Cohesive Leadership Clears Path for Business Growth

Every business wishes to grow, and they all desire the simplest path to success. Sometimes that success is jumpstarted by previous reputation. Sometimes it is created by a willingness to work hard. But, it is always sustained by the unity of the core leadership dripped down to the teams that support them.

This I believe.

A great business will only exist if it has great people. A business can only grow if the team works in a singular direction.

This comes from great communication, great leadership, clear expectations and a comprehensive understanding of what the next goal is. Frankly, upon reviewing businesses interested in reigniting their growth, the above are the gaps. It’s not the product or the service, it’s the leadership and its people.

I, for one, desire to be an incredible leader. When our business is going through bumps and bruises, I take on the responsibility for not leading the right way. But cohesive leadership is not just about a desire to lead, it is the ability to create structure. In full disclosure, I have been chasing structure since I started our business. I am on a mission to find the right, balanced puzzle.

In the past I have written about the puzzle and how it can be thrown off by one little change or one person leaving. However, the theory of cohesive leadership should soften blows and create faster healing to unexpected changes.

I recently heard a keynote speaker discuss this topic. He talked about this pyramid that begins with trust, then moves into conflict, commitment, accountability and finally results. He suggested that every great structure begins with trust. The team that is in place needs to believe in the system and trust that it can work. When it doesn’t, conflict should not be seen as a bad thing, in that people should be able to be transparent and suggest adjustments to strengthen the core. Commitment will be that the team will not stray from goals or missions. They will stay on your team and trust that you will listen to them to achieve your results. When things are going well and not so well, accountability is quickly owned up to; this way results can be a possibility.

Once the structure is complete, practice reinforcement, strategic clarity and cohesive leadership will all take form. And then, nobody is satisfied until the whole team, not just one individual, is hitting the KPIs.

This concept can pretty much be applied to anything in life and business. From marketing to marriage, cohesiveness is a key differentiating point between good and great.

Want to ignite your growth? Evaluate your team.

As a franchise company, does everyone support franchise growth? Does marketing fight development? Does operations not hold itself accountable? Does leadership set realistic expectations and reinforce the team atmosphere?

In business diagnosis, I doubt consultants ever have to sway away from cohesiveness being the critical cause of issues. This is good for the consultant, but, as a CEO or leader of a brand, perhaps you can find some small wins by simply looking within and determining if everyone clearly understands the vision, the goals and the pathway to success.