Category: Leadership

By Sophie Davenport, Co-Founder and Managing Director at SFE Services

SFE Services is a Buckinghamshire-based air conditioning, refrigeration and ventilation company. Founded in 2017 and based in Widmer End, High Wycombe, it is owned and managed by husband-and-wife team Grant and Sophie Davenport. The business delivers new installations, retrofits, repairs, maintenance and servicing to commercial and high-end residential clients. Throughout the last seven years, Grant and Sophie have turned to a business coach for advice and support to further their growth opportunities. Sophie discusses why business coaching is important and how to get the most out of it.

Many entrepreneurs and small businesses often find themselves shying away from business coaching – whether this be due to cost or scepticism around how the coach can help. However, the 2020 ICF Global Coaching Study has shown that a typical business will see a 221% return on their investment. This is why I was surprised to learn that 42% of companies still do not have a coach^[1].

For SFE Services, working with a coach was the best decision we ever made for our business. Nobody knows how to run a business when they first start out and they often learn lessons the hard way.

A business coach helps you to avoid so many pitfalls and allows you to get ahead much quicker than you would without the help of a coach.

Coaching provides support, accountability and often introduces you to other entrepreneurs whom you also learn from. Having a coach who is fun, engaging, and enthusiastic about you and your organisation makes you want to be better at business.

In my opinion, all business owners or entrepreneurs need to invest in a business coach. It is just about finding the perfect fit.

With an array of different business types and learning styles, one coach won’t be a perfect fit for all. Therefore, it is important to evaluate how you can get the most out of your coach and find one that works for you.

How to get the most out of a business coach

Choose the right coach: It is important to work with someone who is supportive, challenges you and makes it fun. Meeting several prospective coaches can help to find the one who is the most compatible. Once you have settled on your decision, your coach will likely be there for the long haul as your business progresses. So, it is important that you are happy with your choice of coach.

Be transparent: Honesty is key if you want to get the most out of coaching. This means revealing the good, the bad and the ugly. Knowing where your business is now and where you want it to be is the best way to create a route between the two. Coaching won’t work if what you divulge to your coach is based on white lies.

Set goals and expectations: Nothing will change overnight, but with the investment of time and effort, a business can grow and adapt. Both the business and coach need to know what the end goal and milestones are, with clear indications of when these have been met.

Be committed: Choosing to have a business coach is only part of the improvement journey.  You are only going to get out what you put in when it comes to facilitating change. Making time in your day to work on the business can accelerate change.

Accept all feedback: As a business owner, you may not like to hear criticism about your work, but it is important to go into all discussions with an open mind and willingness to take on board advice – even if it is critical.

Do the work: Coaches will often set tasks to complete, for example, updating information on your website or investing time into brainstorming. If a coach sets you a task, it is important to complete this ahead of any further meetings. This will enable you to hit the ground running on any next steps.

Use KPIs: Having performance indicators can help assess the impact your coach is having on your company. It can also give indications of what is or isn’t working – allowing you to adapt and respond accordingly. 

Be open to change: Whether big or small, it is likely your business and/or its profile will change through the coaching process. It is important to put faith in your coach and accept their advice. Resisting change can lead to setbacks and even potentially undo all the hard work the coach has done.  

Communicate regularly: Regular communication and updates can help the coach understand how the business is evolving. It can also help the process to remain fluid, especially if you go weeks or even a month between meetings.  This can also be a great way to celebrate successes and milestone moments. 

And lastly… Enjoy the experience. Businesses always have room for improvement in the changing economical and digital landscape. Keeping ahead of the curve with the help of knowledgeable professionals can set your business apart from others and stand you in good stead for growth. There is nothing more rewarding as a business owner than seeing your hard work pay off.

By Devin Partida

Balancing visionary foresight with pragmatic execution is a well-known tightrope walk for successful entrepreneurs. Vision drives the team to pursue a common goal, while execution turns it into reality. However, they’re not always aligned and can sometimes conflict, plunging the venture into distress before it even gets off the ground.

How can startup leaders navigate the nuanced interplay between these critical considerations and ensure they both get due attention?

Involve the Team in Vision Creation

It’s a common mistake for entrepreneurs to impose their vision on the team rather than co-create it with them. Soliciting feedback and ideas from relevant parties is crucial to ensuring the vision is realistic and resonant. Involving the team in the creation process also helps business leaders increase their ownership and commitment to its execution.

Communicate the Vision Clearly and Frequently

The success of a new venture hinges on having a cohesive organization that shares its values and core objectives. Communicating the vision to all stakeholders fosters a sense of alignment and purpose, inspiring everyone to work toward common goals. A clear, well-communicated vision also stimulates creativity and innovation, which are necessary for staying competitive in a dynamic market.

