Stop Micromanaging... Start Scaling l Allison Maslan & Jenna Phillips Ballard Interview

I am so excited to be here with a very special guest. Everybody, I want you to meet Jenna Phillips Ballard. Jenna is a dear friend and she is an incredible leadership expert. And I know that leadership is one of those topics that can feel very vague, but it's also one of the most important topics in scaling your business. So let me just formally, quickly introduce Jenna and then we're going to get right into the most important components to leadership, to emotional intelligence, so that you really can scale your team and get your life back. Jenna began her career several years ago. She was a personal trainer and mindset coach for celebrities like Ben Stiller, Katy Perry, even Saudi Arabian royalty, founders of guests. And I'm sure she's got some great stories there. She was on the Dr. Bill show, Doctors. And then she really became fascinated with the world of emotional intelligence and experiential training, somatic practices and so forth. And then about eight years ago, she co founded Ascension Leadership Academy, which is ALA with her husband Brad. And they have helped thousands and thousands of leaders to step in their highest potential and to really scale their business. Let's talk about it. You are an expert at emotional intelligence to help CEOs become better leaders. So how does emotional intelligence influence leadership? And why is this important in scaling our businesses?

Really is the foundation of everything that I, that I create at ALA and the way that I show up in the world for people. And emotional intelligence is, it's the, it's the foundation of effective leadership. And it's about having self awareness, empathy and the ability to communicate and inspire others and really making sure that when you're scaling a business, there are so many things that come up, the complexity of managing teams, so many things can happen, curve balls show up for you. And so when you're also needing to align visions, when you have a big team and you're going to be navigating challenges and it just increases exponentially. And so leaders with high levels of emotional intelligence, they can build trust, they can resolve conflicts effectively and also empower their teams. And for example, if a CEO has really strong emotional intelligence, they can recognize that scaling is not about numbers, it's about systems, it's about strategy. But even beyond that, it's really about people. And if they're focusing on creating an environment that has their team feel seen and understood, appreciated and valued, they then everybody has a shared collective vision. And that's the most effective way to really scale your business. And it creates loyalty. It has the people who are working for you really take your vision on as their Own. And this is something that's so important when it comes to really scaling your business. And without emotional intelligence, leaders can unknowingly create an environment where they ultimately become the bottleneck for their vision. They ultimately get in the way because they're micromanaging, they're avoiding having tough conversations, and they're not giving themselves permission to really leadership and others.

Wow. And those instances when you're frustrated with an employee and or several employees on the team, what you're saying really is that we have to look at ourselves and work on ourselves first. And when we can shift into being a better communicator, better visionary, empowering others to. To step into the highest version of themselves. And then you're going to see that reflection in the team.

Absolutely. So if you're a leader, if you're a CEO, if you are at the helm of the ship, everything trickles down from you. So if you're somebody who is showing up with a commitment to create an environment of where people feel like they can actually come to you with questions or suggestions or feedback. And it's probably one of the most difficult things for a leader to receive is feedback. But leaders are in love with feedback. And we all get to realize that feedback is just information. It's neutral, and it's up to us to take it and apply it, or it may not even land. There may be feedback that doesn't resonate. There's also an opportunity to have the person bringing the feedback to you to feel heard, to feel listened to. And then you can create partnership, you can create alignment, and then you can get in curiosity around how you can create systems across the board.

So important because it's natural to take things personally. But if you aren't able to take that feedback, how are you going to grow?

Right.

So now another facet to this is that so many business owners struggle to step out of the weeds. So I'd love for any of you that are listening to this, if you're feeling that where you're feeling buried in your business and it's hard for you to get out of being the doer, the implementer, and shifting into that true visionary where you're working on the business. So, Jenna, what are some strategies or mindset shifts have you found that are most effective for leaders to make that leap and shift more into that visionary role?

That's one of the toughest parts, especially when you have a big vision and it's your legacy that you're building. It's the one thing that is so important to You. You feel like it's your reason for being put on this planet. And at one point, it was just you. At one point it was you with a vision. It was you with a crazy idea. And then along the way, you were able to enroll people in your vis. Able to enroll people to be a part of what you're causing and creating. And it's tough because it's so personal, it's so close to your heart, and you want things to go well. You know that you're the best at what you do because you are the one who brought it to life. But no leader has ever created anything on their own. Of course, for a short while, you probably were doing all the things. At one point you were checking your emails. At one point you were running the errands and doing all of that. But at some point, you've got to understand that your value as the leader is going to be found significantly when you really learn how to delegate. And one strategy that I think teach is the delegate and elevate framework, and that really has leaders understand what their zone of genius is, that the pieces and the parts that are just not worth their time, how they can elevate themselves and surrender and let go and trust. Because when you give other people the opportunity to give to you, you're giving them the opportunity to fulfill their vision and their purpose. Because there are people who are just dying right now. They're so hungry to work for somebody like you, they're wondering what it would be like to work for somebody like you. If you provide and create that opportunity, then you start up time for yourself. You start to create the space for you to enjoy the fruits of your labor. And it's tough because of course, again, you care about it so much. And you may have the conversation of no one can do it as well as I can. And if that's the culture that you're creating, then people will show up small in your space. They're going to be afraid to give you feedback or really provide their zone of genius in a way that maybe you just can't see yet. It really is a mindset that is required for leaders who are wanting to scale. They're wanting to make sure that what happens happens with a level of excellence. But that's also your responsibility to not only ensure that excellence is one of your standards, it's the moral, it's one of the pillars of your business, that you also inspire people to take that on as their own.

