Leading a small or medium-sized business (SMB) can be compared to embarking on a new journey each day, navigating an unknown path filled with both excitement and disappointment.
It can often feel like exploring a new country on foot with your family in tow; you don’t speak the language, you don’t know the culture, and you don’t have a local guide. At first, the freedom of being the sole decision-maker is exhilarating. But when challenges inevitably arise, you realize that all of the responsibility – including those of others – rests squarely on your shoulders.
Unlike leaders in larger corporations who benefit from a robust executive team, leaders in small organizations often stand at the pinnacle of their organization, making decisions without a true peer. The initial thrill of being the sole decision-maker has carried them far, but when they stand at the edge of a challenging transition – it is recognizing the gap between where they are and where they need to go that becomes the true differentiator.
Tasked with charting the course and making critical decisions, leaders of small organizations frequently lack an internal sounding board that can offer the objective, experienced input that elevates the results and outcomes to the next level. The challenge isn’t the lack of capable employees; it’s the natural dynamic where a team looks to its leader for direction rather than challenging their strategic thinking.
This leaves even the most innovative leaders wrestling with crucial questions in isolation:
- Am I missing opportunities?
- Am I making the right decisions?
- Who can I turn to for honest, experienced input?
Ideas for growth and change, while plentiful, often don’t get the rigorous vetting needed because there’s no one in their immediate environment equipped to provide the next-level thinking required to achieve a breakthrough.
This isolation can lead to a sense of being stuck, hitting a frustrating plateau where they know something needs to shift to unlock the next level of success. The weight of navigating these uncharted waters without a true thought partner for strategic discussion can eventually become overwhelming.
Leading such a journey demands resilience, but it doesn’t have to be a solitary one. The greatest leaders learn to see this space not as a void, but as an opportunity as they become comfortable with the insight that they don’t have to navigate it alone. Just as a seasoned climber relies on a guide, SMB leaders benefit immensely from an experienced thought partner.
Think of the legendary partnership of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on their ascent of Everest. Tenzing wasn’t just a guide carrying supplies; he was an essential partner whose experience and insight, gained from his formative years in the Khumbu Valley. His skills and knowledge were critical to their shared success.
The most effective leaders understand that breaking through the many barriers they face requires knowledge and skills beyond their own. A collaborative and trusted ongoing relationship helps to create the subtle shifts – the “small 1° changes” championed in Agile methodologies and James Clear’s Atomic Habits – that help leaders reach the goal to get their organization to the top.
These small, consistent adjustments to mindset and process, when applied strategically, compound over time into significant breakthroughs, unlocking growth and powerfully refining strategy. For any leader finding their own “Tenzing” is an essential step to igniting their individual and organization’s potential.
This is more than a leadership theory – it’s a reality I know intimately.
I understand the challenges of isolated leadership, because I have extensive firsthand experience being there as a Founder, CEO, and Owner of a small business. Leaders of small organizations don’t have to bear the full weight of their responsibilities alone. Looking back now, I realize the partners I found along the way made all the difference.
As an experienced thought partner, I help others find that crucial sounding board, refine their strategies, and create those incremental yet transformative shifts that lead to sustainable success.
Whether it is me or someone else, the message here is to empower you to ignite the full potential inside of you – with the help of your own thought partners. You don’t have to navigate the path forward alone!
Find your own Tenzing – it’s one of the most crucial steps toward reaching the summit.
