If you take a moment and reflect, you will see no matter what product or service you are providing, you are NOT the only provider of that product or service. Most (not all) business owners remain in an immature state as an entrepreneur. They continue to believe they can charge as much as they can and compensate employees as little as possible so they can maximize profits.

Is that you?

There may be more customers than really good people, and if you want your business to THRIVE, not just survive, you must differentiate your business. As a business owner, external customers are an absolute necessity, but you must prioritize your internal client (the employees). In the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Law #1, Law of the Lid, explains the higher your leadership ability, the greater the effectiveness. That same law applies to your internal clients. If your internal clients do not raise their level of awareness, they will not be able to contribute to the growth of the business. remember, the bottom line in leadership isn’t how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others.

• Do you take the time to encourage and contribute to the growth of your employees?

• Do you seek to educate yourself about their hopes and dreams?

• Are you interested in their ideas to help their business grow?

• Do you recommend books, seminars, mentors and coaches?

• Do you take the time to share what you know, help your staff apply the information to their lives and witness the changes within their lives?

If you are not answering YES to each of the preceding questions, you are failing your most valuable client, and most importantly, you are failing your business.

As an entrepreneur, one of the most pointed lessons you can learn is, no matter the size of your business, you cannot build it alone. You need (or will need) others to help your growth and one of the most, if not the most, valuable growth resources you will have is your internal client, so be intentional and grow them.

Take the time to watch the little things you say about your internal clients.

• Do you say they work for me or we work together?

• Do you view employees of your firm as “internal clients” or staff?

• Did you succeed at getting the project complete or did the team succeed?

• Did you fail to lead or did the team fail to follow?

Theodore Roosevelt once said: “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and the self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”

Strange as it seems, when you allow your internal clients to shine, your business grows much faster because you are not the only person working on growth - so is every one of the internal clients.

If you want to be successful, you must be willing to empower others. What are you doing to empower your team? If you are challenged in the area of team development and empowerment, I welcome the opportunity to work with you and increase your leadership lid. My sole goal is to serve and add value to you, so you can add value to your internal clients.

We can do this!