I think too, that a lot of times business owners, and I know I've been there. I'm sure you have at one point where you felt like, gosh, I'm constantly telling them the same thing over and over and over, and they're not getting it. And what I realized was the reason they weren't getting it was because I was constantly telling them so. It never really gave them the opportunity to think for themselves and figure it out. So reframing those questions, well, what do you think we should do? Or what do you recommend that we should do so that you are empowering them. This leads to building a strong culture, a team that is empowered because you are elevating them like you shared, and that it is the team coming together behind the vision. And so what are some of the keys that you've found to creating a culture that not only attracts top talent, but also aligns and inspires the team as the company is growing and scaling well?

Culture is the heartbeat of any company, and so you gotta really get clear about who your top talent ultimately is and who you get to be for them moment by moment, to keep them engaged and to keep them wanting to be a part of this culture and also contribute to it as well. Because there are going to be many seasons with the growth of your company, and you got to be able to look at what were the values that brought us to this moment. And if you want to leap into a next level or you want to grow into another chapter, you've got to get really curious around how you can also elevate the company values. Because if you are growing as an individual, I'm willing to bet that your team is also growing. They're growing with you. And so you got to be really curious around how we can continue to expand our values and not have your foot nailed to the floor. Values always have to be this way. The values always have to be what they were when we first started. Because growth is something that is a lifelong practice. It's a lifelong experience. And change is one of those things that is the only thing that is actually constant. And so as the times are changing around us, moment by moment, we have AI that is taking over the world, and we got to embrace it. We got to move with that. And if we're resistant to the way that the world is changing around us, then we're preventing our growth. And so the first thing that you got to get really in alignment with and understand the value of is clarity. You got to have massive clarity. And so when leaders are articulating their vision and they're articulating their mission, if you don't have clarity with the way that you're communicating your vision and your mission, then it's going to create a lot of inconsistencies across the board. And so balls will get dropped and people will not know what's ultimately in their blind spots. So really being able to provide that clarity is number one. Next thing is communication. Having communication that feels really expansive and really making sure that you're inviting, really creating the invitation for people to come to you and to communicate their desires and what they see possible. And I love what you said, Alison, about realize that they're just not getting it. I've been communicating, but I've been doing that. I've been telling them. And then when you create the opportunity for them to think for themselves, then they start to develop a brand new muscle how to think outside the box. How can I be in contribution for the direction that we're going and how can I be a part of this massive expansion that we're all committed to?

You're dropping so many nuggets and we'll talk about this in a minute, but Jenna is actually going to be speaking, presenting at our upcoming event, Scale It Live, that is happening in February, and we'll talk about that. But such important information. If you're going to scale, it's not just about getting more clients. Of course, that's always something that we have to keep our eyes on and driving in that new business. But if you don't have the team structure and the leadership structure behind that, you could get all the business that you want, but you're not going to maintain it moving three steps forward and two steps backwards all of the time. And it's going to make life so much more painful than it needs to be. So for business owners who feel stuck, Jenna, after they've had a good growth traction, they got out of the gate pretty strong. And maybe they move past that seven figure mark, maybe even into the eight figures. But there's a point where they hit a wall and they can't get beyond it and they feel themselves burning out. They're working 24 7. What are some of the most common leadership blind spots in these cases or cultural challenges that may be holding them back?

