Latest / The Delegation Download Podcast / Behind the Strategy: What Intentional Planning Looks Like at Elevate with Ashley Carlson and Nichole Hughes

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Behind the Strategy: What Intentional Planning Looks Like at Elevate with Ashley Carlson and Nichole Hughes · The Delegation Download Podcast

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Delegation Download Podcast, where business owners, CEOs, and leaders learn to work smarter, not harder.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_01: We're your hosts, Nicole Hughes and Ashley Carlson, here to share real stories, expert tips, and simple strategies to help you delegate with confidence and grow your business with support.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_01: Because you can do anything, but not everything.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to the Delegation Download Podcast, where we have real conversations about what it takes to lead, grow, delegate, and build a business that doesn't depend on you doing everything yourself.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: For the next four episodes, we're doing something a little different.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: We're taking you back to Elevate's leadership retreat last year in Nashville, where our team stepped away from the day-to-day to work through our own strategic mapping process.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: And we're bringing you behind the scenes.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: You'll hear from the Elevate team members who were in the room as we talked about where we were, where we wanted to go, and what needs to happen in order to get there.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: These conversations are real, they're candid, and they give you a look at what strategic planning actually sounds like when you're in the middle of building and growing a business.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: So welcome to this special four-part series of the Delegation Download.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_01: Pull up a chair and join us at the table.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: Let's get into it.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to our final episode, our final mini episode of the Delegation Download at the 2025 Elevate Strategic Planning Retreat here in Nashville, Tennessee.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: This episode, we're going to be wrapping up the questions with Ashley taking the lead on the mic and then doing a final reflection on what this intentional time has meant to us, to Elevate, to our team, and how you can turn it around and implement it in your own business.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: So Ashley, floor is yours.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: So this is your fourth annual retreat.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: And because we come to Nashville, you travel 36 miles.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Whole half an hour.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: But you also bring all the things.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: So we appreciate it.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I would love to know for you in your specific role at Elevate, what does our strategic planning together do for you?
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: So for me, it's been different.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: And Monica and I were actually talking about this because for strategic planning, I've never not been a part of one.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: So I have never seen Elevate without a strategic plan, which, and I've never seen it from a non-leadership perspective.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: So for me, it has been ingrained.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's just part of what we do.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: It's nothing new to me, but it really makes it clear on what I need to work on moving forward.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that we as individuals, we as a business, we as a leadership team have evolved to be one more realistic with the time that we have in the year and each month to accomplish the goals that we are establishing, identifying, moving on to the next year to refine.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think it's just been really important for me as an individual to have that goal so that I do not feel lost throughout the year.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I know what my purpose is and I know what my goal is, and I know what I'm supposed to be doing.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_01: Because I think you can get lost in the day-to-day and the things that spring up out of the blue.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: As we all know, those things happen all the time.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yes.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: But I feel like without having a clear path of where I'm going, I would take a trail that's not paved.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: I would get lost in this forest of trying to navigate the year of business.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think that um it's it helps you kind of even if you have to pivot or take a quick detour, it gets you back on track.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: You have a little bit of a North Star.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, to just keep going.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I would love to know.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Well, for us this year, we did something a little bit different.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: So that was new to you and me.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I decided that our team has become so strong, our leadership team, that I wanted each of you to make your own workshop to do.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I said, what do you feel like we need to workshop together?
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Put like put your creative cap on and come up with it.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: So I'd love to hear for you what was your workshop on and why did you feel like that's was important?
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: So my workshop was on a visibility focus, specifically for marketing in social media platforms, not necessarily the podcast, not necessarily newsletters, but really focusing on our social media presence.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I think we do a really great job at providing tips and tricks for those business owners who are there that are going through the day-to-day of how do I make this work or how do I make this more effective?
