You Are the Captain of Your Ship

When I first started my business, I didn’t realize that some day I would also be in a role of leadership. That was not the reason I started my business. I didn’t want to be the one on display or the one everyone turned to for guidance in getting things done.

I never considered myself as a leader. I detested speaking in front of a group of people. My nature is to be on the sidelines watching and listening. It was not due to a lack of confidence as some might presume. It was just who I was. I didn’t enjoy being front and center.

I realized in high school that I smart enough and as capable as anyone as anyone else in handling tough situations. However, it wasn’t something I enjoyed or was comfortable doing. It was not who I wanted to be then or in a business role.

For a good portion of my business life, I fought against being in the spotlight. People would ask me why I didn’t attend functions and wasn’t in all the industry photos being circulated. As I said, being on display is not in my nature. But there were other reasons for not attending events.

First and foremost are my children. They have been my priority for my entire business (and personal) life. I was always a mom first. When I did not attend functions, it was usually because they interfered with activities or events that my children had planned. For example, a big business event happened recently that I did not attend because I had to get my children ready for the start of school. I was not going to miss that to attend an industry function.

I’m not saying that these types of events are not important or that an industry-first vision is wrong. They are just not as important to me as my children are. Had the event been held on a different date, I might have attended.

There are times when our agency holds an event and one of our agents cannot attend because of a family obligation. Although I regret not seeing them at the event, I totally empathize with their situation. That is also how I live my life: family first always. It’s how I run my business. It must be my leadership style to demonstrate these values.

I realized, however, that by not wanting to be in the spotlight, I was delegating the leadership role to others. Therefore, I was relinquishing my responsibilities for establishing the business culture. The right culture is important in creating an environment and vision that everyone follows. I had to steer that culture and vision to coincide with my own values. I had to take the reins and assume the leadership position to instill the values I hold dearly, like putting family first above the business.

There were times when I questioned my values on what was more important. I felt guilty at times that I was neglecting the business when I put family first. Was I not a good businesswoman because I stayed at home to celebrate my child’s birthday? Was I hurting the business’s image or compromising our success by doing that? I did question my decisions, but eventually decided that my values were important and I needed to be true to them. And I needed to steer the business in that direction.

If you own a business, regardless of the size or number of employees, you must be a leader. There is no other choice if you want to succeed in keeping your business functioning according to your values. You must guide employees, customers, contractors, and everyone with whom you deal every day to follow your lead and your vision. You must remain true to your heart and let everyone know what your expectations are.

Don’t be afraid to own what’s important to you, to demand respect, to direct your business according to your management style. You are the one who drives the train, who carries the torch, who Captains the ship. It is your ship after all.