The Tools I Use Daily

• ChatGPT: Perfect for research, brainstorming, and initial drafts
• Claude: Excels at nuanced writing tasks and context-specific content

Where AI Shines in Hiring:

• Drafting initial role descriptions (with expert templates)
• Generating preliminary interview questions
• Brainstorming potential KPIs for roles
• Creating first drafts of onboarding documents

Where AI Falls Short:

• Salary benchmarking (always unreliable)
• Creating compelling job advertisements from scratch
• Understanding the crucial difference between job ads and role descriptions
• Providing current market insights

Smart AI Implementation for Your Team:

• Set clear boundaries on approved AI tools
• Create guidelines for information sharing
• Establish quality control processes
• Define when to use AI vs human expertise

Protecting Your Business:

• Never input client information or private data
• Treat AI platforms as public spaces, even with privacy settings
• Anonymize all sensitive information
• Keep up-to-date templates for consistent output

Making AI Work Smarter:

• Use it for initial drafts, not final products
• Pair AI with expert templates and frameworks
• Always review and refine AI-generated content
• Focus on using AI to free up strategic thinking time

The Bottom Line

AI isn’t replacing expertise – it’s creating space for what really matters: leadership and growth. When used thoughtfully, it optimizes team performance and cuts costs while maintaining quality.

Ready to make AI work for your business?  Book a Dream Team Discovery Call to discuss your 2025 strategy.

About Paula Maidens Paula Maidens is a leadership and hiring strategist helping ambitious business owners build high-performing teams. With years of experience in recruitment and team optimization, she guides businesses in implementing effective AI strategies while maintaining human expertise.

The post AI in Hiring and Leadership: What Actually Works for Small Business Owners in 2025 appeared first on Paula Maidens.

These are important questions. But after 14 years as a Hiring Strategist and building three businesses myself, I can tell you with certainty – they’re not the right first questions.

The Common Approach (And Why It Fails)

The typical scenario plays out like this: A business owner realises they need proper documentation. They quickly download some templates, or hire someone to write something generic. Everyone signs off on the documents. They get filed away. Job done.

The typical scenario plays out like this: A business owner realises they need proper documentation. They quickly download some templates, or hire someone to write something generic. Everyone signs off on the documents. They get filed away. Job done.

Sound familiar?

If you’re nodding your head right now, you’re not alone. And I’m definitely not judging you… because I completely understand the impulse to get these things sorted quickly.

But here’s what 20+ years of transforming businesses has taught me: The most expensive team problems don’t stem from missing compliance documents. They come from missing foundations – which means you’ve skipped the strategy part of building out your team.

The Real Cost of Skipping Strategy

When we rush to tick the compliance box without first establishing strategic foundations, we create hidden costs that compound over time:

1. Misaligned Expectations Your role descriptions become generic documents that fail to clearly communicate what success looks like in your unique business context.
2. Cultural Disconnect Without strategic intent, your policies and procedures fail to shape the workplace culture you actually want to create.
3. Performance Gaps Generic documentation leads to generic performance – because you haven’t clearly defined what exceptional looks like for your specific business needs.
4. Hiring Mistakes When your foundational documents don’t reflect your strategic needs, you end up hiring for generic skills rather than specific capabilities that drive your business forward.

The Strategic Difference

When created with strategic intent, these “basic” documents become powerful tools that:

• Shape your desired culture to avoid so many problems from the get-go
• Create clarity that prevents conflicts
• Set expectations with detail and clarity that will in turn drive consistent performance
• Guide smart hiring decisions so you don’t have to ‘fire fast’
• Align your team with your vision

Think About It Like Building a House

You wouldn’t just focus on meeting building codes without first designing a home that works for how you live. Yet that’s exactly what happens when we rush to compliance without strategy.

The same document can tick all the compliance boxes but still fail to help your team perform, or your business grow or achieve its basic goals (like turning a profit!) if it’s not built on strategic foundations.

Moving Forward: Strategy First, Then Documentation

The real opportunity isn’t just in ticking boxes and getting your HR docs sorted… it’s in creating the foundation for a high-performing team that drives your business forward, increases your profit, and gives you back your time.