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: But I really wanted to get other people's perspectives on how we can bring the client experience to our social media presence.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: So I want to be able to talk to people who have never met us before.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: I want to talk to the people who have just onboarded with us or just had a clarity call or just been sent the proposal.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: I want to talk to the clients that are currently working with us.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: And then I also want to talk to the people who are on the verge of a graduation or are expanding their business and growing or have already left on a graduation because their business has scaled and they've hired somebody branding to work in office with them or a full-time position.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: And so I wanted to have the perspective from each team member within their own individual role, what they see at each of those phases, and how we can then transfer that into social media for others to see as well.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think being able to speak to the client journey because we, I feel like, have put so much work into making sure each step of the client journey is awesome and successful.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: And we're always looking to identify gaps and do better.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: And so being able to showcase that in marketing because it's very hard to explain what it's like to work with Elevate in marketing.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: And so I love that we were able to unpack that a little bit and see what it's like without putting like a timeline on our Instagram feed, like every single post is a different part of the journey.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: But without doing that, it's hard to verbalize that and you can't just do it in one post.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like it is a it is a very thoughtful process that we have established for our client journey.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I want to be really intentional about how we are showcasing that so that people understand and can even ask questions on well, what what does it look like if I'm at this point in my client journey?
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: What does it look like if I'm here?
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: And I want us to be able to not only vocalize that in a conversation, but also be able to showcase it.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: So if someone were, or if we were to implement something from your workshop, just one thing, what would that like next step, next project look like?
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: Hmm.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: That we talked about so many great things.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um I think one thing that we talked about a lot yesterday, and it ties into Amanda's and it ties into Monica's workshop as well.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: And um, Monica and I were talking about it too, is like we all have these different paths that we're gonna be on, but at one point or another, we're all gonna like be in an intersection like the four-way stock.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna be like, hey, I need your help.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_01: I need your help.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's help each other.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: And then we keep going our opposite directions.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: But um, it's getting the client input.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's really important because we need to make sure that it's not just coming from our perspective, because as much as we are supporting each other, we're supporting the clients and we need their feedback so that we can be as transparent as possible in what the client experience is.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and not just the wins, I think it would be really important also to maybe showcase like, here's a gap that happened and here's how we solved it.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: So it's not just we have all of these wins.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: There have been gaps, but we have solved them.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: And we've solved them as a collaborative team, not as an individual.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: And so I really want to get the client's input in the stuff that we're gonna put out there.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because I think that some people, and where we don't want to have this happen is the fact that sometimes you can appear just talk about all the good stuff.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: And then when you do have someone work with you, they actually aren't even aware of how you handle the gaps, the roadblocks, the problems.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: Because the truth is, is life is imperfect, people are imperfect, business is imperfect, there's always gonna be changes and it's new issues, new things that pop up.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: And it's something that I think we're really good at is being problem solvers.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that by showing that we're not afraid of problems coming up and we're able to tackle them is important for us.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: Because we don't want to just appear that everything's hunky-dory, because truth is we're people who deal with business.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: So there's always gonna be something that we're tackling and we want someone in your corner who can do that.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: So exactly, I agree.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, now, because we'll small business owners, what is one piece of advice that you would give to them if they are trying to be more intentional with their strategic planning?
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: If they want to do something like this, get their head on straight, get all the things together.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: What is an piece of advice that you would give them?
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, this is so hard because I feel like I've answered it a little bit in every conversation that I've had with everybody else, kind of piggybacked off what they said.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but one thing that I said in the conversation with Monica is this, your business, you are in a relationship with your business.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: So you have to treat your business as a relationship.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: If you are neglecting the relationship you have with your business, then other things are going to crumble and other people are going to feel the effect of it.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: So making sure that you are setting aside this time, this intentional time to date your business, to remember why you fell in love with your business in the first place is really important so that you make sure that you're staying intentional with what your vision is, what your goals are, and making sure that you don't go down a path that you never wanted to be on in the first place because you have hit the point of no return and you just are trying to survive.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: You're no longer thriving.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: You're just surviving.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's, I mean, to your point, another analogy is we are, I mean, not all of us do, but we're supposed to get annual checkups for our bodies.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: And we want to know if the check engine light is on somewhere.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: We want to know that if a test comes back, that maybe we're not feeling it yet, but something, our body is telling us something.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's kind of like that.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: We need to just check on our business, take time to look back.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: How is it doing?
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: How have we been doing?
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: What did we try that isn't working or is working?