That glass ceiling that we all hit at one point, at some point we hit our upper limits. And I think one of the biggest challenges for leaders is that they're so committed and attached to doing things the way they've always done them. And I mentioned that earlier on in our conversation. There's this fear of trying Something new. There's this fear of taking a risk or bringing on a new system or trying a new strategy because it's been working in a certain way for as long as it's been working. And at some point you've got to realize that the pain of not growing through or the pain of not breaking through that limit is. You've got to get really clear. It's going to be short. A short, brief experience of significant discomfort as you're uprooting old beliefs, as you're trying on a new thing. And you are taking a risk because that's the biggest thing. As a leader, you've got to be willing to take a risk if you really want to grow. And I think that the opportunity for leaders is to know that at one point you took a risk without any evidence. The way that you got your company off the ground is by being bold, courageous, completely outrageous, outrageous beyond measure. That's the reason why you're successful, because you're willing to take a risk that you hadn't before. And there's a saying, new level, new devil. So every single time you come up to another level, there's a whole other set of challenges and opportunities to break through. And it's really up to you to remember that what got you to this point is not going to take you to the next level of growth. And another challenge I think a lot of leaders encounter is there's this underneath the surface experience of misalignment. And it could be as simple as the culture is not clear, the vision is not clear, the values are not clear. Maybe you internally have grown, but you've not consistently and adequately conveyed your growth to your team. And so maybe your vision has expanded, but everyone's still operating within the frequency of what used to work and what has always worked. So really to break through this, leaders got to prioritize self awareness because again, everything that you're experiencing is going to trickle down. You are the source of everything that's happening at your business. So if something's not working, you've got to be able to look within and find out how you can be in massive committed action to see what's in your blind spot so that you can bring your vision to a whole new level. Really just invite people to be a part of the growth. There are people right now who have great ideas that you've been unwilling to adapt or try on.

You hit so many great points here in the early days, right? It's your vision. You've got the megaphone and you're Yelling from the. From the rooftops. But there is a transition that has to happen to move it from, let's say, the Jenna vision to the team or the company vision and so that they can contribute to that and really own it. And I think that shift is probably one of the most challenging. That's where the leadership piece comes in. That's where the emotional intelligence piece comes in. And really tying in your employees and their own vision, how is the company vision going to help me grow? So when those can meet, you've got fire there in a good way. And if you're thinking about attending Scale It Live, you'll be excited to know that Jenna is going to be speaking and going deeper into some of these topics that we're talking about right now. So, Jenna, we're so excited that you're going to be there.

I cannot wait. I'm thrilled that I get to be there because, of course, I love you dearly. You're an incredible human leader, friend. And to be able to support your tribe and your community in a way where they get to realize that the only thing that's going to stand in their way is a small, tiny, limiting belief. It's so small. It's so subtle. The belief is that we need to do such deep, deep, deep, hard, transformational work to create massive changes. And that's not true. And I'm excited to really be able to provide that concept to people that it really can be a subtle shift that creates sustainable transformation for those of you.

You're here. You really just want to be here. There is that internal shift that's going to happen. Jenna's going to share all the strategies around that. If you haven't checked out the event, go to ScaleItLive. And what is so great about this event is that we are going to have some of the top business experts in the world like Jenna, and this is a get to work event. This is not just to sit back and passively be entertained. We are going to take three days to build out your entire plan for 2025. And, Jenna, I'm sure, as you know, having that strategic plan plan in every area of your company is and having that clarity and your team knowing what they're going to do is the difference between setting yourself up for success and having that best year. We're kind of walking around in a daze and shooting darts and hoping something sticks.

I think it's great that you're having this event in Q1, getting people ready to just sprint in the direction of their biggest vision for Their dream, their biggest vision for their company, really for their biggest level of impact. And it's just, it's such a ripe opportunity for people to come and learn and roll up their sleeves and do the work and leave with an actionable plan where they have physical, tangible steps that they can really start taking right away. They're going to be a part of an amazing community, other people who are committed to also growth. And that's a great place to be. It's a great way to start your year. Whatever you're doing. If you have a mountain in the way, move that mountain. Make sure that you come to this event and I cannot wait to meet you all.

It's going to be the thing that is going to be the big shifter for you. And if you got to the end of this year and you're like this did not land, it did not align up with the vision that I had set in January this year, well, it's because you need that scale plan in place. We're going to give you all the tools, we're going to build out your org chart for the year, your team managed company plan, your marketing and sales blueprint. So many things. And you're also going to be surrounded with a lot of high level CEOs from all over the world. Hundreds and hundreds of CEOs in the 7 and 8, multiple 8 figures in their business. And I don't know about you Jenna, but there's not very many circles where you get to be surrounded by other successful CEOs that can open so many doors for you.

This is one of those once in a lifetime opportunities to be surrounded by a tribe of other people who are vibing at that frequency. And if you feel like you are the strongest one in your circle, it's time to find a new circle. So make sure that you are up leveling, that you're creating new doors for yourself. And stepping into this door for that event is going to open up countless doors for you. You don't even know the kind of connections you're going to make there. So make sure you come.

Yes, definitely. And I can't wait to see you there, Jenna. And thank you so much for sharing all of this wisdom on leadership. I cannot wait to learn from you myself and see all that you are bringing to scale it live. So thank you for coming on here today.

I really enjoyed it.

And for those of you listening, this feels like it's calling you. Then go ahead and register now because the event is already selling out. It's February 13th to the 15th in Pasadena. You can get all the information@scaleitlive.com thank you, Allison, Jenna. Bye, everybody.