Meet Transformative Leader George

Summary

George is a Transformative Leader who is reluctant. To help his startup reach the next level, he needs to step up, make some tough personnel decisions, and continue learning about his adopted region.

What would you do if you had this amazing product that could transform a region, but you did not have the team or context to make it work?

Meet George, a founder of a technology startup. He moved to West Africa and hired employees he felt weren't always working as hard as he was. His beliefs of what to expect were off because he was in a new context, and he couldn't get the resources needed to get to the next level because he didn't have the support to ensure his startup would continue operating while he traveled to raise funds.

George felt like he was:

Working with employees that were not motivated or living up to their potential.
Constantly having to put out fires and handle tasks that his managers should be tackling.
Avoiding having difficult conversations with key team members that would impact product development.
Missing out on things in his personal life. He was dedicated to building a successful startup but also wanted to ensure he had time for other things he loved.

George had 'everything' he needed to build his startup but was dealing with a mismatch of staff expectations, and he was reluctant to set boundaries and give consequences.

What We Worked on Together & Results

Together, we worked to increase his awareness by intentionally working through how he felt he showed up and how that compared to the 360 interviews we conducted with his team members. The results helped him focus on his strengths and gave him the confidence to have difficult conversations. We also roleplayed and worked through various scenarios about his key employees to ensure he was ready to engage with them. As a result, George increased his productivity (and his startup's productivity) by offboarding people who were no longer committed to adding value and onboarding people who were a better fit at the company's current stage. Finally, George optimized his schedule to create space for better conversations and relationships to secure money.

Why Work with Akua

"It took a while to choose the right coach. But once we chatted, it just connected. Someone that understands how to operate a company at the highest levels is really important for me, as you're coming from a place of solutions and practicality. Not from fluff and suggestions. Understanding as well Akua's experience working in multiple locations, expats, and continental Africans is key. It's a weird and evolving dynamic I'm looking forward to learning more about."