Delegate Execution Tasks

It can be tempting to micromanage the execution process, especially at the nascent stages. However, delegating tasks and responsibilities to the team and empowering them to make decisions is far more effective. Doing so frees up precious time for leaders and builds trust across the organization. The ability to distribute workload productively can also result in a 33% revenue increase and reduced staff turnover.

Track and Measure the Execution Progress

Monitoring and measuring execution progress against the organization’s vision ensures alignment. Tracking key performance indicators and milestones helps leaders identify deviations early, make timely adjustments and hold teams accountable for results. This process allows startups to stay on course toward the overarching vision and provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of implantation strategies.

Leaders must also celebrate achievements and execution successes. Recognizing and rewarding the team for their efforts in actualizing the company vision encourages further contributions.

Refine the Vision and Execution as Needed

The vision and implementation framework cannot be rigid because the landscape constantly changes. Inflexibility restricts an organization’s potential to adapt. Instead, it should be agile enough to respond to evolving market conditions and customer needs adequately.

A survey of C-suite executives from 450 profitable companies identified a dynamic culture of embracing change as the foundation of success for sustained growth. These involve a strong focus on continuous improvement and iterating on strategies without losing sight of the overarching vision.

How to Align Strategic Objectives With Vision Execution

Three primary considerations stand out for ensuring vision and execution work hand in hand to drive growth.

1.    Resource Management

New ventures often have limited resources, highlighting the need for efficient mapping and allocation. The key is identifying and categorizing the most critical financial, human and technological functions required to achieve strategic goals. An effective workaround is outsourcing certain responsibilities to AI based on strategic importance to free up resources for more critical concerns.

2.    Task Prioritization

Prioritizing tasks is essential to focus efforts on activities that directly contribute to realizing the organization’s vision. The goal is to ensure every action contributes toward the desired outcomes. For example, creating a market-ready product that meets customer needs takes precedence over developing an email marketing strategy.

3.    Adaptability

Startups operate in a dynamic environment where adaptability is crucial in responding to evolving market shifts. Business leaders must foster a culture of agility where teams are encouraged to experiment, learn from failures and pivot quickly in response to changes. Establishing feedback mechanisms from customers and employees to gather insights for continuous improvement and adaptation is equally important.

Entrepreneurs Must Master the Art of Balancing Vision and Execution

Vision and execution are interdependent — one is meaningless without the other. Today’s business leaders must harmonize visionary goals with actionable steps to steer their organizations toward enduring success. Communicating organizational values effectively, delegating responsibilities and measuring progress allows startups to achieve long-term strategic objectives and stay ahead in the ever-evolving business landscape.

Author Bio

Devin Partida is the Editor-in-Chief of ReHack.com, and is especially interested in writing about business and BizTech. Devin’s work has been featured on Entrepreneur, Forbes and Nasdaq.

By Cheryl L. Mason, J.D.

A definite trend is developing among senior leaders stepping back or repositioning into different roles, many with less responsibility and less pay. Why?

From my perspective, it is a combination of burnout, high expectations, lack of organizational support, the lingering impact of the pandemic on all of us, including leaders, and the knowledge that change is happening faster than ever before.

As a Chief Executive who led during the pandemic, there were a lot of unknowns for all of us and leading teams through this was stressful. Leaders often describe that leadership is like a hamster wheel. In this situation, it felt the hamster wheel was set on high speed and put outside during a hurricane.

Change is constant but during the pandemic, it hit us like giant waves from almost every direction, every day! From implementing remote work, expanding technological support, maintaining engagement with customers and employees, ensuring productivity continued, and establishing new processes and procedures. What was supposed to be 2 weeks turned into 2.5 years and completely altered the operations of a typical workplace. With all the demands, leaders barely had time to breathe. This negatively impacted leaders’ mental and physical health as well as family relationships.

Additionally, change is still happening faster than ever, from technology to recruitment to employee turnover. AI is everywhere and figuring out how, when, where, and if it should be used is a moving target. As traditional educational training is giving way to more certification-based training, recruitment and hiring has become even more challenging to find and select the best workforce. And to say that sustaining and retaining that workforce is difficult is an understatement. What works today might not work tomorrow, next week, or next month.

Many senior leaders in the C-suite already summoned all the agility and adaptability they did not know they had to lead during and since the pandemic, and they are exhausted. Leaders expected routines and processes to quickly return to the “normal” pre pandemic operations, but that has not happened. C suite leaders are now faced with navigating the “new normal” as employees redefined personal and professional success.

