Strong Leaders Make Stronger Organizations

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Steve Dion, founder and CEO of Dion Leadership, LLC., located in Novi, MI, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Many of us have worked in toxic organizations, leaving us feeling stressed, dissatisfied, and knowing we were not living up to our potential. Imagine if your employees started excited and ended every day accomplished? What a better world it would be – and a more profitable one for your organization. This is our passion. We help organizations build strong leaders that create even stronger organizational cultures.

Our team of over 60 coaches and consultants is dedicated to helping organizations acquire the skills they need to onboard, develop, and mobilize all levels of leaders and create an environment where people are put in a situation to do their best work. We are fanatical about harnessing the power of leadership and creating workplace well-being.

Tell us about yourself

In college, I took a class in organizational behavior and became fascinated with the concepts of organizational culture and the people, processes, and systems that created it. This led me to a 25-year career in human resources spanning a few organizations and geographies and culminating in a Chief Human Resources Officer role.

After helping that organization become recognized as one of the top 100 companies in the U.S., I turned my attention to building a consulting practice dedicated to assisting other organizations achieve similar results.

I am motivated by the productivity influences that surface between the beginning and end of each employee’s workday. These conditions can be due to a leader, culture, their team, or organizational systems. I enjoy designing interventions that improve employee well-being and organization results.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I’m so proud of our ability to grow a global consulting practice that supports some of the largest, most sophisticated healthcare and manufacturing companies. We have a team of truly exceptional coaches, facilitators, consultants, instructional designers, and project managers. Their expertise, supported by some robust models, training programs, assessment tools, and processes, creates some remarkable results.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Staying attentive to our clients' immediate needs and executing them with precision while simultaneously finding the mental space to be future-focused, assessing workplace trends, and creating innovative solutions is a difficult balancing act.

It is important that we practice what we preach. Building a team of gifted, motivated, and focused team members – and trusting them to deliver – creates the bandwidth I need to help grow our business.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Trust yourself. This starts with being honest with your skills, interests, gifts, and limitations. Know what you want this business to become and believe in yourself to make it happen. Be kind to yourself as you learn, succeed, and fail. It takes time, so you have to trust your abilities and never give up.
Work hard. Most businesses don’t succeed because they have one good idea. It takes hard work to develop your products and services, find clients that need what you provide, and service their needs on time and within budget. The good news is that it doesn't feel like work when it is your business and something you are passionate about.
Surround yourself with good people. Ensure you have advisors that have your best interest at heart and will be honest with you. Ask curious questions, listen, express gratitude to others, and create a compelling vision that others want to be a part of.

I believe in paying it forward and being of service to others in their journey. Gift work pays off. If my experience can benefit you, reach out. I’m here to help.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://dionleadership.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DionLeadership/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dionleadership/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dionleadership
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sdion

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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