Here’s what this looks like in practice:

1. Start with Strategy Before touching any templates, get clear on:

• Your business vision and goals
• Your desired culture
• What success looks like in each role
• How each role contributes to your business objectives

2. Define Success Specifically Create role descriptions that:

• Reflect your unique business context
• Define clear success metrics
• Align with your culture and values
• Support your business strategy

3. Build Supporting Systems Develop policies and procedures that:

• Reinforce your desired culture
• Create clarity around expectations
• Support consistent performance
• Enable strategic growth

The Bottom Line

The biggest risk to your business isn’t a HR compliance claim – it’s the hidden cost of poorly designed foundations that fail to support your team to perform and therefore makes your growth and profit goals suffer.

Want to learn how to make your team documentation both compliant AND strategically powerful? Let’s have a chat about building foundations that truly serve your vision.

If you’re ready to transform your team documentation from basic compliance to strategic advantage, book a free call and let’s chat. 

The post The Hidden Cost of Rushing Your Team Documentation: Why Strategy Must Come First appeared first on Paula Maidens.

It’s not uncommon to feel a lack of confidence in entrusting tasks to others, fearing that they won’t be done correctly or up to your standards. But here’s the truth: learning to delegate is essential for scaling your business and freeing up your time to focus on growth generating activities.

A lack of confidence in delegating responsibilities can stem from a fear of losing control, concerns about a team members’ abilities, a reluctance to let go of tasks you’re familiar with, or a desire to be liked by your team, and not seen as mean. This mindset can often lead to micromanagement, overwhelm, avoidance and ultimately, hinder the growth of your business.

It’s essential to recognise that you can’t do it all alone – and that in order to grow, you need to delegate effectively!

To overcome resistance in delegating responsibilities to those on your team, consider implementing some of the following strategies:

Start Small

Begin by delegating small, low-risk tasks for you to build trust and confidence in your team members’ abilities. As they demonstrate competence and reliability, gradually increase the complexity and frequency of the tasks you delegate.

Provide Clear Instructions

When delegating tasks, be specific about what needs to be done, why it’s important, and when it needs to be completed. Provide clear instructions, guidelines, and resources to set your team members up for success.

Offer Support and Feedback

Empower your team members by offering support, guidance, and constructive feedback along the way. Agree to meet at particular time each week so that you can be available to answer questions, provide clarification, and offer assistance as needed.

Remember to celebrate their successes and use any mistakes as learning opportunities to grow and improve your systems and processes together.

Trust Your Team

Trust is the foundation of effective delegation.

Have faith in your team members’ abilities and resist the urge to micromanage.

Delegate with confidence, knowing that you’ve chosen capable individuals who are committed to the success of your business.

Focus on Results, Not Methods

Instead of dictating how tasks should be completed, focus on the desired outcomes and allow your team members the autonomy to determine the best approach where relevant. Encourage creativity and innovation, and trust that they will find solutions that align with the goals and values of your business.

Lead by Example

As a leader, it’s essential to model the behaviour you want to see in your team. By leading by example, you’ll inspire confidence and empower your team to take ownership of their work.

Remember:

Delegating responsibilities is a strategic decision that allows you to leverage the talents and abilities of your team to achieve greater results.

By starting small, providing clear instructions, offering support and feedback, trusting your team, focusing on results, and leading by example, you can overcome resistance in delegation and become a more empowered leader.

Together as a team you can achieve far more than you could ever could alone, because big dreams need great teams!

If you’d like support, consider booking a free 45-minute Dream Team Discovery Call with Paula. You can talk about your business goals and how you can rally your team to support you to achieve your big goals. 

Book a time HERE

The post How To Successfully Delegate Responsibilities To Your Team And Be An Empowered Leader appeared first on Paula Maidens.

Your partner, your friends… your team.
So, how do you know where the line falls between being reasonable or unreasonable with your “asks”?

Hmm.. when you are busy and stressed, this can be hard to know.

As a high achiever, you’ll naturally hold pretty high expectations for yourself and in turn, you’ll hold high expectations for everyone around you.

(Which is a good thing!)

But often all that hope and excitement can come crashing down when those high expectations aren’t met.  

Those initial hopeful feelings get replaced with heavy disappointment and confusion.

This is when you’ll start to ask “Is what I’m asking for reasonable or unreasonable???”

