Episode 193: Leadership and Mindset Shifts for Agency Owners with Bekka Prideaux

November 25, 2019 | Maggie Patterson

Owning a business requires a lot of inner work, and nothing has pushed me more on a personal level than stepping up as a leader. In this episode, guest and leadership coach Bekka Prideaux shares the realities of becoming a leader in our business and the mindset shifts you need as an agency owner.

I’ve been no stranger to leadership over the years, but let me tell you, one of the big reasons I didn’t want to have an agency or grow a team was because I didn’t want to be responsible for other people. I didn’t want to have to lead.

So I was resistant. But then I realized that leadership didn’t have to be what I thought it meant. I could lead my business in a way that works for me and is in the service of my team. And that’s just one thing today’s guest Bekka Prideaux helped me realize. I’ve worked with Bekka personally over the last couple of years, and I couldn’t be more excited to share this episode with you.

Here’s What We Discussed:

Her business and how she makes money.
What she thinks current or potential agency owners need to know about stepping into their role as a leader.
What she sees as one of the biggest mistakes that agency owners make when it comes to growing their team.
The mindset shifts that Bekka thinks are critical to being successful as an agency owner.
A good, easy step we can take to start getting clear on how we want to lead our teams.

Bekka’s bio:

Bekka is a Leadership Development Coach and Consultant. For the last 30 years, she has worked with some of the most recognizable brands in the world on leadership development, project management, and business improvement initiatives. She brings a unique blend of experience and coaching strategies to her work with technical experts and specialists as they step into their roles as leaders.

Most people don’t set out to be a leader, but as their team and business grows, they find themselves facing increasingly complex interconnected choices about things they haven’t had to consider before. Leveraging her expertise in coaching, leadership, and teamwork, Bekka helps people make leadership choices that achieve their business goals, motivate their team, and develop a business people want to work with.

Lessons Learned from Bekka:

You’re already a leader, even if you don’t have a team yet. You may not have had a team directly working for you, but you’ve worked with customers, suppliers, contractors, and other people. Expanding your team is simply you building on some stuff that you already know.
Being a great leader means something different for everyone. The type of leader you are should reflect you and how you choose to apply the principles of leadership to your business. It’s about finding what really works for you, your client group, your business, and your team. There’s no one book you can read to figure it all out.
Hire for skills AND fit. You want to find someone who can handle the tasks you need but is also a fit for your leadership skills. Hiring requires a big-time investment, and your style won’t work for everyone.
Giving and receiving feedback is critical. If you want your team to flourish, you have to be willing to commit both time and energy to give them feedback. Your team is also a great resource for telling you what’s going to work for them and providing feedback on ideas for the business.