Are you a reluctant leader?

Mark Terrell is the founder of The Reluctant Leader Academy, a coaching business he set up six years ago.

He was a reluctant leader himself, being brought into his Dad's retail business at the age of?only sixteen and working his way from the shop floor to running the company. However, with no leadership training or experience, Mark found his role challenging and the responsibility sometimes overwhelming. Over time, he progressed through the ranks as the company added more stores and became a ￡3.5m turnover business. The business, a chain of convenience stores, became a target for larger retailers, and in 2014, it was sold to a national retailer. Having struggled, but ultimately succeeded, Mark reflected on his own experience and decided to help other business owners in a similar position.

I had a great discussion with Mark which was full of leadership insights.

He shared advice on how to develop your team, when to delegate, and balancing kindness with high expectations to deliver outstanding results.

The original Reluctant Leader

Mark enjoyed working in the business, being part of a team, and following the processes laid down by others. 'When I took over the business, I realised I lacked leadership skills I had never learned or picked up along the way. Thankfully, I had an intuitive sense, so I got some things right.'

He clearly did; the company had low staff turnover and proved highly successful. Yet Mark believes he would have been more prepared with more developed skills and enjoyed his role more.

He admits that responsibility got to him. 'I saw it from the wrong perspective, feeling that leadership was 'dumped' on me.'

Mark had to do things he was uncomfortable with while missing those he enjoyed. 'Being a family business, you just take the next role given to you.' It may have been tough, but it proved the foundation of his future career.

The Three key areas of leadership

As a coach, Mark has honed his approach to three key areas a leader needs:

1. The right mindset
2. The right processes to follow
3. The right skills for the right time

He confesses to 'winging it' for much of his management career, believing he would have been even more successful had he had these elements within his grasp. It was only when the business was sold that Mark identified these skills.

Furthermore, he recognised the need to relinquish responsibility:

'The business is not on your shoulders alone. You're part of a larger whole. It's essential to understand the part you play.'

Mark became a leader/developer, developing the team to get the best out of them for optimum business results.

He recognised that by empowering others, responsibility was shared.

Leadership Mindset

Mindset is also crucial. 'I now follow a 'high challenge, high support' mindset, but on reflection, I was too supportive as a leader.'

Mark concedes he did not challenge enough, expectations were too low, he was too soft, and he could have gotten more from the team.

The approach he coaches today balances those two aspects: the need for a constant challenge to push people higher while giving them the necessary support to succeed.

However, Mark also believes in holding people in high regard whilst being genuine in your feedback. These balanced methodologies allow a leader to drive the business in the right direction without leaving the team stressed and out of their depth.

Can you be too nice?

Mark admits it is possible. And as a result, you create a team dependent on you. 'We want to avoid that all costs, needing people to develop. That's why we have to challenge while being supportive.'

There are ways to help people develop without being unnecessarily harsh.

He explained, 'I get clients to ask their people, "What would you do if I wasn't here?" It makes them think and stops you from being the person who solves every problem.' That has a long-term positive impact: 'Eventually, they come to you with the problem AND the solution. It's a time-saver in the long run and a great form of personal development.'

Managing and delegating

One of the critical leadership skills is knowing when to manage and when to delegate.

The first requirement is to recognise your own role in the team and where you are in the management process.

Mark explains: 'The first step is to develop a strong vision. Define how we'll get there and why we're doing it. Then, coach the team to develop the necessary skills. That process should evolve into mentoring and finally, as people reach the right level of competency, delegate to the appropriate colleagues.'

Sometimes, managers are too quick to delegate: 'You cannot expect people will automatically know what to do in each situation.

Once they do know, it is vital that they understand and buy into the company values. Naturally, we use gut instinct to identify those who understand, but you need to assess whether everything is aligned before delegating.'

The Reluctant Leader

Mark became a consultant and then coach after selling the family retail business, working in the family business niche; that was his experience, after all. However, it never sat right with him, and he wasn't convinced that was the problem he was trying to solve.

One day, he booked a session with his branding consultant, Paul, and the two brainstormed ideas about the business. What came out of that was transformational: 'We were kicking ideas around, and we came up with The Reluctant Leader. That was the problem I wanted to help others with.'

Mark had over thirty years of experience in a family business, but his time as leader, whilst successful, was continually challenging. He wanted to share the fruits of that experience with those in a similar position, doing things they didn't want to and missing out on things they did want.?

He created The Reluctant Leader podcast, having lots of fun along the way and learning much more. Then came the Reluctant Leader Academy website. He is determined to help those business leaders who need help to maximise their opportunities. ‘If I could go back, I would do things very differently knowing what I know today.'

Writing the book

From all these experiences, Mark's next move was to write his book, Motivated The Reluctant Leader's guide to building a business that sets you free.

It lays out a seven-step approach, M.E.A.S.U.R.E., that helps business owners better understand their business and what they want from it.

He says: 'I've lived that experience of not wanting to lead, feeling I lacked the necessary skills, so this was the ideal way to get to as many business owners as possible, who may feel lost.'?

We all have the ability to lead

Mark provides some comfort in his parting words of wisdom: 'We all have the ability to lead. Skills can be learned. It's about making people feel better about themselves, giving the necessary feedback that pushes them forward.'

This leader declares, 'Leadership is a life skill.'?And it is. One that Mark Terrell may have developed over many years despite feeling continually challenged in that role.

But as a leadership coach, he is driving reluctant leaders forward, finding ways to help them enjoy their role, do more of the things they want to in life, and empower their teams to share the responsibilities of leadership.

It is a fine mission that he is executing with humility and quiet determination.