There’s a lot of advice out there on leadership and sometimes it can make one feel that we have to have things perfectly figured out to be a good leader.

So, I’m suggesting that if you feel that way too, let’s agree that we can let that idea go completely.

In fact, I believe that’s the beauty (or challenge) of leadership…much of the learning is experiential and you have to live it, learn it, and be willing to try things out. Some will work, some will not. And, some will be painful and messy.

However, I think the intention, effort, and a mindset of continuous improvement can go a long way in expanding your leadership skills and creating a high-performing team.

This is a collection of ideas to inspire you in your leadership to dig in and explore ways to take your leadership to the next level so you can heighten results from your team…

Maybe the reason your business is wearing you out isn’t necessarily because you’re burning the candle at both ends, or worried about making your bills, or because of another late order arriving.

While these are all worrisome and tiring, these could be symptoms of a deeper issue.

It could be due to a lack of capacity and diversity in one or all of three key areas: employees, suppliers, and/or customers.

How dependent you and your business is on any one employee, customer, or supplier can be a real indicator of business health, how high your business risk is, and how you, as the owner, are shouldering the effects of this directly. And, if that one employee is YOU, well that would be a signal of a lack of capacity or diversification of employees and skills sets.

I was recently speaking with a business owner who is dependent on one employee (themselves!) who tried to hire another employee recently.

They said ‘it didn’t work out’ and ‘it wasn’t a good fit’. And, they doubted that there would be a good employee out there that could do what they’re looking for.

I probed a little more and it became clear that they really didn’t believe another person could do what they could do and could serve the clients the same way they could.

I have heard variations on this theme from a number of business owners.

So what’s the answer?

Take a look at the three areas I mentioned and see how your business fares in these areas.