Leaders are reeling, wondering what is around the next corner, and assessing their options.

Employees were not the only ones who redefined personal and professional success during this window of rapid change, some leaders did as well. I was one of them. I chose to alter my course. I had several opportunities for other chief executive and senior roles, but I wanted to experience life on my own terms. With more than 30 years’ experience, I have a great deal to offer. I believe I can do that on a different path, and still make an impact.

Have I seen more of my senior colleagues’ pivot? Yes, but the whys are as varied as the differences in our DNA. In many cases, burnout and exhaustion became the outward demonstration of the leaders’ internal struggles. Leaders felt drained. The cumulative effects of uncertainty, ever present change, navigating constant support of teams and customers, and the continued expectations to deliver results were layered on top of their core responsibilities.

Like me, these leaders still want to impact and make a difference. Yet, in most situations, organizations do not provide pathways for alternative opportunities comparable to sabbaticals in academia or leaves of absence. So, these leaders look for opportunities to continue to add value in various capacities in a wide range of organizations. These have less responsibility and less pay.

A handful of companies worked creatively with the leaders to provide opportunities for transition which included advisory positions to mentor the next group of leaders. In these cases, the organization pursued diverse approaches to leadership, while providing support and encouragement for the new leaders. This enables senior leaders to share their knowledge, while no longer having the responsibility and the stress. This benefits the company by easing the transition for employees, customers, and stakeholders. And provides a bit of a safety net, just in case.

In my opinion, this can be a smart move, if it is done correctly with the right circumstances. There must be a clear delineation of duties and who is the senior leader for employees, customers, and stakeholders.

Finally, many C suite leaders know that sooner or later, they must leave. The question then arises, will it be on your terms or someone else’s?  Most C suite leaders, regardless of organization, know that there is always a chance they will be pushed out. It is better to control the decision than have it forced on you. So, why not prepare and ensure you are comfortable, and make the change on your terms. Transition is hard and tricky, and it can feel scary, liberating, and exciting.

That said, stepping out of a senior leader role also means understanding that you are no longer the final decision maker. That can be more difficult if you have not thought about it. I think this is the reason many leaders take a step into lesser roles; it gives them the opportunity and time to transition.
And sometimes, leaders discover they just needed a respite and want to return to senior leadership, while others carve new pathways and experiences. Regardless of their choice, these leaders are still leading in some capacity, but on their own terms.

I think the changes occurring in senior leadership mirror that of what is happening with employees. The pandemic showed us that life is about living. Work is a part of life, and work can enhance life, but work should not dominate our lives. This perspective was slowly developing through the 2000’s, the pandemic exacerbated it.

This is a significant departure from previous generations’ viewpoints. For my generation, my parents’ and grandparents’ generation, work was life, it defined us. That has and will continue to change as new generations step into leadership positions. Organizations must adjust and adapt to retain strong effective leaders.

While money will always be important, power, perks, and competition are no longer the primary drivers. Leaders and employees of today and tomorrow are driven by purpose and impact. They want to matter and make a difference.  

By Cheryl L. Mason, J.D.

Trust in the workplace is generally defined from the employee perspective. To employees, trust means that leaders listen and hear them, that the leader supports and values them and their work through tools from technology to downtime, and that the leader champions them. There is another aspect of trust in the workplace and that is the leader’s perspective. To leaders, trust means loyalty.

Regardless of the perspective, trust must be earned. It is hard in in person environment, and even more so in remote environment and for that reason, it is more important to build.

In the remote workplace, employees are assessing work and making decisions without the ability to pop into the next office or walk down the hall and ask a question. But the employee needs to know that this is okay, especially if an issue develops. Although if the environment is structured properly, that can and does happen. However, if there is not a foundation of trust between leaders and employees that sets these expectations, then leaders will not trust employees. If the employees do not believe that the leader trusts them, then there is a good chance the employee will not reach out for assistance because they don’t believe the leader or the organization has their back and respects them and their opinions.

The best way to build trust in remote teams is communication between team members including leaders. Setting the expectations that it is ok or even expect to reach out and ask questions, discuss issues, and bring problems forward. Teamwork should be the same whether in person or remote – always with faces present. This means turning on the cameras and participating.

Depending on the type of work, check ins among team members may need to occur daily, at the very least weekly.  These should be scheduled at times that work for the entire team, not just the leader. Finally, suggestions, solutions, and concerns should be encouraged and openly discussed. 

Having worked and led in both in person and remote situations, the leader often sets the tone through encouragement, respect, listening, and be open to discussion.

By Cheryl L. Mason, J.D.

Choosing your second in command requires much more thought than many leaders realize. They are many factors to consider for you and your organization.

