I’ve been running my company for six years and it still feels like a startup. I’ve had bits and parts of a leadership team in the past but it never matured into a leadership team that was able to scale and grow to reach the next level. We’re already in the top 4% of all companies and have $1M+ in revenue but our goal is to be named in the INC 5000 and also reach the top .4% of all companies and have $10M in revenue. In order to reach this level, the right people, strategy, and ability to execute has to be in place. The part that I’m most excited about right now is the launch of the thinkspace Leadership Academy with a new framework that I haven’t had in the past.

Creating Leadership Academy

I’ve formed a Leadership Academy which is modeled after the Bramble Berry Leadership Academy. The intention that I have set forth for this program is to elevate the directors on the team which bleed our core values and have both the heart and horsepower to reach our goals. My goal is to focus on both growing our IQ as well as our eIQ. There also needs to be true passion, the same kind of passion that drives me as the founder. This kind of passion is the feeling like one is able to change the world through this business and it’s not because of monetary compensation. Its hard to put words to it, but, if someone were to treat your passion like their job, you would probably hate that.

“Great lives, great businesses, don’t happen by accident. They happen through deliberate design and hard work” – Anne-Marie Faiola, CEO of Bramble Berry.

Creating Space to Learn

The love of reading is a requirement. We’re reading a book each month. Reading opens the mind to new ideas. You must have an insatiable appetite for learning. Good thing that’s one of our core values! The first book we’re reading is “Crucial Conversations” by Kerry Patterson.
One of our key training initiatives is having my leadership team participate in the EO Accelerator Program. This is a program that focuses on helping companies go from $250K to reach the $1M mark. The importance for me is total alignment with my team. The Accelerator Program helps them think like an entrepreneur. The primary book we’re reading is “Scaling Up” by Verne Harnish.

Modeling Success

Rather than learn to be a successful from scratch and re-invent the wheel we are modeling ourselves after successful leaders that have already achieved a high level of success. Each month we are meeting with CEO’s and leaders that exemplify similar core values as us. The goal is to surround yourself with extraordinary people that have been able to break through and model yourself after people like that. It’s the fastest way to successfully learn.

It’s About the Journey Not The Destination

This year I’m on a mission to complete my first marathon. My goal is to just finish. I’m not looking to break any land speed records. I’m defining success as the journey to get there not just the actual act of crossing the finish line. A few people on my leadership team are also participating in this journey with me. I know through doing this it’s going to further push the edge out for all of us and its the most exciting thing for me this year — I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.