WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT LEADERSHIP FROM WORKING WITH MY BEST FRIEND
ADOPTING A CLOSED-DOOR POLICY
It was the wake-up call I needed. When I’m involved in every aspect of my business, it’s no fun for anyone. I started closing my office door from time to time to create a physical reminder that I needed to focus on the tasks only I could do. I’ve learned to shut my door and trust my team to do their job. If I’ve done my job, they should be able to carry out their tasks without me hanging over their shoulders. Being a leader is about finding the right balance between jumping in when your team truly needs your support and trusting your team to get the job done. Most of the time, it’s the latter. They are going to be fine without you because you’ve hired skilled, competent people. Your business is going to be better off because you can focus on the long-term vision and support your team in carrying it out. By the way, my friend still works for me from time to time, mostly on a consulting basis. Thank goodness he had the guts to be honest with me. His honesty strengthened our friendship, and it definitely made me a better leader.
I know that if I don’t close the door to my office, it’s hard for me to stay in my lane. I hear a team member talking to a client, and I’m all too happy to jump in and "help out" with every last detail of the conversation. Can you relate?
As small business owners, we often want to jump into the kitchen as soon as we see our sous chef preparing the ingredients differently than we would. But as long as you have the right ingredients, the recipe should come out the same way every time. If you implement the right systems, your team should be able to effectively carry out all assigned tasks and replicate desirable outcomes. It took a conversation with one of my best friends to bring this home to me. I hired him in the early days of my business, and when he was ready to walk out and quit because of me jumping into every situation, I realized I needed to change. This was the advantage of working with someone who knew me so well — he could tell me honestly that my intervening was a problem.
TIRAMISU
INGREDIENTS
• 24 packaged ladyfingers • 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate shavings, for garnish
• 6 egg yolks • 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 pound mascarpone cheese • 1 1/2 cups strong espresso, cooled • 2 teaspoons dark rum
DIRECTIONS
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1. In a large mixing bowl, use a whisk to beat together egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. 2. Add mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth. 3. Fold in 1 tablespoon of espresso. 4. In a small, shallow dish, combine remaining espresso with rum. Dip each ladyfinger into mixture for 5 seconds. Place soaked ladyfingers at the bottom of a walled baking dish. 5. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture on top of the first layer of ladyfingers. Top with another layer of ladyfingers and another layer of mascarpone. 6. Cover and refrigerate 2–8 hours. 7. Remove from fridge, sprinkle with chocolate shavings, and serve.
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