Welcome to a Business Growth Mindset podcast. I’m Kristian Livolsi, and I am super excited to share this episode with you. To all the business owners and entrepreneurs—the crazy ones, the believers, the doers, the clever makers, the action takers and everybody else in between—this podcast was designed for you.
For the past few weeks, I have focused on leadership because I believe it’s one of the biggest issues facing business owners and c-suite executives. Too often, I see organisations struggle with leading their teams and empowering them to take action. The result of poor leadership means less time, loss of productivity, a dysfunctional culture, and often failure.
Nature’s Cycles in Business Leadership
Nature follows rhythms, and over the course of a lifetime, we move through different seasons and cycles. These patterns become recognisable and familiar, and we learn to anticipate what is coming and adopt—or at least adapt—to the changes. Just as there are seasons and cycles in nature, the same holds true for our professional lives.
Spring is a time of newness and growth. Summer is when energy is at its highest and everything comes into bloom. Autumn is the time to gather the fruits of your labours, and winter is when we slow down and conserve energy in preparation for the following spring and the beginning of a new cycle.
As a leader, it is important to ask yourself which season you are in now. Most people want to be perpetually in spring or summer because everything feels exciting and active, and there’s still much to look forward to. By the time you get into autumn, although you are able to reap the benefits of your hard work, there’s a sense that things are slowing down and winter is coming.
Understanding Seasonal Leadership Values
In my experience, when asked what season they are in, the majority of people answer autumn. This can seem like a difficult place to be because the feeling is that there is nothing more that can be achieved and things are only going to get tougher. Some clients tell me they are perpetually in summer, but by insisting it is always summer, they are often refusing to face up to which season they are actually in.
Positive thinking has its place, but if the reality is that you’re in the middle of a harsh winter, then telling yourself it’s high summer isn’t going to do you any good. The truth is that no one has ever achieved anything from simply thinking positively. There is a widely held belief that the universe won’t send you anything unless you manifest it through your thoughts and attitude. It’s a nice idea, but the universe is not going to send you anything if you’re not doing something about it, no matter how positively you think.
Core Values in Leadership Development
Values are the standards of behaviour that you consider to be the most important. Knowing what matters most enables you to stay focused and optimises your time. This gives you the best opportunity to experience a fulfilling life, professionally and personally.
My values are straightforward: excellence, leadership, collaboration, humanity, and failing forward. I define excellence as quality without compromise—it’s why I take things personally when something doesn’t work because I really do want the absolute best. As for leadership, my intention is always to lead by example. I don’t play the victim; I’m the person who takes action and responsibility.
Living Leadership Values Daily
Through collaboration, I bring people together to achieve the desired aims of the group. There is no ego when you collaborate because everyone brings something unique to the table. Through collaboration, I have developed the skill of being a facilitator, and it’s something that I love.
Humanity, for me, is about balance and not burning out. This is achieved by creating systems and processes that provide great results in the short, medium, and long term. Having experienced burnout several times in my life, it’s important for me to find balance between my purpose and my desires.
Values-Based Organisational Leadership
At ThincLab, the high-growth incubator at the University of Adelaide, they adopted some of my values in a way that supports the values themselves. When I started as the inaugural entrepreneur in residence, I observed that there wasn’t any formalised culture. By sharing and implementing values collaboratively, we created a stronger, more cohesive environment.
Remember, responsible leadership is about providing clarity and direction. The fastest way to create that clarity is to articulate your values and vision to your team. Understanding yourself is paramount to the success of those around you. Clarity and direction create empowered teams, and this helps you to grow and scale by enabling growth. You give your business the greatest guarantee of continuing success, and that is truly powerful.
As always, live with purpose.
Kristian Livolsi
Ready to transform your leadership approach? Contact us to learn more about implementing value-based leadership in your organisation.