Disruptors Scaling Up, Staffing Up & How to Avoid Getting Screwed Over [Business, mindset, entrepreneur, disruptors]
Whether your an entrepreneur or employee building your business you need to understand the value of a good workplace culture, how to disrupt internally and how to become a leader. Today, Rob gets interviewed by the host of the Lead with Levity podcast for progressive business leaders on the forefront of employee experience and workplace culture, Dr Heather Walker. Together they discuss the concept of levity with a business, bean bag culture vs corporate culture and why humanising the workplace and staying humble are essential to success and the growth of your business.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Manager Vs Leader
There is a huge difference between a manager and a leader. When you’re starting out your vision is everything and you don’t have to compromise, however when you begin to take on staff and create a culture your vision needs to involve them and include their careers and growth. This is essential to motivating staff and creating a positive workplace culture.
Leadership is inspiring those to follow you and join you on a journey.
Management is policies, onboarding, training documents, targets, sickness policies etc.
Three components of levity:
Amusement - Fun & enjoyment
Bouncy - A positive atmosphere
Edification - A constructive environment to work
How Is The Culture In Your Business?
We never wanted a corporate structure at Progressive, we wanted to be very flat with our layers of management, never have an organisational chart and push a bean bag culture. However, as you grow and you get bigger you do need a more corporate structure. Ultimately your businesses culture depends on the size of your business. What we did find out was once we put in one layer of management everything changed. We had to become more official.
We had a really great culture when we had around 7 or 8 people. We had a family culture, a chaotic approach and an open door policy. This can be met with friction from staff but ultimately you need systems and processes in order to grow and become a real business.
How Do You Keep Levity In Your Business As You Grow?
The key is having a core set of values that you live and breathe. You can still be a personal company as you grow and you become a bigger company. We created our values with our staff and together refined our culture and values and make sure that we look after our staff.
As an entrepreneur, you think that people work for you, but in reality no one works for you, ever. They work for themselves and you just happen to be paying them. They come to work to pay for their expenses and to facilitate their lifestyle. As an entreprneur, you need to realise that you work for your employees and when you do this you will create a good workplace culture.
If levity could change one thing in the world what would it be?
When people start their businesses they take themselves far too seriously. I believe you should take your work very seriously but yourself not too seriously. Love your art, love your mission, do the best you can but be a light individual and manage your emotions, simply try to have fun and be humble.
BEST MOMENTS
“The power of many of greater than the power of one”
“Success is better when it’s shared with someone else and failure is easier when you’re surrounded by people”
“Most of the success in my business has been through collaborations. I believe in growth through community and collaborations”
“I work for my team, they don’t work for me”
“I crowdsource ideas from meeting, my staff, surveys, communities and from simply knowing and talking with my staff”
“I want my team to come to work and enjoy being there, If someone enjoys being there they’ll be productive”
“All you need is a bit of humility and to listen to your staff and you will create a good workplace culture”
“As a leader, you need to humanise your business”
“Mark and I are terrible managers”
[Business, mindset, entrepreneur, disruptors]
VALUABLE RESOURCES
ABOUT THE HOST
Rob Moore is an author of 9 business books, 5 UK bestsellers, holds 3 world records for public speaking, entrepreneur, property investor, and property educator. Author of the global bestseller “Life Leverage” Host of UK’s No.1 business podcast “Disruptors”
“If you don't risk anything, you risk everything”
CONTACT METHOD
Rob’s official website: https://robmoore.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robmooreprogressive/?ref=br_rs
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/robmoore1979
ABOUT THE GUEST
Host of the Lead with Levity podcast for progressive business leaders on the forefront of employee experience and workplace culture, Dr Heather Walker. Heather’s goal is to shine a light on the power of levity at work through interviews, case studies, and new research.