First and most important, what traits, skills, and abilities are you seeking in a second in command?

Do you want them to be a yin to your yang and compliment your skills? Or do you want someone who is similar to you in thoughts and actions. Sometimes leaders are drawn to people who are almost carbon copies of themselves. This is why the choice is so important.

You need someone you are comfortable with, with whom you can build trust, and who will strengthen your team and enhance the C suite.
Many seconds in command fill the role of chief operating officer and handle the direct operations and engagement with the team. If that is what you are looking for, you need to be clear about lines of authority and how the relationship between you as Chief Executive and your COO will work not only for the selectee and the team, but for yourself as well.

And sometimes, the final decision is not yours to make, but you can influence it.

As a senior executive, I witnessed misalignment between a CEO and COO. It caused chaos and confusion within the organization and sometimes led lack of communication between the top two leaders – not an ideal situation. One leader felt overshadowed by the other. The fragile relationship broke leading to lack of trust, undermining of each other, and negative effects on the outcomes of the organization as well as employee morale and retention. For this reason, when I became a Chief Executive, I weighed the selection of my second in command very carefully.

I initially inherited my second in command and we had a good relationship on the surface. However, this person was easily swayed by others advice and inputs after a decision had been reached. Because of our existing relationship, we were able to discuss most of these situations and come to agreement. But it was known and caused concern in the organization. The person retired about 6 months after I became CEO. Although I did not have final decision on the selection, but I had significant influence, and I was asked to provide recommendations with a list of how the candidates would work with me and help lead the organization. I recommended a strong leader with skills that would both enhance and compliment my leadership style. My recommendations were followed.

My new second in command was fantastic. We worked together well and built trust. He served as my COO and he also understood that I was a very active and engaged CEO. Thus, we talked about our strategies, plans, and how we would roll out new initiatives from enhancing our website to direct employee engagement to improve morale and retention. Both internally and externally, we were seen as team in the C-suite. And the results? Improved employee morale and retention and increased outcomes.

By Cheryl L. Mason, J.D.

Every organization from corporations to education to nonprofits and everything in between is about results and outcomes. But there is one vital resource that every organization must have to deliver these outcomes and results – employees aka people. Even with the best most current technology, people are necessary.  Employees are not only an organization’s most valuable resource but also their most important asset. 

Employees have experience, information, facts, data, metrics, history, usually much more than any leader realizes. And, these employees can often influence others’ perceptions.

When companies focus on profits over people and announce layoffs and restructuring, a message is sent to employees and customers. That message is that results are more important than people, that employees are just cogs in the wheel to deliver outcomes. This conventional leadership thinking has existed since the Industrial Revolution, and it must change.

In our current environment, this message is no longer well received. Questions and concerns arise around whether the leadership of the organization assessed the consequences and impact to their employees and families, their community, and their reputation.  Employees and customers want to know if processes and procedures were studied to determine improvement in practices while retaining the knowledgeable talent of people.

When companies and organizations focus on profits and outcomes over employees, they break the trust with employees and customers alike. And what happens if the company rebounds and needs employees?  Those experienced knowledgeable employees will likely not return and new employees will be hesitant because of the company’s actions. Trust and reputation are hard to rebuild

While innovation and streamlined processes and procedures can improve operations, experienced employees are pivotal.  I experienced this as a chief executive. When I took over, the organization was at rock bottom – morale, results, trusts, and retention were all dropping deeper. The people of the organization were the key to transformation.  Did we need innovation, streamlined processes and procedures, investment of tech and dollars?  Yep. Did we have them? Not in the classic definition, but taping into the creativity, experience, and agility of the employees uncovered ideas that when implemented – delivered and improved results.  Rather than laying off people, we were so successful, I had to hire 200 more!

People want and need to matter, and they want to work for and support organizations that treat people like human beings.  When you do so, you may find the only restructure you need is how to hire more people quicker.

Matt Dykes, COO, Abzorb

The workplace has changed over recent years more than it has done since the industrial revolution, so we are most definitely due an update. Remote and hybrid working is now the norm since the pandemic. Multi generations in the workplace have never been so diverse to manage and the younger generations such as Gen Z are constantly disparaged about being too ‘precious’ just because their needs and aspirations are different to others. And let’s not forget the biggest game changer of all in the workplace, the introduction of AI.

This is a lot for business leaders to grapple with but understanding and managing this changing landscape is essential for business growth and attracting and retaining talent. These colossal changes do not warrant minor edits to your policies and strategy but call for a complete re-write.

