There is plenty of noise out there right now.
A tougher market. Rising costs. An election creeping closer. Endless opinions about what is wrong with our country and who is to blame for it.
If we are not careful, all that uncertainty starts living rent-free in our heads. Concern becomes negativity, negativity feeds that bloody inner critic, and suddenly we are spending more time worrying about what might happen than working on what we can actually influence.
But here is what I am seeing from where I stand:
Leadership is booming.
I have had the absolute privilege of being a Lead Judge for the Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards this year, judging the Sustainability category.
The awards received a record number of entries across all categories, and what I have seen has left me incredibly proud to live and work in the mighty Waikato.
We have some incredible businesses doing seriously great things:
They are focused on their goals, making brave decisions, creating employment, supporting their communities and finding practical ways to make a real impact
They are not sitting around waiting for the economy, the Government or the market to make life easier for them
They are getting on with the mahi
What has particularly impressed me is how deeply sustainability is now being woven into business strategy:
It is no longer sitting in the corner of a business plan as a nice statement written because someone thought it should be there
It is not lip service, and it is certainly not just a trendy green badge to slap on a website
These businesses are genuinely considering the far-reaching effects of the decisions they make today.
They are thinking about circular systems, reducing waste, protecting resources and strengthening their communities. They are considering their people, their environmental footprint and the long-term resilience of their businesses.
Most importantly, they are thinking about our future generations and our mokopuna.
And they are doing it not because someone is forcing them to, but because they believe it is the right thing to do.
That is leadership!
At the same time, I have been out spreading a little Stratigi goodness of my own, including recently facilitating a business workshop in Taupō. The energy in that room was outstanding.
Business owners were filled with ideas, creativity, and ambition. People who were prepared to look honestly at their businesses, challenge their thinking and do the work required to move forward.
Yet there was something else in the room too– that bloody inner critic. You know the one.
The voice that tells you that you are not ready, not capable or not experienced enough. The one that reminds you of every mistake you have ever made while conveniently forgetting everything you have achieved.
Sometimes it whispers. Sometimes it turns up with a megaphone and a full sound system.
Our inner critic becomes particularly loud when things feel uncertain. It feeds on negative headlines, difficult markets, comparisons with other people and the fear that everyone else knows what they are doing while we are quietly making it up as we go.
For the record, most of us are making at least some of it up as we go, and strong leadership does not mean that voice disappears:
It means we learn how to recognise it, challenge it and stop allowing it to make our decisions
It means concentrating on our controllables
We cannot control every change in the economy, what our competitors do, what people say about us or every unexpected curveball that arrives before our first coffee.
What we can control:
How closely we know our numbers
How well we look after our customers and our people
The conversations we have, the opportunities we pursue, the systems we strengthen and the action we take
How we choose to lead our own lives, and that brings me to the great work–life balance debate
I have never been entirely convinced by the phrase “work–life balance”
It suggests that work belongs on one side and life belongs on the other, with both sides needing to be perfectly and equally weighted.
That is not how my life works, and I suspect it is not how life works for many business owners and leaders.
I might be on my computer at 5am because my brain is firing, or still working at 8pm because an idea has arrived and refuses to wait politely until morning.
But what you may not see is that, now and then, I am at Pilates at 9am while others are sitting at their desks. I might put on a load of washing between Zoom meetings, work from a café, or take a break to run down to the beach for a winter dip with my slightly crazy Admin Ninja. From the outside, someone might look at my hours and decide I have no balance at all.
Balance is not about making every day look perfectly symmetrical. It is about creating a way of working and living that works for you.
It is knowing what fills your cup, what drains it and what your own warning signs are. It is permitting yourself to work differently while still taking responsibility for your health, your whānau, your commitments and the impact you have on the people around you.
Leadership is not about having everything perfectly sorted:
It is not about being fearless, permanently positive or endlessly productive
It is about knowing what matters, making conscious decisions and continuing to move forward, even when conditions are not perfect
Across the Waikato, I am seeing leaders who are doing exactly that:
They are adapting to tougher conditions
They are becoming more creative
They are building sustainability into their plans, looking after their people and thinking beyond today’s profit toward the future they want to help create
They are controlling the controllables and getting on with the mahi
So yes, there is plenty of noise out there, but there is also plenty to be excited about.
Business is evolving. Leadership is growing. And right across the Waikato, clever and courageous people are building businesses with purpose. It makes me incredibly proud to stand alongside them.
This is the work I love: helping people cut through the noise, see what is possible and turn good ideas into meaningful action because we have businesses to build, people to support, and something worthwhile to leave for our mokopuna.
