As our business grows in revenue, we often also increase its level of complexity – we hire experts & start working on an ongoing basis with a small team. Sometimes it’s a team of 1 other, very part-time, but it’s still more than being a solopreneur.
As the team grows, so does our capacity – to serve more people (paid & for free), to have better relationships with them (customer service, automations + segmentation) & to create a suite of products + services to more fully accompany them on their transformation journey.
This is the joy + fulfillment of growing into our purpose.
However, many entrepreneurs in the spirituality + self-development industries don’t want to grow beyond a certain point because they don’t want to be weighed down by the management of their business. They’re creative & empathic, called to connect to + serve their customers, not to spend their days managing projects & supervising their team. They too want to spend most of their time in their zone of genius!
What they don’t realize is that there are several ways (models) of business leadership – there’s a spectrum of practices on how power is distributed within an organization & where you are on it will affect how much freedom + innovation will be accessible to you (vs how much pressure you’ll be under).
If they lived within a model that resonates better with their beliefs + values, I’m sure they wouldn’t hold back anymore. Fighting one’s soul calling & feeling conflicted on how to align our actions with our values is exhausting!
The world would be transformed if soulful, intuitive entrepreneurs knew how to elevate their business leadership so that their missions could blossom.
There’s a whole field of study on developmental theory, on the evolution of consciousness in humankind. As we integrate each level of Maslow’s pyramid of needs, we organize our societies in more complex & loving ways. Thus, as we collectively move towards self-realization, the way our businesses are structured + function is changing in ways that reflect how we experience the world.
According to Reinventing Organizations author Frédéric Laloux, businesses existing at the self-realization stage share 3 main characteristics:
1. Self-management
Instead of relying on hierarchy or meritocracy (where power is amassed at the top of a pyramid), real decision-making responsibilities are distributed to people throughout the organization. Here, we’re not seeking consensus but decisions must be informed by the advice of those directly affected & those with relevant experience or expertise.
Therefore, the role of the CEO isn’t to approve decisions, but rather to distribute them to people in the best positions to make them. If you trust your team in this way, you’ll set the stage for innovation + meaning to grow.
This can be done for any & every decision that needs to be made. For example, your community manager could make the final decision on which course platform to choose for hosting your online courses. They’ll pick the plan & subscribe to it with the company’s credit card. Because they’ve asked for your advice, you’ve told them about your vision for the future & your budget range for this. Since they’ll be the one using it day in & day out, & they know your audience very well, it makes the most sense that they make this decision.
2. Wholeness
Conscious companies welcome + make space for intuition, emotion & spirituality.
This could look like starting every meeting where everyone shares a joyful / grateful moment they had recently, or by chanting OM & doing a visualization to cleanse your chakras together. It could mean relying on non-violent communication or restorative justice when a conflict arises.
You could pledge to environmental &/or philanthropic commitments, send a gift to a team member who just had a child, or let everyone plan their work + tasks around their hormonal cycle.
We’re so much more than our role at work & it’s much healthier to acknowledge these parts of us too!
3. Evolutionary purpose
Businesses are ecosystems that are alive with the people working in them. As such, the synergy of everyone’s dreams + aspirations will influence the direction in which the business can best grow + serve the world. This is about generosity + truly sharing the mission.
Thus, instead of making 5- & 10-year plans, we practice connecting with the spirit of the business & honoring the team’s ideas + ambitions. As everyone on the team shares some part of the vision, it’ll evolve in amazing ways!
Now I want to know:
How do you keep your business high vibe?
Let me know in the comments below!
Marie xo
Marie-Eve Talbot is an online business manager, mentor & course creator for life coaches, holistic healers & light workers. She blends her passion for feminine leadership with a mindful lifestyle. She lives in Montréal, Canada.