Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in leadership development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Laura W. Miner, an organizational consultant and leadership coach based in Las Vegas, NV, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm a leadership development coach and consultant who partners with my clients at two different levels. First, I coach business owners and executives in developing and enhancing the leader within so they can better serve and support those across their spheres of influence. Secondly, I support my clients in creating customized leadership development training and coaching to further enhance self-leadership skills across their organizations. Research shows that businesses that create an organizational-wide culture of self-leadership see better performance and outcomes, increased job satisfaction, higher work engagement, and enhanced creativity, innovation, and problem-solving.
Tell us about yourself
Over the course of my career, I've witnessed the affirming, growth-oriented benefits of supportive leadership and the debilitative, trickle-down ramifications of toxic leadership. And in both positive and negative situations, I've observed leaders' outsized impact on those who work for them - often without realizing it. Leadership development is my passion in life due to the seismic ripple effect created by leaders.
A great leader positively enhances the culture, creating an environment that favorably contributes to the lives of those around them. A poor leader, on the other hand, negatively impacts the equation, leaving others diminished by their style. Often, the difference between poor and great leaders is found in a few key shifts that, once made, significantly improve the environment. Supporting leaders in casting a positive ripple effect is what I do. Creating supportive, life-enhancing cultures that positively impact the lives of everyday employees is why I do it.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Growth - but not in the way one might think. For me, it's not about financial growth but personal and professional growth. When I consistently focus on evolving who I am as a leadership advocate and adviser, financial growth naturally follows. It's easy to become stagnant in the face of success; to stop learning, growing, and evolving; to rest on your laurels. But as Ray Kroc, McDonald's founder, was famous for saying, you're either green and growing or ripe and rotting. Maintaining practices that keep me green and growing is by far my biggest accomplishment as a business owner. It's a crucial element that empowers me to better serve and support my clients in achieving their goals.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Time. There's always so much more to do, and only so many available hours in a day. While time constraints are a real thing, they can be managed and negotiated in efficient, effective ways. In my client work, sometimes this process includes learning to draw better boundaries and saying no to things that are out of alignment with one's bigger vision or goals. Other situations may require enhancing delegation (a must-have skill for business owners), so one remains focused on their area of strength. Sometimes more simple shifts, such as time-blocking or themed days, serve to powerfully reduce time friction. Evaluating where time is lost (or simply not used as efficiently as it could be) is an important exercise for all business owners. It surfaces powerful discoveries for crafting effective strategies that meaningfully improve their personal equation.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- WHO AND WHY. Get clear on who you want to serve and support and why you choose to do so. The success of any business depends largely upon the dedication, passion, and connection its owners have with their work. If the connection is missing, motivation can quickly wane when times get tough. However, a business owner who clearly aligns with who they're serving and why they're doing so finds deeper meaning and fulfillment in their work, heightening their motivation and empowering them to push through hurdles and challenges.
- STRENGTHS FIRST. As business owners, it's critically important to identify our top strengths, then leverage them as a foundation for success. When we understand our strengths, we can develop strategies and approaches that empower us to maximize the effectiveness of those assets. In addition, we can better identify where we should spend our time and, perhaps more importantly, where we shouldn't. Utilizing our strengths, we can amplify our results and make the journey more enjoyable - a combination that is especially important during tougher times.
- BEGINNER'S MIND. Originating from Japanese Zen Buddhism, the "beginner's mind" is a concept that encourages individuals to stay open and approach things as if seeing and experiencing them for the first time. It prompts us to approach each situation, problem, or idea with humble curiosity, knowing that our existing knowledge base is incomplete. As Aristotle once famously wrote, "the more you know, the more you realize you don't know." A beginner's mind anchors us to the awareness that there is always more beyond our immediate purview. When we approach our businesses with a beginner's mind, we gain fresh perspectives that allow us to see solutions and strategies that we otherwise may have missed.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.laurawminer.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurawminer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurawminer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurawminer/
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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