Lise Kuecker

Leadership isn't about you.

It's about who you lift up.

Y'all can't tell your team to be confident if:

→ You dismiss their ideas.
→ They feel like they can't take risks.
→ There's no freedom to work how they do best.

At that point, “empowerment“ is just noise.

Your team wants to be the best version of themselves.
That only happens with confidence.

It's your job to make space for it.

Here's how the best leaders actually empower:

1. Ask, don't tell.
↳ Guide your team to make their own decisions.
↳ Start by asking “What are your thoughts?“ to build their confidence.

2. Let them fail (safely).
↳ Set a challenge that pushes their skills. 
↳ Tell them you're there for support, but not to hold their hand.

3. Celebrate the small wins with them.
↳ If they're stepping up and trying, they're growing.
↳ Remind them when they don't see it themselves.

Empowerment isn't just about shouting affirmations.
It's about giving people the chance to prove themselves.

What's one way a leader helped you grow?
Tag them and give them a shout-out in the comments!
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♻️ Repost to pass this along to folks who'd appreciate it!
➕ If you like what I share, go ahead and follow Lise Kuecker!

A reminder for all the founders out there:

Not every opinion is worth listening to.

When you tell people you're building a company, almost everyone has their own idea on how you should do it "properly."

Some will say you should raise funding, others will say to bootstrap.
Some will tell you to build at your own pace, while others push for speed.
Some will say you need to give up everything, others will say prioritize your home life.

Among all the voices, there's one that needs to be the loudest.

Your own.

Because if you build a business trying to appease everyone out there,
you're going to be stretched thin, burned out, and possibly turn your back on your dream.

I was lucky in that I was marching to the beat of my own drum from a young age.

(Y'all can thank my mom for encouraging that attitude in me growing up).

And that stayed with me with every business I built over the years.

People questioned the way I chose to build my businesses, especially since I bootstrapped them.

To some, never raising money looked like a lack of ambition.
But for me, bootstrapping was how I knew I could build a business on my own terms.

And six businesses later, I'm glad I made that choice each time.

The moment you stop building a business that satisfies other people's expectations,
is the moment you get to build one that actually works for you.

The opinions won't stop (I still get plenty of them to this day).

But you get better at recognizing exactly what is worth listening to,
and what is just someone's opinion dressed up as advice.

Keep listening to what feels right for you.

It won't do you wrong.

Have y'all ever had to deal with this before?
I'd love to hear your stories!

P.S. For more posts about entrepreneurship, follow Lise Kuecker.

And if y'all want to read more about what I've learned from building and exiting six businesses,
sign up for my weekly newsletter, Growth Factor: bit.ly/Growth_Factor

♻️ Repost to remind another founder to block out opinions that don't matter.