So how the heck do you know? 

Here’s what won’t help you to answer that question:

Looking around at what other people are doing or what other people can ‘expect’ from someone in a similar role.

Because what applies to their business, doesn’t automatically apply to yours.

That’s the confusing reality with this ‘team’ stuff.  

Unique people, unique businesses, unique asks, unique solutions.

You can however ask yourself these key questions to reflect on your own unique situation to start to uncover if you are being reasonable or unreasonable:

1⃣ CLARITY: Did the person have all the info they needed? Have I been explicit with my ask?

2⃣ WORKLOAD: Do they have the capacity to complete what I’m asking?

3⃣ SKILLS: Do they have the skills or knowledge necessary to do the thing?

4⃣ DESIRE: Does this fall within their wheelhouse? Within their role and what they like and want to do?

Here’s the thing…

You’ll be able to answer some of this… but you often won’t be answer it all on your own

It’s likely you’ll need to reflect and then step into a conversation with them – to truly get the information you need to understand what’s going wrong. 

The good news is that these conversations DON’T have to be awkward, confrontational and or unnecessarily difficult.

(They CAN actually be inspiring, clarifying and result in a much stronger relationship)

But to achieve this, they need preparation and the right language… a technique you’ll usually need to learn. 

So, if you have a situation where you are asking yourself “am I being reasonable” then I invite you to reach out to me.  I’d love to help you to map a powerful, effective AND graceful conversation that leaves you feeling confident, proud and clear with your path forward to your high expectations getting met.

We can cover this in a 2 Hour Strategy & Action Call

Teaching entrepreneurs how to have tricky conversations is my superpower and as my clients attest, once you’ve learnt this leadership skill, it stays with you forever.

Let me leave you with this Saying nothing is actually saying something.

So it’s time to say what you need to.

Check the link HERE to grab a time or book a FREE Dream Team Discovery Call to chat about what’s right for you.

The post How to know if you are being Unreasonable? appeared first on Paula Maidens.

For some of the incredible clients I’ve had the pleasure of working with, balance is all about the hours they work – or don’t work, for that matter. 

It’s about:

Relishing those blissful Fridays off.

Clocking out in time for the school pick-up.

Thriving on a 20-hour workweek.

But for others, balance is more of a feeling:

It’s the joy of not having work constantly looming over your thoughts.

It’s the freedom to glance at your calendar and see pockets of time for family, hobbies, or just a bit of peace and quiet.

It’s that inner “calm” that comes from knowing you’re in control of your life.

Now, here’s where it gets exciting. When I work with my private clients in my 12-week coaching program, we make it a point to talk about and set an aspirational BALANCE goal. Even if that goal seems miles away, we use it as our guiding star, linking every decision, every hire, and every process to inch closer to turning that aspiration into a reality.

So, here’s the deal. If you’re reading this and you’re sensing that your life is a tad OUT of balance, if you’re itching to find that path toward living your aspirational life.  

When we dive into this journey together, here’s what’s in store:

We’ll uncover your one-of-a-kind leadership style and then roll up our sleeves to build (or tweak!) your dream team into a crew that has you doing a happy dance daily because they’re your backbone on the road to achieving your aspirational balance goal.

We’ll implement simple yet remarkably effective changes to your team structure, allowing you to step back while still driving outstanding performance and results.

And here’s the best part – before you know it, your once-aspirational idea of balance will become your new normal.

With only 90 days left in 2023, let’s make a plan to set you up for an aspirational 2024! Let’s have a chat. Book your no-obligation, FREE Dream Team Discovery Call about your unique situation, your business goals, and what it looks like to join forces and make incredible things happen. Find a time that suits you here.

The post Finding Your Balance: It’s More Attainable Than You Think appeared first on Paula Maidens.

Recently, three of my clients have been working towards taking uncontactable time out of their business and we’ve been working together on strategies and actions to make sure this is a success.

(And by success… I mean YOU relaxing and the BUSINESS thriving)

And as a CEO of a multi 6 or 7-figure business then at some stage in the near future YOU will face a similar point where you want (or need!) to take some **real** time out of your business, whether it’s for health or holiday or something else.

Here’s what you need to do to make stepping away, being truly uncontactable a roaring success for YOU and YOUR BUSINESS.

