an entire company of strategists, and that’s not what I’m saying here. We do know, though, that people are more productive and more focused when they know what they’re working towards and why. Double that motivation again when they were involved in defining the objectives in the first place.
Connecting with your direct reports in regular dialogue around where they’re going, how the company can help them get there and why it’s mutually beneficial to do so builds loyalty, increases employee retention and improves general company morale.
Do you know why your employees work with you? Do you know what they want to achieve here? It might be time to find out.
It’s NOT All About You, It’s About the Company You Keep could be just another “how to be a good manager book”, but the difference is that Michele’s been there. She’s been building, refining and leading her practice for over 20 years. The stories in her book are raw and unpolished, providing a rare peek behind the curtain of entrepreneurship; the good, the bad and the ugly. And Michele’s tenacious personality – along with her passion for her people and her business – shines through.
Michele started Blazing after she became disillusioned with working for other companies that didn’t embody her personal and professional philosophies. It was then she decided to try running her own business. Michele was able to overcome potentially disastrous situations, both personally and professionally. She understands the challenges of the business world, which has contributed to both her and Blazing’s success. Today, Michele’s experiences in negotiating a solid financial footing, making sound investment decisions, creating and mining a strong business network, maintaining a talented employee base and managing ongoing positive forward momentum are the keys to her success.
