The journey of leadership is often a winding path marked by personal growth, hard-earned wisdom, and the occasional stumble. This is a path well-known to Michael Roub, Managing Partner of Inflection 360, a business advisory firm that offers strategic guidance to healthcare practices and small businesses. Recently, Michael was featured on the Championship Leadership podcast, where he shared valuable insights on leadership, personal strengths, making mistakes, and how to leverage these to lead authentically.
Understanding Your Strengths and Weaknesses
In the realm of leadership, self-awareness is a crucial virtue. It’s about understanding your strengths and weaknesses and knowing how to utilize them effectively. Michael underlines this, saying, “Play to your strengths and recognize what your weaknesses are. Then start to decide whether those weaknesses are areas where you can grow and become something you’re competent at, or sometimes it’s just never in your wheelhouse.” As a leader, knowing your capabilities can help you delegate tasks wisely, ensuring that your weaknesses do not hinder your organization’s growth.
Taking Risks and Learning from Mistakes
Leadership isn’t always about making the right decisions. It’s also about taking risks and learning from your mistakes. Michael shared a pivotal moment in his career when he chose to leave investment banking for the tech sector – at exactly the wrong time. While he describes the move as “not great,” he doesn’t consider it a mistake. Instead, he sees it as a critical juncture that led him down a new path. “I never would have ended up in healthcare for the last 20 years if I had not made that the wrong jump there,” he reflects. The lesson here? Even perceived failures can open doors to unexpected opportunities.
Prioritizing Work-Life Balance
Great leaders understand the importance of work-life balance, not only for themselves but also for their team. Michael’s transition from investment banking to the tech sector was prompted by the desire to spend more time with his family. He notes, “I didn’t want to live to work; I wanted to work to live.” His story serves as a reminder that leadership involves not just career success but also personal fulfillment. An authentic leader values and nurtures all aspects of their life, understanding that success in one area can contribute to success in another.
Empowering Others
One of the hallmarks of authentic leadership is the ability to empower others. “Understand the people around you and their strengths as well as your own and then empower those people that you work with to step up,” Michael advises. When you recognize and foster the strengths of your team, you create a supportive environment that encourages growth. This not only enhances the overall productivity of your organization, but it also fosters a culture of mutual respect and collaboration.
Building Resilience
Resilience is a key quality in leadership. In challenging times, leaders must remain steadfast, adopting a mentality of moving forward regardless of the circumstances. “This is the hand I’ve been dealt now. Keep moving forward,” Michael asserts. Demonstrating resilience not only helps leaders navigate through difficulties, but it also inspires their team to do the same.
Connecting with Others
As a leader, it’s essential to connect with others, both within and outside your organization. Michael is a firm believer in this, stating, “I love when people reach out and just want to connect. Even if there’s not a long-term opportunity to do some work together, I still like to understand people’s journeys and help them.” He encourages leaders to be open and accessible, fostering an environment of open communication and shared growth.
As we apply these principles in our own leadership journey, we invite you to learn more about Inflection 360. Inflection 360 is a consulting partner to healthcare practices and business owners, developing customized strategic plans and delivering actionable results to maximize client performance.
Inflection 360’s team, led by Michael Roub, has significant experience working with clients across an array of healthcare specialties, including dental and medical practices, surgery centers, and other healthcare service businesses. They understand the challenges and changing regulatory considerations in healthcare and have developed particular strength in this area.
The firm provides comprehensive insight and services to clients at the most critical points of their business life cycle. Inflection 360 understands a business from multiple vantage points, assessing core business strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, and using a hands-on approach to drive results and ensure success.
By leaning into our strengths, embracing our weaknesses, and leading with authenticity, we can create a leadership legacy that inspires, empowers, and makes a lasting difference. As you navigate your leadership journey, remember the words of Michael Roub: “Play to your strengths and recognize what your weaknesses are.” In doing so, you’ll cultivate a leadership style that’s uniquely your own and perfectly suited to your team and organization.
So, we encourage you to reach out to Inflection 360, where the team is ready to help you navigate your own unique business challenges, leverage your strengths, and lead authentically. After all, authentic leadership is not just about leading others; it’s about understanding and leading oneself.