Remote, Hybrid and Flexible Working

Many business leaders are enforcing ‘return to the office’ (RTO) mandates but despite companies trying to allure them into the office with various benefits they won’t be bribed because they are determined to keep remote and hybrid working. A recent study from BambooHR’s 2024 Return to Work report shows that 90% of employees want remote and hybrid work for flexibility and a better work/life balance with 51% of remote workers saying it helps them with family duties and 74% of respondents enjoy not commuting daily. 

Business leaders need to understand that a ‘one size fits all’ model does not work with today’s diverse workforce of multi generations with different needs.

Leaders have struggled over the past few years with the shift of power moving from employers to employees and are trying to reclaim it. But by enforcing RTO and tracking employee’s office attendance and monitoring them too closely you are creating a micro-managed ‘Big Brother’ culture driving down trust, respect and taking away any autonomy and flexibility.

Managing Multi Generations

Today there are a multitude of generations in the workplace from baby boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z. As mentioned, the younger generation always seem to get bad press but what we must acknowledge is that this generation grew up with the digital age and in a different world so it’s no surprise they have different needs and aspirations. Instead of disparaging them maybe we should learn from them, even better learn from each other. Research from LiveCareer revealed that 87% agreed they could learn from each other while 78% thought it led to conflict.

Millennials and particularly Gen Z have grown up in a world where mental health and well-being is freely talked about, and they wouldn’t hesitate to talk about it at work. Whereas a Baby Boomer would probably feel very awkward talking to their manager about mental health. Deloitte Digital reported that empathy was the second most important trait in a business leader while leaders placed it fifth. The Visier survey also revealed that 64% of Gen Z employees ranked good physical and mental health as a leading life ambition.

Gen Z prioritise spending time with family and friends and good health over career aspirations. They want to work for companies with good ethics and values they believe in. They have seen what the workaholic lifestyle does to people and burn out is not attractive. They are more self-aware and can talk about feelings, ethics and values, and what matters and that’s a good thing.

Incoming AI

Employees fear AI taking their jobs in the workplace and it’s not surprising when the Institute of Public Policy Research recently announced that AI will threaten up to 8 million workers in the UK. However, if we harness the power of AI now and understand it then we can use it to relieve workers from admin and mundane jobs focusing them on more rewarding, interesting, and high value positions.

Business leaders need to step up and understand how they are planning to use AI in their business and make employees feel at ease working with the technology instead of against it.

The Re-Write

The archaic attitude of ‘this is how we have always done it’, ‘who do they think they are?’, ‘we are in charge not the employees’ needs to change. Admittedly, this will mainly be from business leaders of older generations and maybe also from larger established businesses rather than start-ups who tend to be more receptive, innovative and agile.

Business leaders will need to re-write the culture of their organisation ensuring it is transparent, meaning that you openly communicate your vision, mission, objectives, strategies and what you are working on, what works and what hasn’t. Empower employees by involving them in decisions, provide them with the opportunity to voice their opinions, suggest new products and services encouraging innovation and creativity, but at the same time ensuring that they know it’s OK to make mistakes and that we learn from our failures.

Involve them in the introduction of AI asking them how their roles and everyday tasks could be improved and what they find dull about their job. Make it clear to them that they will not be replaced by AI, and you want to get to a place where they can work seamlessly with AI to improve their productivity and efficiencies and augment their roles. Then offer them training and development programmes to ensure they have up to date training and opportunities to develop their career if they want to.

Devise a remote and hybrid working strategy ensuring employees can work flexibly and remotely if desired and come into the office when required. Ensure that they have the option to come into the office when they want to or for a purpose such as a meeting, or brainstorm, the choice is theirs. You are giving them the autonomy to get on with their work and make the decisions on how best they do it.

Help create and cultivate social connections for all teams that are in office, remote or hybrid to increase effective collaboration and inclusion, and connect teams.

Trust, flexibility and respect are the buzz words here, by demonstrating this to your employees they will be aware that you trust and respect their autonomy to get on with their job and get the work done. By doing this you will be rewarded with enthused and motivated employees who value their job and who they work for and remain working for you.

Demonstrate that you care for your employees by being empathetic and understanding by holding regular ‘check in’ sessions to ensure that they are OK and if they have any issues they want to talk about.

All Good Things

All good things come to those who wait so be patient. This new way of managing the modern workplace takes time and we are all learning together, and it will continuously evolve, and you and your employees will adjust accordingly.

It’s not a power struggle it is about gaining mutual respect and trust and working as a team to achieve your objectives. The payback will be that employee engagement will increase and you will garner their respect and trust which is two-way, you must earn it to receive it. This takes effort and time, but the benefits will be that you attract and retain talent, improve your reputation as the company people want to work for.