12 Leadership Challenges and Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Small Biz Leader
12 Leadership Challenges and Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Navigating the intricate landscape of leadership presents an array of challenges that can make or break an entrepreneurial journey. This article taps into the wisdom of seasoned experts to shed light on crucial leadership lessons and strategies for building resilient teams and steering businesses to success. With insights ranging from effective delegation to strategic growth, it arms entrepreneurs with the knowledge to transform challenges into opportunities.
- Building a Cohesive Team
- Effective Delegation Builds Trust
- Chase Something, Not Someone
- Navigating the Unknown as CEO
- Acknowledging Mistakes Builds Trust
- Empowering Teams Through Delegation
- Strategic Growth Ensures Longevity
- Maintaining Speed and Accuracy
- Balancing Urgency with Precision
- Leading a Team Remotely
- Letting Go of Control
- Finding Trustworthy Contractors
Building a Cohesive Team
One of the biggest leadership challenges I've faced was building a cohesive team when I first started Ozzie Mowing & Gardening. When you're running a small business, every team member plays a critical role, and finding people who not only have the skills but also share your values and commitment to quality can be tough. Early on, I struggled with getting everyone aligned on the level of care and attention I expect for our clients' yards. There were moments when I felt stretched thin, needing to handle client relations while also ensuring my team delivered the same level of service I would. I realized that leadership isn't just about delegating tasks but about teaching, mentoring, and inspiring trust. Drawing on my years of experience and horticultural training, I held hands-on workshops with my team, sharing practical skills and explaining the why behind every detail, from pruning techniques to soil preparation. This not only improved their skills but also fostered a sense of pride and ownership in their work.
What I learned from overcoming this is that clarity and communication are at the heart of effective leadership. It's not enough to tell someone what to do; you need to invest time in showing them how and ensuring they understand the bigger picture. My advice to anyone facing a similar challenge is to lead by example. Your passion and standards will set the tone for your team. Build trust by sharing your knowledge generously and acknowledging the strengths each team member brings to the table. When you empower others to grow, you'll find that your business grows too, both in reputation and in the quality of work delivered.
Effective Delegation Builds Trust
One of the biggest leadership challenges I've faced was learning how to delegate effectively while maintaining trust and accountability within the team. Early in my leadership journey, I had a tendency to want to oversee every detail, believing it was the best way to ensure quality and alignment with our goals. However, as Carepatron grew, this approach became unsustainable and was limiting both my ability to focus on strategic priorities and the team's opportunity to take ownership of their work. What I learned is that effective delegation is about empowering others, not just offloading tasks. When you delegate with clarity and support, you foster a culture of trust, accountability, and ownership. It also builds a stronger, more capable team that's aligned with your vision. Over time, I saw the team grow more confident and proactive, which allowed me to focus on long-term goals and strategy. My advice to someone facing a similar hurdle is to start small. Delegate a task or responsibility that aligns with a team member's strengths, and then support them as they take it on. Be patient with the process, provide feedback when necessary, and celebrate wins along the way.
Chase Something, Not Someone
Early in my career I looked at people in leadership roles and thought "I want to be him. So much authority and I'm sure he makes great money." Or I would see the gurus and say "I want to be like them. I want to be the next...insert a guru's name here." After years of chasing someone, I learned it was better to chase something. I'm not Jamie, my old CEO, nor am I the renowned John Maxwell. That doesn't mean I didn't learn invaluable lessons from them, it means I learned from each of them and work to be distinct from them. I now chase something. I chase being a better communicator, being more empathetic, growing my replacement, and I chase being a better leader. It is always challenging chasing after someone, trying to be just like them and follow the path they made. I did it for years. Their path was never going to be my path and learning that sooner rather than later helped me to become a distinct leader. Have a mentor, have a coach, open your eyes and your mind, take pieces from everyone you admire or look up to and make your own path.
Navigating the Unknown as CEO
One of the biggest leadership challenges I've faced is navigating the unknown. As a CEO, it can be incredibly lonely—there's no roadmap, no one telling you what to do, and most of the time, you're making decisions in areas you've never dealt with before. The expectation is that you should have the answers, but the reality is, leadership is about figuring things out in real-time.
