There is one thing I have become more and more convinced of after nearly two decades guiding entrepreneurs all over the country. Too many founders spend their time hunting for a new strategy to grow the business, when the thing that needs to change most is themselves.
I am not saying strategy does not matter. Of course it matters. But no matter how great the strategy is, it still gets led by a human being. If that person’s thinking does not grow, if their emotions are not mature, and if their leadership does not change, the business will eventually reach a ceiling that is hard to break through.
That is why I often say the biggest challenge in building an organisation is not the market, not the competitor, and not technology. The biggest challenge is leading yourself.
Along my own journey, there were many phases that forced me to look inward before looking outward. I had to ask questions that were uncomfortable to answer. Am I still making decisions based on old experience? Is my ego stopping me from learning something new? Am I building a bigger organisation, but still leading the same way I did when everything was just starting?
I believe every founder will reach this point. At first, the business grows because of our effort. Then it grows because of the team. After that, it will only keep growing if the founder himself grows into a leader who can carry the organisation to the next level.
This is why I still choose to keep learning even after so many years in entrepreneurship. I still look for knowledge, get perspectives from people with more experience, and put myself in environments that challenge the way I think. Not because I do not know, but because I realise every level of growth needs a new level of understanding.
In sports, an athlete cannot rely on the same training pattern throughout his career. When the level of competition goes up, the way he trains, the way he thinks and the way he prepares must change too. Business is no different. The bigger the dream we want to reach, the bigger the change that has to happen inside us.
When I look back at my own life, I realise every challenge was actually shaping my capacity as a leader. Challenges do not just test whether we can manage a business, they test whether we are willing to become the version of ourselves needed to carry a bigger responsibility.
In the end I learned one very valuable thing. A business will not grow beyond the growth of its founder. If we want a bigger organisation, we need to become a more mature leader. If we want a wider impact, we need a bigger capacity to learn, to change and to lead, because real transformation does not start when the business changes.
It starts when the founder chooses to change himself first.
If you want to hear more in depth about the journey, the challenges and the philosophy that shaped how I see leadership today, watch the Book of Jake Podcast with Datuk @Jake Abdullah, who invited me last week. I hope there is something in that sharing that gives you a new perspective on your own journey as a founder.
If you are facing challenges right now, or your business is still stuck at the same level but you are serious about growth, my team at RichWorks and I have a free consultation so we can get to know you better and understand the real situation of your business. Comment ‘Grow’ if you are interested and we will help.
Datuk Wira