What obstacles are keeping you and your business from flourishing?

This is a weird question. It is backwards from what most people think. If you stay with me, I’ll explain what I mean by obstacles. But first, let’s talk about Flourishing.

Flourishing sounds good. It sounds spiritual. But what does it actually mean? I like to define flourishing using 3 words: growth, satisfaction, and legacy.

Growth. Flourishing presupposes growth. A business that isn’t growing isn’t flourishing. At best it is stagnant. At worst it is dying. Same with people – if we are not growing, we are not in a good place. Many of us think that growth is hard to manufacture. But what if that is the wrong way to think about it? Every spring my entire back yard explodes with growth – I don’t have to coach, manage, or incentivize the grass, trees, and shrubs. They just grow. Their growth is out of control. The only places they don’t grow is where they don’t get the sun or the water they need. Leaders and organizations work the same way – the only ones that don’t grow are the ones who are not getting what they need. Some obstacle is in the way.

Satisfaction. I’ve worked with a lot of executives. Many of them lead growing businesses, but some of them hate their job. A leader can’t really flourish, and the organization won’t flourish, if the leader doesn’t enjoy what they are do day-to-day. Enjoying work doesn’t mean there are not frustrations. There will always be difficulty and frustrations. But flourishing presupposes a leader who spends most of their time doing what they do best. They are using their gifts and talents and making their best contribution to the organization.

Legacy. There are many executives who lead growing businesses. There are fewer executives who lead growing businesses AND love their job. But there are very few executives who lead growing businesses, love their job, AND feel like they are making the world a better place. I call this legacy. Are you making the world a better place, or are you just making money? What will the world remember about you when you are gone?

Growth, Satisfaction and Legacy. Most mission-minded executives want all three. Maybe they use different words, but the underlying desire is the same – we all want to lead a growing organization, we want to love our work, and we want to make the world a better place. If we all want this, why is it so hard?

Because there are obstacles. There are obstacles in the way that are preventing you from achieving Growth, Satisfaction and Legacy. So, back to the beginning.

What are the obstacles keeping you and your business from flourishing?