The One Thing Keeping Business Owners Stuck
Here's what I know to be true. In all of my time, talking to business owners and leaders in general, what what do we all want? We want to move forward. At least, hopefully, that's what you want. Because if you don't wanna move forward, I wouldn't really particularly advise you listen to a podcast called Path for Growth because we're about moving forward.
Alex Judd:I I've been having conversations around business leaders and business owners moving forward in business, in leadership, in life for, gosh, over a decade now. And here's what I will tell you is there are some common denominators of the things that prevent that, that stop that, that halt that, that block forward motion in the life leadership and business of a leader. And the one that I wanna talk to you about today is one that's often overlooked. It's often unseen. And so often, particularly in personal growth and leadership growth and business growth content, it's not at all addressed, and that's lack of agency.
Alex Judd:Now agency is a psychological term that we actually don't hear about all that much in the leadership world. What is agency? Well, one of the functional definitions that I really value and appreciate is a person's ability to initiate and control their actions. Think about this for a moment. Agency is a person's ability to initiate and control their actions.
Alex Judd:And so the argument that we're gonna make in this episode is that, man, business owners stop moving forward whenever they lack agency, when they lack an ability or a perceived ability to initiate and control their own actions. Agency is the idea that, man, I'm in charge or at least I'm participating in the way that I act, the way that I speak, the world, and the reality that I experience. I I read somewhere, someone used this description. They said that, man, when you lack agency, you start to have the perception that you are a passenger in your own life. Have you ever been in that spot before where you don't really feel like you are happening to life or even participating in life at all?
Alex Judd:Rather, you're just getting taken along for the ride. What we're really talking about here, if we're gonna use the terms psychologists use is having an internal locus of control versus an external locus of control. So so people with an external locus of control really kind of view themselves as a victim to the circumstances and experiences that are happening around them. Right? Everything that they experience in terms of their business, their team, their forward motion is a product of whether good things or bad things are happening in the world around them, and they don't really view themselves as having any participation or influence of those good or bad things occurring.
Alex Judd:So really, what we really kinda see here is that the person with an external locus of control views their life as a result of good or bad luck in some ways. That, man, if bad things are happening, that's the result of bad luck. If good things are happening, if my business is prospering, that that's the result of good luck. Now we can compare that to an internal locus of control. What's an internal locus of control?
Alex Judd:Well, that's the idea that, man, maybe not I fully will or control circumstances or the reality that I step into every single day, but that also doesn't mean I'm a victim to it. I get to participate in it. And and particularly when it comes to items of self control, my words, my actions, my thoughts, I actually do have a high degree of agency. That's what we're talking about here is do you understand and believe that, man, you have a high degree of control and influence over your words, your actions, your thoughts? Because here's what I often find to be true is that when leaders get this screwed up ideology in their head that they don't control those things and they don't get to participate in those things, well well, then they start to become a victim.
Alex Judd:And when you start to become a victim, you start to experience a total lack of freedom. We should think about this. We're talking about business owners on this episode today, and one of the reasons why people start a business is for the purpose of freedom. And what we often see is business owners, although they started for freedom, that's the thing that they often find themselves least experiencing is freedom. And and what is a lack of freedom?
Alex Judd:It's this feeling that you're trapped, that you're a victim, that you can't do anything about it, which collides almost overlaps completely with this idea of a lack of agency. So that's the argument that we're making today is that the greatest blocker or the biggest thing that prevents leaders from moving forward is a lack of agency. The perception that you're a passenger, that you're not a participant. The perception that you're a victim and that you don't at all get to influence the reality that you experience. And as we said, this idea of agency is directly connected to the idea of freedom.
Alex Judd:And so before we jump into the the really practical manifestations of this for business owners and leaders, I just wanna hit on three freedom principles. Now when anytime I say principle, what what is a principle? It's a concisely worded statement of truth that transcends circumstance. So these are three things about freedom that I just want us to keep in mind because there's so much screwed up teaching and thinking around the topic of freedom. Number one, there's a difference between having freedom and experiencing freedom.