My advice? Get good at solving challenges, not just finding answers. Be empathetic, but also understand that your job is to steer the company forward. Hard decisions are hard because they won't make everyone happy. That's why they land on your desk. And that's why you're the CEO—not them.
Acknowledging Mistakes Builds Trust
As a leader, acknowledging mistakes can feel daunting, but it can be a powerful tool for building trust and strengthening team morale. I vividly remember a time when I was presenting a proposal to a room full of senior executives. Despite weeks of preparation, as I delivered the pitch, I suddenly realized that I had overlooked a critical detail. My inner critic immediately seized the moment, whispering, "You've messed up; they'll see you as a fraud."
But instead of trying to cover up the mistake, I paused, took a deep breath, and admitted, "I've realized that I missed a key piece of data here. Let me correct that." Not only did I address the mistake openly, but I also demonstrated that I valued transparency and integrity over appearing perfect.
In that moment, I shifted from fearing judgment to embracing vulnerability. I was no longer the flawless leader everyone expects but a real, human leader who owned my mistakes. This vulnerability created a shift in the room-what initially could have been an awkward misstep became a moment of connection. The team saw that I wasn't just someone in a position of authority, but someone they could relate to and trust.
Acknowledging the mistake had a ripple effect. It inspired others in the room to be more open about their own challenges and mistakes. One colleague later shared how my openness encouraged them to speak up about their own concerns that they had been too afraid to mention. When leaders own up to their mistakes, it creates an environment where honesty and growth can thrive, allowing the team to feel safer, more supported, and more confident.
This experience taught me that leadership is not about being flawless-it's about being authentic and willing to show up fully, mistakes and all. It's this emotional honesty that allows leaders to connect with their teams on a deeper level, fostering trust and loyalty. When leaders embrace their imperfections, they invite their teams to do the same, which ultimately leads to a stronger, more resilient group.
Leaders who acknowledge their mistakes also give their teams permission to learn from failure, rather than fearing it. By shifting the narrative from one of perfection to one of growth, we empower everyone on the team to learn, improve, and contribute to the overall success of the organization.
Empowering Teams Through Delegation
Overcoming Leadership Challenges and Building a Stronger Team through Delegation
As the founder of a legal process outsourcing company, one of the biggest leadership challenges I faced was navigating the balance between maintaining control over business operations while empowering my team.
Early on, I was deeply involved in every detail, from client interactions to project management, because I wanted to ensure everything was perfect. However, I quickly realized this approach wasn't sustainable, and it was hindering my team's growth.
The turning point came when I decided to delegate more responsibility and trust my team with decision-making. It wasn't easy, and there were moments when I doubted whether I was making the right choice.
But once I gave my team more ownership, I saw their confidence and performance grow, and the company's efficiency improved. What I learned is that true leadership isn't about micromanaging—it's about empowering others to take initiative and trusting them to succeed.
My advice to anyone facing a similar hurdle is to recognize that delegating doesn't mean you're losing control; it means you're building a stronger, more capable team.
Strategic Growth Ensures Longevity
The biggest leadership challenge I faced was growing the team responsibly while ensuring sustained revenue growth and longevity for everyone involved. Balancing the need to expand with the financial realities of the business required careful planning and difficult decisions. I had to assess the timing of each hire, align roles with long-term business goals, and ensure the company could support additional payroll without jeopardizing cash flow.
What I learned is the importance of strategic growth—hiring for key roles only when the revenue and workload justify it—and investing in the right people who align with the company's vision. My advice to someone facing a similar hurdle is to grow intentionally and avoid overexpansion. Focus on building a solid foundation before scaling, and always maintain open communication with your team about the goals behind growth decisions.
Maintaining Speed and Accuracy
One of my biggest leadership challenges came during my time at Tesla, where I was managing multiple teams while handling almost a billion dollars in revenue recognition. Despite being a large company with almost 70,000 employees (at that time), we operated like a startup with limited resources, forcing us to be incredibly creative in solving urgent problems daily.
