Building a successful business is a major accomplishment, but for many entrepreneurs, reaching the next level of growth can prove even more challenging than getting started. According to executive coach and leadership expert Dr. Sam Adeyemi, the obstacle often has less to do with the business itself and more to do with the person leading it.
Adeyemi calls this challenge the entrepreneurial “brick wall,” a point where businesses stop growing because their founders have not adapted their leadership styles, mindsets and operating systems to support expansion.
“Many entrepreneurs hit a brick wall sometime between the starting and expansion phases,” Adeyemi explains. “The solution is in recognizing that what got you here may not be what gets you to the next level!”
In his new book, SHIFTS: 6 Steps to Transform Your Mindset and Elevate Your Leadership, published by Wiley, Adeyemi offers a framework for entrepreneurs and executives seeking to become more effective leaders and build organizations capable of sustained growth.
One of the biggest challenges, he says, is the transition from being the person responsible for every task to becoming a leader who develops people, establishes systems and empowers teams. Entrepreneurs who continue managing every detail themselves can become bottlenecks, limiting their company’s ability to expand.
Breaking through that ceiling requires what Adeyemi describes as a leadership identity upgrade. Business owners must reconsider how they think, make decisions and delegate responsibility if they want their organizations to grow significantly.
His six-step SHIFTS process provides a roadmap: See, Hear, Insight, Formulate, Transform and Succeed. The model is designed to help leaders recognize opportunities for change, gain new perspectives, develop strategies and put those changes into practice.
Adeyemi brings extensive experience to the subject. Based in Atlanta, he is CEO of Sam Adeyemi GLC Inc. and founder and executive director of Daystar Leadership Academy, whose programs have graduated more than 52,000 alumni. His social media platforms reach more than three million CEOs and other high-performing individuals.
He also authored Dear Leader: Your Flagship Guide to Successful Leadership and holds a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University. He is a member of the International Leadership Association.
Through SHIFTS, Adeyemi encourages entrepreneurs to recognize that business growth requires personal growth as well. Developing a successful company means evolving beyond the habits that helped launch it and becoming the kind of leader who can guide an organization into its next chapter.
The book is available through major booksellers.