Episode #27: Shifting from Practitioner to Leader
In this episode, we look at some of the fears and challenges people face when shifting from being a practitioner to a team leader.
Melanie shares where she was two years ago in her business and how she needed to make some changes heading into her second maternity leave. She wanted to work, but a traditional environment wasn’t working for her or her family.
Many women feel as though they have to choose between being a great mother and a great businesswoman. The thing is, you can have both but sometimes you need to create your own situation in order to gain that freedom.
Let’s talk money!
Entrepreneurs love making money (who doesn’t), but so many of us do not take a hard look at where our dollars are coming from, and where they are going. Being happy to just “pay the bills” isn’t a solid business strategy. Mel talks about how when she took a step back she was able to take a hard look at her projections and targets.
Mindset
Melanie always wanted to be a “good boss.” She equated this with having her staff like her, instead of assisting them to grow. While portraying compassion and kindness is vital as a leader, the business must be put first in order to grow. Melanie learned that taking the personal feelings out of the equation helped her, her business and her employees.
Leadership
Mel talks about how her leadership style has developed and evolved. Where she used to micromanage, she now admits that surrounding herself with a team who are excellent at what they do was a much better strategy. She has found it much easier to relinquish control when she trusts that her practitioners will do what they do best.
Well, how did she do it?
With a willingness to change and go with the flow of course! She aligned herself with people she knew would grow and shine in her business and allowed them the freedom to do so. Melanie realized that in order to “grow” the business she couldn’t be “in” the business. Taking a step back as a practitioner and letting her team do what they do best has done wonders all around. She has moved into a leadership role she is now able to focus on the parts of the business that have been neglected due to lack of manpower and time.
Advice from Melanie
The hard conversations and decisions become easier over time, and mistakes are actually learning opportunities and should be treated as such!
Links mentioned in this episode:
Lianne’s Podcasts mentioned in this episode:
Episode #22: Letting go to Grow
Episode #20: Is it time to build a team?