The key challenge was maintaining speed and efficiency with such large teams while ensuring accuracy in critical financial operations. I learned that success in this environment required empowering team members to make decisions quickly rather than getting bottlenecked waiting for top-down approvals. Moving fast was essential, but we had to build robust systems and processes to maintain accuracy at speed.
If you're facing similar challenges in a fast-paced, resource-constrained environment, I'd recommend focusing on three things:
1. First, build strong foundational processes that can scale.
2. Second, empower your team members to make decisions at their level.
3. Third, maintain open communication channels so issues can be identified and addressed quickly before they become major problems.
The biggest lesson was that leadership isn't about having all the answers - it's about building a team that can collectively find solutions under pressure. Would you like me to elaborate on any specific aspects of managing large teams in fast-paced environments?
Balancing Urgency with Precision
One of the biggest leadership challenges I've faced was during a major storm cleanup project that required immediate action to remove hazardous trees and debris across multiple properties. With safety being the top priority, I had to coordinate my 10-person team under intense pressure, managing tight deadlines while ensuring no injuries occurred. The challenge was balancing urgency with precision, making sure we addressed customer needs quickly while maintaining the highest standards of safety and quality. I drew on my years of experience as a certified arborist and my TRAQ certification to evaluate which trees posed the most risk and created a clear plan of action. I also leaned on the leadership skills I developed growing up in the tree service industry and during my years as a soccer team captain. I made it a point to communicate clearly, delegate tasks effectively, and keep morale high even in tough conditions. By the end of the project, not only were our customers extremely satisfied, but we also achieved the critical goal of zero accidents on site.
What I learned from this experience is the importance of preparation and trust. Having a well-trained team and clear processes in place is crucial in any high-pressure situation. I also learned the value of listening, both to my team members and to the customers, because their input shaped our strategy. My advice for anyone facing a similar hurdle is to remain calm, lean into your expertise, and trust your team. Leadership isn't about doing everything yourself; it's about guiding people toward a common goal while giving them the tools to succeed. With strong communication and a focus on safety and quality, even the most overwhelming challenges can be turned into positive outcomes.
Leading a Team Remotely
Leading a team during a shift to remote work was a huge challenge. At first, it felt like everyone was on a different page. Communication became scattered, and it was tough to track progress. The hardest part was making sure everyone felt motivated without being physically together. I learned quickly that keeping the team aligned wasn't about meetings all day, but about creating a rhythm where everyone felt heard and accountable.
My advice is to stay clear and concise in your communication. Set small goals and check in frequently. It's not about being perfect or controlling every detail. Let your team know you trust them, but also that you expect results. And always, always keep things simple.
Letting Go of Control
The biggest leadership challenge I faced was learning to let go of control. Coming from a background where I was frustrated with how others were running things, I initially tried to micromanage everything. I remember this pivotal moment with a client project where we had three agencies involved, spent $100k on content, and watched the traffic spike to 200k/month - only to see it all crash because I was trying to control every aspect instead of trusting the process and the team.
What I learned was transformative: leadership isn't about having all the answers or controlling everything - it's about setting clear objectives and trusting your team to find the best way there. Now, I focus on clearly communicating the end goal (like "this page needs to generate revenue, not just traffic") and let the team bring their expertise to the table. My advice? Define what success looks like in concrete terms, make sure everyone understands the 'why' behind decisions, then get out of their way. You hired smart people - let them be smart.
Finding Trustworthy Contractors
As a business leader that manages several small businesses, the largest consistent challenge that I have is finding contractors that I can trust. What I've found over time is that often their failures reflect my poor leadership. To fix this, I focus more on the front end process - developing a solid set of expectations and processes, then making sure that the partner understands and is willing to execute as well as tell me if they have any questions or see any challenges that might make what I'm asking them to do not a good fit. It's OK that not everyone I work with can do everything I need, but it's better to pay a bit extra for the right person than to make the wrong person fail because I wanted to save a few short-term dollars.
