113: The Biggest Lessons I've Learned from Entrepreneurship | Lessons From My 16 years As A CEO- part 1| Dr. Cortney Baker, CEO of KidsCare Home Health

Women in Business: Inspirational Stories of Women Entrepreneurs

I’ve been in business for 16 years! In that time, I have learned so many valuable lessons that I’m sharing with you today so that you don’t have to wait 16 years to figure them out on your own.

First of all, yes this episode is about the 10 lessons I’ve learned in 16 years of business, but I’m splitting it up into two episodes. In this episode, I’m talking about the first 5 lessons that I want to share with you.

Now, I’m a total shoot from the hip, ask questions later kind of person. But after seeing the negative responses and consequences of responding brashly in business, I’ve learned that it’s not the best idea to be immediately reactive. In fact, you should take a second to pause and reflect on how something made you feel and how you can most appropriately respond before you actually do. Trust me, that extra time will save you a lot of headaches down the line.

Company culture comes from the top, did you know that? And it doesn’t matter if you, as the CEO, want something to be in place, if it’s not being followed, or there’s an unspoken rule, it might not happen. Involve your team in developing what your company culture is. Figure out your values. And implement it across the board, from your daily attitude as CEO right down through reporting managers to your employees to help create a harmonious work environment.

Speaking of your employees, micromanaging is the worst. Even if you have an employee who isn’t performing to the standard you think they should be, breathing down their neck and redoing the work they’re doing is not going to help the situation. How is that employee going to grow? And if they’re truly bad at their job - that’s on you, not them. You’ve hired them in that role. I’m not saying you should immediately fire them, but work with them, train them, to be better at their position or maybe even find another job role for them.

As a business owner, you’re going to have to kiss a lot of frogs. No, I don’t mean romantically! But you will come across your share of lousy business connections, lazy employees, and potential partnerships that you come to realize are just not a good fit for you. It’s okay to sever these connections… and you shouldn’t feel guilty about it. For every frog you kiss, you learn more about what type of people you want to connect and work with.

Lastly, there will come a time when members of your staff will leave your organization. It’s so easy to take it personally, I know I used to all the time, but most of the time, it’s not personal. And if you notice a pattern in why your employees are leaving, you should take the time to make positive changes in your company to fix that problem!

Is your company’s culture important to you? Do you take the time to think before you respond to a heady situation? How do you feel when your employees quit?

In This Episode:

• Why you should take time to formulate a positive response and reaction to a negative stimulus
• How to develop a positive company culture
• How your mood as a CEO can affect the entire office culture
• What happens when you include your staff in developing your company culture and values
• What happens when you micromanage your employees
• Why you should kiss frogs in your business
• How you should behave when your employees leave your company

Quotes:

“Company culture starts at the top. Leaders set the scene, almost like directors in a play.” (10:20)

“Even though leadership starts at the top, inclusion starts from the bottom and works its way up.” (12:37)

“Micromanaging is the only way you’re going to stay small. Or worse, set yourself up for failure.” (18:36)

Links

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About Dr. Cortney Baker... She is an award-winning entrepreneur, researcher, author, speaker, and an advocate for gender equality. As a leadership expert and mother of three, she is passionate about inspiring and empowering women to lead with greatness.

Dr. Baker is the author of the best-selling books: The Ten Do's and Don'ts for Business Leadership: Lessons to Lead Effectively and Unlimited: Conquering the Myth of the Glass Ceiling. She is passionate about helping ambitious female millennial entrepreneurs go from side-hustle to CEOs!

Feedback? Questions? Comments? For more information or to reserve Dr. Cortney Baker to speak at an upcoming event, please contact her at: [e-mail] or 1-469-708-8840.