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: And you have to be able to check in with that and just reflect.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: And for us, I know we've talked about it before.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: We want to be able to celebrate what we did well, right, for the year.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: We want to be able to say, you know, this is what went, we we actually did all these things because I mean, just yesterday when we were all talking, it was so hard for us to remember what we did in January.
• 10:44
  unknown: Yeah.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I don't, uh it was the month after Christmas.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's what we did in January.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's hard to remember.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: So I definitely think that it's it's just such a great time to yes, have that plan going ahead, but it's also just as important to look back.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_01: And I I think it's important that people understand that strategic planning does not have to come at the end of the year.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: It can be at any point in the year.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: Like you can say, okay, by you can do an April to April calendar if that's how you want your business to run, and you line it up with tax season.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: Like you want to make sure by next tax season you have all of these things done.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_01: So either one you can file as a different business type.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: You can make sure that you have all of your bookkeeping in check for taxes.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: So just because we do our strategic planning in November for the following year does not mean that it has to be a calendar year planning.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: You can do it whenever you want to.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: And that maps out the next 12 months, right?
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: Not just the next calendar year.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: It's the next 12 months.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: So keep that in mind when you're thinking about, well, I don't have time to fit this into this year.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: That's okay.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: Fit it in next quarter.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_01: Fit it in the quarter after that.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: You don't, it does not have to be done at a specific time, and that's part of the beauty of it.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: You just have to start, you just have to get it done for the next four quarters.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like we're sitting here at the beginning of Q4 planning the next four quarters.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: We don't do it in January to reflect on the entire last year because we it just timing-wise, it doesn't work for us.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: And we want to be able to start the year with a beer head, and so we prefer to do it early in Q4.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: That just works for us.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: So pick, like you said, pick the month that works for you and just plan, look back at the next or the last four quarters and plan for the next four.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: That's it.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: There's flexibility.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think in business you have to be flexible.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: And this is a good example of that.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I have a question.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um just we're going to do some fun questions.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I know you've been asking everybody, I actually have no idea what you've asked.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: They've actually all asked me questions.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I haven't asked anybody questions.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_01: No, I haven't asked anybody a fun question.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_01: They all asked me fun questions, and then they're um, I asked Monica and Amanda in response to their fun question, the same fun question.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, oh well, what did you want to do?
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but no, I have not like asked, so it's been like the tables have been turned and I've had a lot of questions today.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, okay.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I don't know if I'm gonna repeat the any questions.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully not.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: My question is is if you had were able to go on a dream vacation, or or we could say a dream weekend, like with your let's just say that.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, what would you do?
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know, honestly.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_01: So I love tropical weather, I love the beach, but also love the mountains.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't know where I could go.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I don't know where that exists.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um I think that if it was like a dream weekend, I love being at a lake with like those that fog over the lake and a cabin and with like your sweater on and your Uggs and all the fuzzy socks and a cup of coffee, um, and a fire golly and s'mores and maybe a hot toddy, but that would be for later.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: And then um, but the beach, I mean, I love tropical beaches.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: I love being able to stick my sand and my sand and my toes, my toes in the sand and feel warm water and just be able to like let that sea breeze hit you.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's I think as a pain as it is to like wash it off later and how your skin feels, it's just so refreshing to be there.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I think part of it is the serenity of it, knowing that like there's so many bigger things out there.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: Like you can just be, you are a dot on the map in this moment, and you're surrounded by all of this beauty and like all this natural beauty, and just to have that.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: So I think it'd be anywhere where it's like serene and just the elements.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_01: I just love that.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I love it.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: I am definitely that mountain feeling person.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: That that feeling that you just described, where it it's a good reminder of how small you are.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: There is something about it.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: I if I could wake up with a view of the mountains and a lake or whatever it is every day, that would be my dream.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: But if I if it's just for a weekend dream vacation, I'll take that too.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I definitely think there's just something about that.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: To remind you how small you are.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_01: And just because we're small doesn't mean that we're not making a big impact.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: No, but just in the grand scheme of things, like you look at a mountain, yes, and the the size ratio from you to a mountain, and you're like, holy cow! Yes.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's wild.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I like a crisp mountaineer.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: There's something different about it.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: Something different.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you for joining me on the delegation download mini-series.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it has been so fun to turn the tables.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: How do you feel um that this retreat has been for yourself as a business owner?