Start talking about it early (aka now!)

Give everyone involved time to think about what they’d like to know, learn, and be able to do with heaps of time for discussion and planning.

Review your normal ‘responsibilities’ over the time period you are likely to be away and bucket them into 

a) what *must* be done 

b) what *could* be done by someone else and 

c) what *can’t* be done by anyone else

Start training. 

Record processes and begin training for what you are handing over – the bonus about this is you may decide to never take it back!
For the items in the ‘can’t be done by anyone else’ bucket, formulate a plan to communicate a delay or consider bringing things forward.

Do not let your brain easily accept ‘I’ll just have to do this while I’m away’.
Keep looking for an alternative solution (there usually is one but it may require some digging and re-wiring of your normal thought patterns to find it).

Plan who the team can ‘go to’ while you are away.

This can look like formally appointing someone to step up while you are away or even just nominating certain people to be ‘go to’ people to be a sounding board when judgements need to be made.

Feel the fear and do it anyway! 

It’s 100% better to facing this for the first time in a planned way (rather than facing it via an emergency >> hello that time I had emergency surgery after a surfing accident and found myself dialing into meetings from my hospital bed..)

Remember a normal evolution of scaling your business is testing it’s ability to run without you.. So this is normal AND it needs to happen.

View it as an opportunity for everyone in the business to grow and elevate and you’ll all be better off for it, and you’ll be refreshed and rejuvenated when you return.

Want a hand to empower your team so you can step away and know your business is going to be 100% ok?

Jump on a Dream Team Discovery Call and let’s chat!

The post It’s time to take time OUT of your business appeared first on Paula Maidens.

As you grow a business you’re naturally in hustle mode, doing lots, if not all, of the things. Often you’re doing a bunch of things you’d rather not have to keep doing. So you get to a point where you know you don’t want to do all of that anymore. So you start to question –

• Do I still need to do that?
• Do I still need to do it that way?
• Do I still need to do that at all?

Because you notice these feelings you’re having aren’t sustainable. You don’t want to keep feeling like this with this level of frustration or overwhelm. So it becomes exploration of permission –

• Is it okay to not want to do this anymore?
• Is it okay to not want to feel like this anymore?
• Or is this just one of those things in business that you’re meant to accept? It not feeling great.

So we need to learn how to break through those questions, overcome all the doubt and start trusting ourselves again.

So to give ourselves permission to do things the way we would like, we need firstly to have an understanding of self.

• What is your style?
• What do you like?
• What don’t you like?
• What triggers you?
• What do you need and what do you not need?

And then once we know this about ourselves, the second element comes into play when we’re dissecting and shifting from that space of doubt to the permission space.

Now that I know myself, how do I ask for what I want and need in a way that makes me feel good? Or more to the point, doesn’t make me feel like a bitch.

How do I gracefully ask for and have a conversation about what is going to make me feel great? In a way that leaves me and the person receiving the ask both feel really good about it.

Through the process of peeling back the layers, asking the questions, leaning into the feeling, you’ve shift away from, do I have the right to feel this way? You shift into a solutions focused mode without the emotional blame and labelling and start focusing on the ways that are available to solve the problem, whilst your team get what they need from you in a way that also feels good to you and allows you to be in your flow as much as possible.

So suddenly – through this understanding of self and giving permission – you’ve shifted from feeling doubt about all your frustrations with your team to accepting your feelings and focusing on the solutions needed to solve the situation in a way that feels good to you and gets your team member the information they need also to succeed.

By giving yourself permission to analyze your feelings, you’ve equally uncovered and shown to yourself opportunity where somebody else can support you

There’s no right or wrong, but it is the exploration of what you’re feeling, and you can’t explore what you’re feeling unless you have given yourself permission to feel those things. So permission to feel now, next step, let’s explore and dig around deeper into the specifics of what am I feeling? Why am I feeling it? What am I worried about? So you can really get to see the heart of your uniqueness and what you actually need.

Permission to feel what you’re feeling, permission to want it to be different, permission to not need to do things in a certain way, and permission to lean into what you want and to explore your own appetite for what support looks like, what feeling safe looks like for you, what control you want to keep about the details in your business or release about the details of your business.