Alex Judd:I was just recently reading in Galatians where it says, it was for freedom that you were set free. Now, obviously, the context in which Paul is writing in Galatians five, I believe it is, is radically different than the one we're talking about today. However, it is noteworthy that Paul had to remind them, you have been set free. Why were you set free? For freedom.
Alex Judd:It is for freedom that you have been set free. Now why is that worth paying attention to here? Because just because you have freedom doesn't mean you're experiencing it. And what he was addressing there is like, hey. You have freedom, and you keep submitting yourself back to being trapped, back to being enslaved.
Alex Judd:Right? And that's what so often we are capable of doing as well. We have freedom, but just because we have it doesn't mean we experience it. And so that should kinda beg the question, okay. Well, how do we go about experiencing freedom?
Alex Judd:That brings us to our next principle. The experience of freedom is always and I would underline, circle, highlight always here. The experience of freedom is always linked to the acceptance of responsibility. I'm gonna say it again. The experience of freedom is always linked to, directly connected to the acceptance of responsibility.
Alex Judd:It was one of the most powerful things that I learned in my personal growth and career growth is that there is an inextricable link between freedom and responsibility. And if you want to experience uncommon levels of freedom, you have to be willing to take uncommon levels of responsibility. Now is it possible to over index on this? Yes. And there are so many cultural examples of how we can totally over index, and we end up taking responsibility for things that God never intended us to take responsibility for.
Alex Judd:But but here's what I would tell you is that self control is a fruit of the spirit. And and what we should take from that is that, man, it's not like God created us to be a victim of our own life and circumstance. He actually kinda created us to steward and exercise self control over the things that are most closely tied to and related to ourselves, our words, our actions, our thoughts, our attitudes, our decisions. But so often what I find is that if I'm unhealthy, I spend 90% of my time focusing on worrying about dwelling on the things I can't control, and only 10% of my time focused on the things that I actually can control. What I have found is that the most effective leaders, they they flip that almost entirely on its head.
Alex Judd:They spend majority, line share of their time, focused on the things that they've been uniquely given to influence, steward, and control. The things that are most closely tied to and related to themselves. Okay. Let's go to number three, the third principle. The God of the Bible is for freedom, flourishing, and self control.
Alex Judd:Now you may hear this and think like, okay. How does that fit into this conversation? Let me tell you. This point is in here for me and for people like me. The God of the Bible is for freedom, flourishing, and self control.
Alex Judd:We're gonna talk a lot about agency here in just a moment about the practical manifestations of agency in a leader's life. Leaders that make decisions, leaders that take actions, leaders that move forward. And and, man, if you are like me, particularly like a version of me that existed around six or seven years ago, you'll start to get this voice in your head that it's like, well, I'm not sure if God wants me to do that. I'm not sure if God wants me to take action that way. And you'll start to get really hesitant and indecisive because you're like, I don't wanna disrupt the will of God.
Alex Judd:Here's the deal. The first thing we've gotta remember is that God is sovereign. Right? And he is in control. And don't worry.
Alex Judd:Don't don't worry. You're not gonna disrupt the sovereign will of God. Now, obviously, I am for you operating within wisdom and within God's moral will. But here's why it's so crucial that we remember this. The God of the Bible is for freedom.
Alex Judd:And if you can find examples of that, I I dare you to find an example of that in anywhere in scripture that contradicts that idea. The God of the Bible is for freedom. He's for human flourishing, and he's also for self control. And so if the decisions and actions and forward motion that we're about to talk about are related to things that are freedom, flourishing, and self control that result in other people getting served and him being glorified, what is our hesitation about? We're actually using God as an excuse for not taking action, which is incredibly unhelpful, and it's actually unbiblical.
Alex Judd:And so we just gotta remember, when we start to get into this topic of agency, we can be so influenced by a selfish perspective of what it looks like to just move forward independently. And we've you know, we then start to become hesitant, in indecisive, and lack courage. The god of the bible is for freedom. He's for flourishing, and he's for self control. So so now I just wanna talk about, the the type of agency that we need to have as a leader that we so often lack that gets in our way from forward motion and forward progress.
Alex Judd:And the first one that I wanna start with is the agency to decide. Here's the question I've got for you. What's the biggest decision keeping your life or business from moving forward? That's a powerful question to ask. Right?
