QFF: Founder of The Future Organization, on Growing a Successful Global Business with a Team of 20 Experts, Leading with Vulnerability, Innovation, and Leadership to Drive Success in the Future of Work and Employee Experience. (Episode 565 - Jacob Morgan)

In less than 20 minutes a week, we'll introduce you to an expert or business owner with deep experience in what they do. Grow you, grow your team, grow a small business.

In this episode of Grow a Small Business, host Michael Denehey interviews Jacob Morgan, 5x best-selling author, professionally trained futurist, and keynote speaker. He shares how he built a successful global business with a team of 20 experts. Jacob discusses the importance of leading with vulnerability, fostering innovation, and creating future-ready leaders. His insights reveal how embracing challenges and focusing on employee experience have driven his company's success in the ever-evolving world of work.

Jacob mentioned his book, Leading with Vulnerability, which can be accessed here. Listeners are also encouraged to subscribe to his Future Ready Leadership Newsletter for more insights.

Key Takeaways for Small Business Owners:

Lead with Vulnerability: Acknowledge mistakes, but always show how you're working to fix them. Vulnerability combined with leadership builds trust and fosters growth.

Foster a Learning Culture: Encourage your team to embrace challenges and gaps in skills as opportunities for learning, driving both personal and business growth.

Model Leadership: As a business owner, lead by example. Show your team it's okay to be vulnerable, but also demonstrate competence and solutions.

Our hero crafts outstanding reviews following the experience of listening to our special guests. Are you the one we've been waiting for?

Build Trust Through Openness: Vulnerability plays a key role in building trust within teams. Openly sharing challenges strengthens relationships and drives collaboration.

Adapt to Change: In a rapidly evolving business environment, continually assess your gaps and adapt your strategies to stay ahead in your industry.

Encourage Team Development: Empower your team to identify their own areas for improvement and take proactive steps

One action small business owners can take:

One actionable step small business owners can take, according to Jacob Morgan, is to lead by example. By demonstrating vulnerability themselves, business owners can set a precedent for their teams, showing that it is acceptable and encouraged within the organization. This approach helps create a culture where vulnerability is viewed as a strength rather than a weakness.

Do you have 2 minutes every Friday? Sign up to the Weekly Leadership Email. It's free and we can help you to maximize your time.

Enjoyed the podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes or your preferred platform. Your feedback helps more small business owners discover our podcast and embark on their business growth journey. 👇

Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest:

Vulnerability is not about exposing weakness; it's about demonstrating growth and learning – Jacob Morgan

The key to cultivating a culture of vulnerability is for leaders to first model it themselves – Jacob Morgan

Vulnerability without leadership can be misinterpreted; always pair it with a plan and purpose – Jacob Morgan