So as the leader of your business, you get to set up systems and processes to support you and systems the function of your business in a way that helps you thrive. You also get to hire the people who want to work in that way too. Then as you and your business evolve, you get to reassess the way you’re working and explore if a new way of doing something feels like a better fit. And being unattached and not letting it be personal. This is the way I need the business to operate for it to feel really great for me as the CEO.

Peel back the layers and look for the specifics within the feeling and ask yourself, is there a system or process that could be put in place to give me the safety and sense of the control around this bit?

And can I hand over the rest? And if I was to do that, would I feel more positive about this thing or the way we’re doing this thing?

I feel like this conversation is one we need to keep having. We need to give ourselves the permission to feel the feelings about the things we’re doing and to lean into how we would like it to look different. Then we need to explore the actions we need to take to shift it from here to there, without the doubt.

**Want to dive deeper into dealing with doubt as a leader – tune into my Big Dreams Great Teams podcast ep here

The post Dealing with DOUBT as a leader appeared first on Paula Maidens.

But when you are expanding your BUSINESS, you are expanding your SELF

And when you are expanding your SELF you need to look inwards to find the resistance

And face it head on

We ALL have established beliefs about what we think ‘needs’ to happen in our business

And many of those beliefs are so fixed

Because our history becomes our norm unless we challenge it to grow and improve

It’s up to you >> as the CEO to look around at your norm

And question where it can evolve and expand

Because your business can’t expand itself

YOU need to expand >> for your business to expand

For me, an old belief showed up recently >> “I can’t take a proper holiday with my family because I didn’t plan it well enough in advance”

4 days into the “working holiday” I decided to challenge that belief.

FROM I need to be more organised to take a holiday 

TO I’ve got amazing clients and an amazing team and everything doesn’t need to be perfectly organised for it to be OK

Guess what?

It was

I see so many established beliefs and routines holding so my clients back from having their business run in a way that feels great.

It’s typically past experiences that have turned into norms that are stopping the business (including the team) to expand to the next level.

So, where is this happening for you??

Do you think you have to prep on a Sunday to make sure your team know what to do by Monday AM?

Is it that you reschedule your team meetings {if you can’t make it} because you believe they can’t happen without you?

Have you decided someone isn’t ‘wired’ a certain way so you’ve stop asking/encouraging them to be what you need?

Do you believe there is “no way” you can explain {insert job} to someone {new/else} because it’s “too complicated”? 

Have you delayed hiring someone amazing for your team because you believe it’s not possible?

>> Every single one of my clients feels all these things at some stage. It’s totally normal. But here’s the thing.

It doesn’t need to stay that way

Dig around.

Challenge the belief.

I promise you’ll look back feeling proud of your new norm

Join me on my facebook group Savvy CEO Secrets for Entrepreneurs for more entrepreneur tips, live training & support.

The post Is it time to challenge your beliefs? appeared first on Paula Maidens.

Sometimes we focus so much on ensuring our team is highly engaged that it can actually be to our – and their – detriment.

Not sure what I mean?

Imagine this  

A few years ago, I wanted one of my team members to feel super happy they chose to work in my business, with me.

So how did I go about achieving this? Simple. ​I ​became their biggest​ cheerleader​.

It looked a lot like this…​

• I ​was​ so so supportive    
• ​Super​ encouraging and
• ​Always making sure they felt comfortable at every opportunity    

  I thought I was doing a great job at managing them and while this might sound good on paper, the reality was that I wasn’t doing them or me any favours.

By acting this way, holding on so tight to keep them happy   

I was NOT letting THEM hold responsibility for themselves and their own performance.

Read that line again.​ It’s a biggie.

That’s right – by bouncing around them with my pom poms at the ready almost all the time, even band-aiding mistakes by just fixing it myself​ – it meant​ that they didn’t notice when they weren’t doing their jobs well.

This may work ok for everyone for a little while, but eventually, you end up ​decid​ing you’ve had enough. 

I ​sure had. I became tired and exhausted from trying to do #allthethings and if I’m honest…I got resentful that they weren’t stepping up the way I actually wanted them to. 

So how did I turn it around from cheerleader with pom poms to an empowering and inspiring leader with clear and kind expectations?​

It started with sitting my team member down and having that (well overdue) conversatio​n. Finally sharing with them everything that actually wasn’t working for me.

