The 7 habits of the most effective Founders

The 7 key Habits of the Most Effective Founders?

I have collated the 7 habits of the most effective Founders.? I use these to raise my client's awareness and help them identify actions they willingly agree to undertake to improve their habits, with a bit of gentle accountability and encouragement from me.?

Once embedded these improved habits have an exponential effect on the way they think, behave, and ultimately lead (as opposed to just manage) their businesses.?

CURIOUS

I find that either coaching clients are naturally curious about everything or we have to assist them to capture the habit. This in practice is to suggest they set specific tasks to extend their curiosity in and around the business. This might be frequently reading blogs or articles relevant to their business and then prompting them to use them to develop further questions based on what they have learned.?

It's interesting to also coach them to extend that curiosity into other areas of their life, because as usual the more you practice a habit the quicker it becomes embedded.

Clearly without the curious habit then it is highly unlikely that as a leader you are going to identify opportunities or as importantly avoid issues that you need then reflect on doing the right things in your business (not just doing them right).

To “sell” it will mean you are habitually asking how can that be done better or at all on everything you focus on!??

As a result, you will never be short of great ideas to either start or pivot your business with!?

OPINIONATED

By being curious you will gather information and data that you then have to create an opinion. Without an opinion, you can not then move to make a decision about what is likely to happen to your business, either good or bad.

It is something I notice with all leaders of businesses have an opinion on every subject that comes up from business to matters like religion and politics. You never hear them not take a position or make a decision.

Most strikingly though I notice with the most successful often change their opinion on these matters. Because of course through their curious nature, they have received further information or data that has changed their opinion.

The key point here is that they are habitually processing information and most importantly drawing a conclusion! Therefore they are using the right neural pathways in the right way.

Oh by the way it's the key difference between being employed and being a Founder is that you have to make all the decisions all the time, so pretty good idea to be habitually reaching an opinion!

FRAMING

As those in business for themselves often know it feels like you just don’t know the “wood from the trees”. As with the previous habits, some do that naturally with others I have to coach them to either rely on others or certainly take steps to “step outside” the business so they can clearly frame where they are.

I, of course, believe this is where the ‘numbers’ and techniques like SWOT and PESTLE can play a vital role, but of course, that is very much not the whole story, or should I more precisely state the position of your business? It is of course crucial before applying the next habit that you do determine where your business is and of course why.?

Finally have the ability to communicate authentically the position of the business to those that you want to follow you.

PATHFINDING

Something else I notice about successful business owners is when in their company they are very able and quick to lead the way in and outside work. Most notable with this habit is they are quick to lead in a different way if needed. This is why I refrained from referring to this habit as just ‘planning’.?

As I do come across a lot of planning but not a lot of doing or should I say leading(pathfinding)!

This of course is bolstered by them consistently knowing exactly where they are leading themselves and others too because they have a purpose.

FLUID

Following on from the fourth habit of “pathfinder” when the ‘path ahead’ is blocked or a better one appears then the best business leaders are quick to evolve a novel way to get around a block or exploit an opportunity.?

Yet again I decided to not just refer to it as problem-solving, as this to me felt like it was something others turned on when needed, whereas you can appreciate it as an embedded habit with the most effective. Therefore I have used a term from Special Forces and SWAT organisations to in my view describe the same habit.?

It means the business leader just knows nothing is going to stop them from achieving their goals and so do those who follow them, incidentally.?

ORCHESTRATING?

I have often used the analogy of a conductor when coaching Founders on leading teams, specifically talented ones, where egos need to be ‘played’ in tandem to get the right ‘tune’ or outcome for the business. This type of habit once totally embedded becomes instinctive in everything the Founders do and how they communicate. It of course leads to the team being in rhythm and harmony a very good culture to have.

To do this of course the Founder and thereby leader need to know the effect they want to have on the world.

In other words their PURPOSE!

EXECUTING!

This habit and the first one are to me in effect the only two you really need! Yep, that’s right if you are in effect a self-starter and finisher with everything you do, including mundane things like washing up then everything else can fall into place.

Interestingly there is a lot of relevance to the need for Founders and Business Owners to be resilient but not too much about how you get it. Well embedding the habit of executing well on everything you do, quickly builds up your resilience I find!?

As you genuinely BELIEVE nothing will stop you from achieving your goals because you can!