Staying Current and Relevant
Small business owners often forget to invest in their own expertise and lead-
ership competencies. Whether they believe it’s a burden, selfish or otherwise, they
don’t take the time to keep up on things. I believe if you engage in the following,
you will have a better probability of staying relevant in your field and will be more
capable of leading your team effectively:
• Schedule “meetings with myself.” Use this time to research competitors, build
your professional network and read industry publications, blogs or books.
• Volunteer or serve on Boards for both community and professional organiza-
tions.
• Position yourself as a speaker for industry events or write for publications or
blogs. Journals and consortiums are always looking for content and I think
you’ll find that writing keeps your money where your mouth is.
• Attend professional development events. You’re not perfect and trust me,
there is always something to learn.
In conclusion, businesses large and small have the same core challenges but
small businesses have less resources to address them. Therefore, the little things
can quickly turn into daunting problems. But small businesses are nimble enough
to tackle the big challenges with a series of small activities that can be executed
immediately. Therefore, small business owners might just have a bigger chance for
success.
14 July 2017
Heather is a partner in The
Strive Group and serves
as COO. She not only
manages collaborative
project teams through
Strive affiliates but
serves on these
teams as well.
Her expertise in
Human Resources,
Organizational
Development, Strategic Planning
and Process Improvement lend
themselves nicely to both large and
small businesses. Heather develops
and presents training courses, speaks
nationally on topics regarding
leadership and workforce and is an
active contributor on a variety of
business improvement blogs.
Heather Kinzie
Chief Operating Officer
The STRIVE Group