Which came as a huge surprise to them.

Because, you know… where had that cheerleader gone? And why did I keep quiet when everything wasn’t quite so dandy all along?

Thankfully I’ve gotten a whole lot better at this​ and if any of this story resonates with you and where you’re currently at… I want you to know it’s possible to get back on track and align with the leader you really want to be and need to be.​

For both you and your business! Where to start?

Less cheerleading.

More honest leading.

Less tears.

Less fears​.

​More open and motivating conversations and much clearer, better expectation setting.

Responsibility on them to do the work .

Responsibility on me (you!) to be clear. 

And do you want to know the big thing that I now realise I was doing wrong in those early days of adjusting to being a leader in my own business?

I was making it personal. 

​So very personal.

I knew I wanted more from my team. 

But, I was afraid to rock the boat, seem mean or trigger a team member to leave me in the lurch.

But here’s the thing.

You should want more.

You should expect more.

Because, we should all be always on a path of improvement and growth… improving ourselves, our business and of course, lifting each other up along the way. 

But the problem is that most of us make it personal.

We make it about us as individuals, rather than making it about the business.

So if you are reading this wondering if you are too, then I want to help you to make this feel really clear and get you on the path to a high performing team lead by an inspiring leader (you!)

Ready?

Here it is :-

You are not your business. 

Your business is a thing, separate to you. 

YOU are the CEO (of your business) and it’s your job to move your business forward from where it is now…to where it needs to be.

And there are clear results that you need from your team, for that to happen.

You might be the one setting the goals and deciding what return you want from your business.

But you are still not your business.

So, you aren’t being mean when you have high expectations for the people working for you.

It’s not unreasonable to be crystal clear on what your business needs to get bigger and better results. 

In fact, it’s pretty darn smart!

And being liked? Well that one might be beneficial, but it’s actually not essential.

So let’s summarise this:

Liked?

Nice to have. 

Your team members working ​in line with your values, your business goals and able to deliver your outcomes? ​

Essential.

Because, expecting a clear set of outcomes for your team, in exchange for the investment your business is making (by paying them), is not personal.

If this is resonating with you, here is one tiny way you can make that shift in your business today.

Substitute “Can you to do this for me” with “What the business requires is….” (and be really specific)

And ​notice​ how different that feels.

​And in time, how different that looks – in your office, with your team and in their performance towards your business goals​.

​Less cheerleading….more leading your business to your goals!

Come on over and join me and other successful entrepreneurs for more team buildling tips and weekly live trainings in my Facebook group, Savvy CEO Secrets for Entrepreneurs. 

The post Are you making your leadership too personal? appeared first on Paula Maidens.

What’s the connection?

Is there a connection?

The journey of business is a journey of learning how to be a great leader, and we can draw on so many lessons from yoga.

People used to think that Yoga was for hippies, or only for very-flexible 20-something young women. As a businesswoman in her early 40’s, Yoga has been a foundational part of my life for 15+ years. I’ve been told on more than one occasion that when I practice Yoga I’m a better leader, a better businesswoman, a better mum and a better wife. 

Well, there you go.

Perhaps the very fact that the people around me are brave enough to tell me something like that will give you an indication of the type of communication and environment I encourage.

My experience with Yoga was unexpected. Living in London from 2004 to 2010, I was focused on travel, my career and my social life. I was busy and working in a high-pressured, stress-is-normal type of job. I didn’t love the gym, but I knew I needed to at least try to be fit and keep myself healthy. So off I would go to the gym a few hours a week in an attempt to offset the many hours at the pub.  One week I chose what appeared to me as the ‘easy option’ and walked into my first Yoga class. While I wouldn’t say that I loved it (took a while for that) it quickly became something that I depended on and enjoyed. 

Fast forward to now and it’s an essential part of my life and the secret to balancing out business, leadership and staff challenges, family, motherhood, relationships…. well, everything really.

In the last 4 years, I’ve taken that love for Yoga one step further, building from scratch a bustling Yoga Studio in Brisbane. I used my Recruitment & HR framework to create a thriving workplace of choice, that runs effectively & profitably as a business, largely without me. 

