In my last post, I talked about the shift I had to make in order to grow my practice. In order to make that shift from practitioner to practice leader, I not only had to find and plug in quality leaders, I had to create an ongoing pipeline of leaders by making leadership and leadership development a cornerstone of our culture. This emphasis on a culture of leadership is what has allowed me to scale and grow and an unbelievable rate over the last several years. More importantly, it has opened up new opportunities I couldn’t have even imagined doing on my own.

The first and most significant value of a culture of leadership is that it creates an entire team of individuals who are bought in, committed, and taking initiative at every level of the company. Leaders inspire and guide people toward solutions. No one says, “that’s not my job.” Instead, they face problems head on and quickly mobilize the team and resources needed to respond proactively to challenges and to take advantage of opportunities.

Second, a culture of leadership is a magnet for attracting top talent. Go getters want to work in a place that not only values them, but who is investing in their development and career progression. We provide our team with monthly coaching on leadership along with mentorship opportunities to help them grow into the professionals they want to be.

Third, a culture of leadership lets me grow beyond the limitations of my own physical capacity and experience. I have a team of trusted professionals who can run a practice, lead programs, and execute on projects. This has allowed me to acquire practices in multiple states, recruit advisors, develop CPA partnerships in each location, and more. I have an entire team of highly qualified professionals that let me multiply my efforts and reach so we can continue to serve clients and develop even more leaders. This team also provides me with a pipeline of qualified successors who can take over the practice and lead it, which takes me from simply being a practice owner to now serving as the founder of an enterprise. With that comes a legacy that will continue even after I’m gone.

I believe that a culture of leadership is crucial to building a successful business, no matter if it’s a financial advisor practice or a landscape company. Having a team of professionals who care about the organization, will take the initiative to solve problems and leverage opportunities, and who will build others allows the owner to build something bigger than themselves.