This week is going to be a short episode and the focus on this episode is going to be on leadership.

As business owners we work on building our brands, building our community and our customer base.  We work to grow our followers and have influence.

We want to have influence to not only support and help people in our area of expertise but we do it so that we can attract customers.

The bi-product of us doing this is that many of us, whether we know it or not are leaders in our community.  We may have 10 people or 10 thousand people but as business owners it’s not all about business.

We live in a world that isn’t always fair, isn’t always right, doesn’t do what it’s supposed when it comes to the social contracts that we believe to be in place. The week that this episode airs it’s 4^th June 2020 and there are riots across America, there are protests and rally’s across the world because we live in a society where some citizens are treated as less.

So I’m not going to recap everything that is happening, but I do want to do is share some actionable things you can do if you choose to step up as a leader in your community and in your business.  Social media posts are not enough. They can definitely spread the word and educate people but more has to be done.

So here are a few things that you can do right now as a leader:

• When you share content, make it personal. Don’t beat around the bush, don’t copy what everyone else is doing – really think about why you’re doing what you’re doing and understand the impact that it has.
• Think about how you’re showing up in your business and what you want to stand for. I always talk about what you want to be known for, but I’m also saying, what do you want to stand for? What legacy do you want to have?
• Research and take action. Look for charities, causes and voices that you want to amplify and work out how you can do that through your business not just now but ongoing.
• Look at how equality and advocacy work when it comes to your values. This is a personal thing. Is it important to you? Do you want to do something about it? Then how can you articulate that in your business and to your community. I always say I’m not interested in what you say, I’m more interested in what you do. So think about how you’re living your values and how you’re being an action taker.
• Speak up even if it’s uncomfortable and I’m going to be honest, I felt uncomfortable because I haven’t experienced racism personally so who was I to say anything because I don’t know what it’s like. But I don’t have to be comfortable to stand for something thing and journaling for my own clarity about my ability to impact change helped me to stop focusing on my and how I felt and focus on me and what I was doing.