{"id":668,"date":"2025-04-14T06:59:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T11:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/philadelphia-pa-1200\/?p=668"},"modified":"2025-04-28T05:17:31","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T10:17:31","slug":"leadership-mindshift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/philadelphia-pa-1200\/blog\/leadership-mindshift\/","title":{"rendered":"A Simple Leadership Mindshift"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year, I made one small shift in how I think about leadership in my business \u2013 and I believe it\u2019s going to make a big difference.<\/span><\/p>\n

A few months ago, I stopped thinking of it as my<\/strong> company.<\/span><\/p>\n

And started seeing it as our<\/strong> company.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a subtle change. But I\u2019ve already noticed it\u2019s starting to reshape how I lead, how my team responds, and how we grow.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Leadership Error of Carrying Too Much<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

When I started this business, everything was on my shoulders. That\u2019s how it is for most entrepreneurs \u2014 you raise all the capital, find every customer, wear every hat from CEO to janitor, and patch things together with duct tape and caffeine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even after the company grew and I had a solid team in place, I still caught myself thinking like a solo operator. I\u2019d jump into client fires. I\u2019d fix problems myself instead of letting someone else own the solution. If something big came up, I\u2019d clear my calendar and take it on personally.<\/span><\/p>\n

And to be honest, that approach still creeps back in more than I\u2019d like.<\/span><\/p>\n

But last year, I started asking myself:<\/span>
\nWhat if the best way forward is to share more, not carry more?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And after working toward that, I had a personal epiphany. It\u2019s not just \u201cmy\u201d business anymore; it\u2019s \u201cour\u201d business. And that was the start of a mindshift that\u2019s bringing change, even though it might seem small or gradual to an outsider.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

How a small course correction can make a big change:<\/strong> Let\u2019s say you\u2019re flying with your family from Philadelphia to San Francisco. Early in your journey, you realize that your family really wants to go to LA to pose beneath the Hollywood sign. If you adjust your trajectory by less than 3% over Cleveland, you\u2019ll get to LA without spending any extra time. But if you don\u2019t make that course correction, once you land in San Francisco, it will take you as long to drive to Los Angeles as it did to fly across the country. <\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

Company Owner’s Leadership Shift: From \u201cMe\u201d to \u201cWe\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

What\u2019s changing is how I see the people around me \u2013 not just as people hired to do tasks, but as individuals who invest their time in the company and want to help build something. That matters because I can see it increases their satisfaction in being here.<\/span><\/p>\n

So I\u2019ve started to:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Share more of the bigger picture \u2014 where the company is headed and why.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Invite other opinions and feedback into decisions I might have made solo in the past.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Focus more on developing the team \u2014 improving their job skills, sure, but also understanding our culture: why we do what we do, how we treat customers, operating from our values \u2013 company values we chose and created together.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    I\u2019ve started asking questions about how they see their role and where they want to control more decisions or outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n

    What\u2019s Starting to Happen<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

    We\u2019re still early in this process, but here\u2019s what I\u2019ve begun to notice:<\/span><\/p>\n

    Engagement is shifting.<\/strong> When team members see how they connect to the bigger mission and they feel some agency, they offer more ideas. They spot opportunities. They flag problems before I do.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Responsibility is slowly redistributing.<\/strong> I\u2019m not quite out of the day-to-day weeds, but I can see more of the view from the rooftop now \u2013 I\u2019m not always busy in the basement. That change alone is giving me space to think bigger and plan better.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Also, it\u2019s giving more growth opportunities to my team.<\/span><\/p>\n

    What This Isn\u2019t<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Let me be clear: I\u2019m not stepping back and coasting. This isn\u2019t about being hands-off. It\u2019s about being more intentional and trusting people with real responsibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

    And it\u2019s definitely not perfect. I still catch myself defaulting to \u201cjust doing it myself.\u201d Old habits don\u2019t vanish overnight. But I\u2019m trying to notice them more and act differently when I do.<\/span><\/p>\n

    I don\u2019t want to lead a company that just runs well. I want to build one that grows because people at every level care about the outcome.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Final Thoughts<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

    This concept isn\u2019t a grand reinvention of leadership. It\u2019s simply about recognizing the point at which every company owner needs to shift their point of view to move ahead. I\u2019ve started leaning into it this year, and it feels right \u2013 even when it involves development and growth that might take a long time.<\/span><\/p>\n

    I\u2019ve seen enough already to know it\u2019s worth continuing along this path. And that\u2019s why I\u2019m sharing it here.<\/span><\/p>\n

    If you\u2019ve been carrying too much for too long, maybe it\u2019s time to reassess where you are and make a small course correction. Even just a subtle shift in how you see your leadership role has the power to change everything else.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Pictured: Two of our technicians, Todd and Mason, collaborate on a solution for a client.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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