Having spent the last 15 years in Recruitment & HR, and the last ten in a consulting capacity to businesses of all sizes, I’ve often wondered how to communicate properly the notion that we can draw so much learning from every environment we are in, including a Yoga class. 

So here are the 10 leadership lessons you’ll learn when you attend a Yoga class:

1. Yoga will remind you to be humble

As the leader in your business, you are good at what you do and probably operating at a high level of Unconscious Competence. In every single Yoga class, you will be faced with (at least) one position that you find challenging. Yoga will remind you what it’s like to be a beginner again and perhaps you’ll have a bit more patience and empathy for those in your business who are moving through a learning phase.

2. Yoga will make you feel and look a bit silly

Yoga will put you back outside your comfort zone, unlike in your daily role where there may not be as many things that ‘catch you by surprise’. Yoga will remind you to laugh at yourself when you have no idea what you are doing. It may remind you what it can be like for someone on their first day in a new role, or taking on that brand new, crazy, never-been-done-before idea you’ve just suggested. 

3. Yoga will remind you of what you already know – that everyone is different

In Yoga, everyone has obvious physical differences (anatomically) and less obvious exercise, fitness, mental and life history. Fit, injured, anxious, stressed, flexible, inflexible, everyone — including you — will bring their stuff into the room. What you bring with you will challenge and limit both your physical capabilities and your mental belief systems. This may change the way you look at your team. The next time someone doesn’t do something exactly the way you want it done, you may become interested to know a bit more about what they are ‘bringing with them into the room’.

4. Yoga will remind you that everyone hears information differently

In a Yoga class everyone receives the same instructions from the same person, but people still end up facing different directions and in a slightly different version of the position. As a class attendee, you’ll go through a range of emotions. At first you may find yourself annoyed at the ‘bad instructions’ but after a while you’ll get to know the teacher, and you will know what they mean when they are having a bad day. Then you might start to wonder how much of this is about you and how much is about them, and maybe you’ll ponder how well you explain your own instructions and whether everyone is ‘facing the right way’.

5. Yoga will show you that a group of people regularly coming together doesn’t make a team 

In a Yoga class, a group of people gather together regularly for a common purpose, exchange pleasantries, but operate as individuals with very different goals. Yoga might help you look at what’s happening in your business with fresh eyes and whether you have a team or a bunch of individuals coming together regularly. 

6. Yoga will make you more aware of yourself and your triggers

In a 60 minute class you’ll feel annoyed, frustrated, even angry, but also satisfied, proud and pleased. After a while, you’ll start to smile and understand the when and the why. You might even stop blaming the teacher We all know that good self-awareness and understanding our own emotions can be a challenge but is also an essential part of being a calm, consistent leader.

7. Yoga will remind you that no one likes a show-off. 

In every yoga class you’ll see one… someone who feels to you like they are showing off. And then perhaps you can ponder the difference between being inspiring and leading by example, and showing off or being dismissive. 

8. Yoga will hone your concentration skills and remind you how important it is to focus on one thing at a time. 

In yoga, you simply can’t try to do too many things at once, because ultimately if you don’t concentrate on the right thing – you fall over.

9. Yoga will help you clear your thoughts and offer you clarity about what’s important. 

Concentrating on listening, doing and not falling over means that your subconscious ticks away ‘solving things’ which will leave you feeling more decisive and energetic. Great leaders make good decisions and have loads of energy. They create and hold the energy for their team through difficult or challenging times. 

10. Yoga will teach you to pause and breathe.  

Yoga will teach you pranayama and meditation techniques, which are simple tools to teach your mind (and your emotions) to slow down, focus and be calm.  Usually linked to deep breathing, these are tools that your subconscious will store away and eventually draw on when you need it as a leader. That might be when you’ve had a surprise resignation, a serious customer complaint, or lost a key client. Suddenly – one day – you won’t react. You’ll take a big breath in, let it out and then choose what you want your response to be in that moment. And just like that, you’ve become an amazing Mindful Leader, choosing to react as your best self. 

Interested in learning how to transform your current team members into a dynamic high performing team actually achieving your goals?

Hop on a Free Discovery Call with me to discuss your challenges and learn how I have used my HR & Recruitment framework to build my Yoga business to run predominately without me.

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