What does good Executive Leadership have to do with small business giving?
Inner Citadel Consulting blue and white Logo with tagline Notice. Engage. Empower. Repeat.
When I conceived of Inner Citadel Consulting, I essentially (as all small business owners do) conceived of a solution for a problem informed by my ideals. The problem I’m helping solve is that we often move smart, accomplished people from their areas of competence into leadership roles (without much skill building). So, I help highly skilled professionals learn to lead people too—and by consequence help leadership and decision-making teams have the conversations that mean they serve your clients better. Leadership development. Emotional Intelligence. Executive Coaching. All aligned with my personal value systems.
After my first year of business and a tough experience with a large health care client, I realized I also needed business values not just personal values. But they had to align with my personal ones. So I settled on three:
I need to trust the project lead (if I can’t trust them to articulate what outcomes they really want and what success is, to connect me with stakeholders, etc. I can’t do a good job)—no trust, no relationship;
I have to believe that the project will have an impact and support longer term change—no change, no value;
I have to believe in the work the company is doing—no good work, no good result.
These criteria have helped me figure out what projects to pursue and what to drop … and what to move away from as quickly as possible.
For the first couple of years in Vermont, as I was getting to know the community and asking them to get to know me, I did a lot of pro bono and “low bono” work. This aligned with my personal ideals and my business values. Now, half way through my third year rooted in Burlington, Vermont I’m shifting to sponsorship. Leaders give their time, their energy, their focus, their wisdom, their care & concern, and sometimes their emotional labor to their teams. That is, in effect, the currency of leadership. What they are “buying” is trust and engagement.
Through Inner Citadel Consulting I can give sponsorship dollars to organizations whose work ICC values. Like the United Way of Northwest Vermont’s Small Business Circle, KidSafe Collaborative, the Vermont Association of Broadcasters, the Vermont BCorp Collective through Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and the Vermont Brewers Association (OK, yes I like good beer, but did you know the VBA membership values environmental standards, equitable employment practices, and employs many, many Vermonters?).
I also give my time, expertise, and connections as a board member to organizations like All Brains Belong VT, which is bringing radical innovation to health care for neurodiverse patients whom “normal” healthcare systems neglect. Or to the International Coaching Federation, New England to support professional standards and ongoing excellence in the coaching industry. Or to Social Tinkering which seeks to eradicate loneliness and all the mental and physical illnesses that come from the cages our society has built around some of us.
I am surrounded professionally by small business owners who have set an example for me of amazing and often hidden generosity. All of us small business owners need to step into our communities with kindness, generosity, and belief in their values (personal and business). As we grow in skill and success, our impact on our communities can grow also. If you’re a small business owner near Burlington, reach out and let’s talk about the UWNWVT’s Small Business 365!
So… back to my original question. What does good leadership have to do with giving? Good leaders, great leaders, are authentically aligned and they GIVE—with joy, kindness and generosity—what their teams need. Are your leadership values aligned with your personal values? Are you giving your teams what they need? If your answers and theirs are not a resounding “Yes! Absolutely!”, let’s talk.
ICC will continue to sponsor and volunteer and maybe even someday just straight up donate. Be well, friends!