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um with different people here, a different strategy for the workshop.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: Do you feel like it has gone better than previous years?
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: Do you feel like there was a weight lifted off your shoulders because you weren't posting and putting together everything and coming up with the initiatives?
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's a great question.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: I really, so like the first day was all of our workshops, and then tomorrow we're doing all of the planning, which is pulling together everything we found.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm leading all of that.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: But that's where I'm facilitating the workshops we were all able to lead.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I encourage all of you to choose whatever, build whatever.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: I did look at them all just to make sure nobody's because you got you didn't know each other's ideas.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: So I really just wanted to look and make sure nobody was going down the same path.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: And it was nobody did.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that that just shows exactly what we're trying to explain here is that as a business owner, you can't do the business planning yourself.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's one lens, one's one experience.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: You can't do that.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: You need to collaborate with others, whether that is uh you outsource someone who can just ask you all the naked truth questions, or you do it collaboratively with the part of your team that knows the ins and outs.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I think being able to identify different gaps and have so many different solutions brought up and everyone's able to see things that others wouldn't.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: And so yeah, it's been really great.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I will say also, yes, it has lifted a weight off my shoulders because then I don't have to worry about and I covering everything.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because we're all coming at different, I feel great about going into tomorrow where we are actually putting the plan into place because we've already done the feeling.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: It feels yeah, yeah.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: Now, do you feel like you because I talked about this with the other ladies, but do you like having a different perspective, whether whatever the case may be, do you feel like you would have come to strategic planning with the same things that we brought as our workshops from your perspective?
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_01: Or do you think that because you asked us to do it and it came from our perspective, it's something that you would not have chosen to focus on?
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great question.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: I think because I meet with each of you individually and cover a lot of these topics, none of them were a surprise to me.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: But I don't know if I would have come up with the the how we work shop through it idea.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like we I would have, it would have been, I mean, to your point about the weight off my shoulders, I think because if I was trying to create everything, it would have been a lot more simple of, hey, here's this gap, let's talk through it.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: But the way each of us were able to put thought into how we're gonna work through it, it was fun, it was different.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: They were all approached differently.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: We had more, we were getting up and down more.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: We the workshop I made, we all did mini pitches.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: We all got to practice public speaking a little bit, you know?
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: So um, yeah, I think that that made it it, it made it really fun and different and not it's a very long day.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it didn't feel that long, but maybe it's the end.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: I think I was chatting with Monica.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_01: I think yesterday was like nine out, like a solid nine hour day.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_01: With the planning and the workshops and everything that went into it.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's it's a lot of work, but the rewards outweigh the amount of time that you put into strategic liking.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I think it's a lot of fun to be able to see you guys each take the leadership seat a little bit more.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: I feel every year that we meet, and not just at the off site, but you know, throughout the year, you guys have started to lead meetings yourself.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_00: I feel confident that if I have to be out, you can lead a meeting.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_00: So there's just as we grow and as each of us gets more comfortable in our role, in our seat, in knowing who Elevate is and what we do, that just makes each of us a better leader.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think this workshop, you know, you do your own workshop.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: None of you felt like you, you all were game on, you know?
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: You were all very up for it.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: And well, I can't remember who I was talking to it, talking about it with, but we were talking about ownership and not just from a leadership perspective, but like bringing in the team once we get back home.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, home, yeah, remote offices.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, once we get back home, but bringing in the team and having them take ownership as well in some of these initiatives that we've identified.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: It lets them have be a stakeholder in Elevate as well.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it just it brings the whole team together.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: We're all making an impact.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_01: We are all contributing, we're all collaborating.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's a really important piece of our culture here at Elevate is the fact that it is not one person, it is not me, it is we.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: I told Emily, so there's no I in Elevate.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so it's one of those things where we're doing this as a group.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: We succeed as a group, we fail as a group, we grow as a group.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: And in order to do that, we have to work as a group.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_01: And without the group setting the group culture that we have, it would feel very different.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: And there have been times in the past where it has felt very different, but we have learned from those not failures, those opportunities, to then pivot to a different way to where we all felt like we were all contributing, that we were all supporting, we all had a crutch to lean on when we needed that extra support, because there's always going to be a time where somebody may need to be held up a little bit more than another person, or one person is thriving while another is surviving.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: But when you're in this group culture like this and you have a an aligned plan, anybody can jump in at any time and be like, I got you.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_01: I know what we're doing, I know how to make this happen.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_01: We're here.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_01: Let's do this.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_00: I really like that idea of um bringing in more of our team.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that we, I think over time we have been more intentional with that.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: And like you said, there's there's so many times where we just might go, like things just might naturally start pivoting the wrong direction.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: But I think that that's something that's beautiful about our team is that we all will say, Hey, we've been doing this, but I don't think it's working.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: And we're all, okay, great, you're right.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: Let's pivot.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: What's what's your idea?
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: Or what is all ever let's pitch it to the team, see what our ideas are.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that that has been one of my favorite things is how flexible we are all very.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Mission driven, like we know our goals, we know what we're gonna do, but we are not afraid to say when things need to pivot either.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: And we're all very flexible, but without we're not just you know, too, like there's such a balance, right?
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like we have landed in that balance really well.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I think that you've also done a really good job at leaving the door open for that type of communication to where I can come in if I see something that I'm not a part of.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: And there were things yesterday that I was like, I have a different perspective.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_01: So because I'm looking at it from a different angle, so bear with me.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_01: But this is what I see.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_01: But you've also kept that door open to say, okay, bring me what the gap is you're seeing.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_01: And it's that, and I think this is not working, and I think it could work better this way.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_01: I see that this is failing, and I think that we can fix it this way.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_01: Always bring a solution with whatever the problem is that you're identifying.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's just a good tactic to have when you're having a conversation with somebody so that it doesn't feel as negative because you're you're ending with a positive.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_01: You're not, yes, you're starting with a negative.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: That sucks.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_01: But you're ending with a positive and you're saying it's nothing's on fire.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_01: This is just how I think we can make it better.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's it.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we're not brain surgeons, like nobody's dying on our table.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_00: And and I also think that we have to realize, like I said, we're not perfect humans, our businesses will never be perfect.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: And so you can't say that people can't bring me problems.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: There's always going to be something.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so if as long as someone comes to me with an idea of a solution, and it can be, it it might not even be the idea we go with, right?
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: But it's the idea, it is a idea that we that might turn into a version that we do use.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_00: And it's taking the initiative to come to that idea.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that all of this and our whole team, when we call come together, I think that we're, like I said, we're really good problem solvers.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's one of our one of our strengths.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_01: We have lots of strengths.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_01: That was the question that Emily asked me.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yes.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: She asked me what our strength was, and I said that our strength was team culture.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_01: I think that our culture here at Elevate, and I went into more detail.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's not just the team culture, but I feel like each of us individually, all of us here at Elevate, not just leadership, our E is as well.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like if we were an octopus, we are all a very strong tentacle.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_01: And Elevate is the head, right?
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_01: But without our arms, we would not be able to function.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_01: And so, but we have built that culture to where each person is just as important as another person.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: So, and I think that that's one of our strongest points on top of like as just being pretty cool.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: But we're not cool moms.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_00: I know we are the cool moms.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_01: My daughter doesn't think so all the time.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, that's like um so yeah, so I think that just setting aside this intentional time is as intense as it is, as fun as it is, and as thought-driven as it is, it's just important to have this time set aside so that we can focus on what we need to focus on for the next phase of the business.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think it reignites all of our excitement.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's exactly what Mona said.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_01: She said it ignites your fire.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thank you so much for listening to our final episode of our mini-series from the delegation podcast here live in Nashville at the Elevate Strategic Planning Retreat.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_01: If this episode gave you any insight to trip tips and tricks that you want to learn more about, make sure you're following us on social media, Instagram, LinkedIn, um, visit our website, get on our newsletter so that you get all those tips directly to your inbox.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're interested in setting aside time for your own strategic mapping, strategic planning, excuse me, or mapping, make sure that you click the link in our show notes to book a time with Ashley so that we can help you and your business scale.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: And remember, you've got this.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening to the Delegation Download Podcast.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and follow us at ElevateVV Solutions for more tips to help you lead smarter and live better.