Alex Judd:If you spend your time thinking about it, is there a decision? And if so, what's the biggest decision that is keeping your life or business from moving forward? I'll tell you. I'm not sure that there's anything worse than being around an indecisive or stalled leader. And why is that the case?
Alex Judd:Because a stalled leader is often either depressive or they're irritable or they're overly involved. Let let's break these down. If they're being indecisive, well, that our life moves at the pace of our decisions, and so does our business. So if you as a leader are being indecisive about any number of things, right, for any number of reasons and you stop moving forward, you're gonna start getting depressed. And if anything, you might actually start moving backwards because you're not experiencing progress.
Alex Judd:You're not experiencing what you were created for, and so you can be depressive. You can also be really irritable. Leaders start to get really annoyed and frustrated when they're not moving forward, but oftentimes they are the cause of their own stagnation or of the stagnation of their business because they're not making decisions. So they start to get irritable. Or because they're not making decisions about the future, they start getting overly involved in the things of the present.
Alex Judd:This is what happens when you have a leader that starts to become a a ridiculous micromanager because they're actually avoiding the decisions that they've been tasked and stewarded to make. So so we need to not become indecisive. And one of the reasons why we become indecisive is because we forget that we have the agency to decide. Right? So often, we say, I can't make that decision because.
Alex Judd:I I can't make that decision just because I I have to make sure I get everyone on board. I can't make that decision because I I need to get more info. I I can't make that decision just because I I need to meet more people. Or I I can't make that decision just because I don't know if it's right or not. Now don't hear what I'm not saying.
Alex Judd:I am in no way advocating that you don't make informed, wise, sound, thoughtful decisions. That's not what I'm saying at all. What I am saying is the language or thought process of I can't make that decision because is the language of a victim or someone that's trapped. What would be better is to ask the question, what would have to be true for me to be able to make that decision and by when? Right?
Alex Judd:If it's more information than you need, well, we can go get the information. We live in the age of information. So if it's more information that you need to be able to make the decision, then let's figure out what's the information you need, write that down, and then choose a deadline, like, when are you gonna have that information by? If it's someone that you need to talk to to make sure that you get them on board, like, who is that? What's the conversation you need to have, and when you need to have that by?
Alex Judd:If you you need to, you know, focus on getting more wise counsel or maybe it's making sure the resources are allocated for this or making sure you understand something in particular or making sure you're personally bought in. Okay. All of those things can be accomplished if we just have this attitude of what must be true for us to accomplish that. The minute you start saying you can't, that's the language of a leader that lacks agency. You have the agency to make decisions, and that's really good news because your business, your leadership, your life are going to move at the pace of your decisions.
Alex Judd:And so this is the first area where so often we stop moving forward is when we lack the agency to decide. You have the ability to make decisions. The question is not do you have the ability. The question is do you have the will? Do you have the courage?
Alex Judd:You have the agency to decide. Okay. Let's go to the next area. So often, leaders stop moving forward when they lack the agency to recalibrate. I I was reminded of this by Keith Cunningham recently.
Alex Judd:He's a brilliant business and leadership teacher. He just talked about at various times in your life and leadership journey. He's 76, so I trust him on this subject. He says, you've gotta be kinda willing to recalibrate that the thing that you were doing or the way that you thought you were going, things shift. Things change.
Alex Judd:And so we've gotta shift and change. And, man, I and when he first said that, here's what I thought about is one of the smartest leaders I ever ever worked with, he used the same phrase so many times in my time working with him. He just said, this is where we're at right now. And then he would always say, I reserve the right to change my mind. Now you could hear that, and you could say, man, that just feels wishy washy.
Alex Judd:That feels like they lack a backbone, things like that. That wasn't this leader at all. If anything, this leader had as as strong of a backbone as any leader I've ever met. What they were saying is, I am making the best decision I can right now with the information that is being made available to me and with the landscape of circumstances and situations that we see right now. But those things can all change, so I reserve the right to change my mind.
Alex Judd:That's brilliant leadership because what that is is that's expectation setting. What that's also reserving is the agency, the freedom to recalibrate. So often, leaders feel trapped by the decisions that they've made in the past. And what we need to make sure we preserve is, hey. The decisions I've made in the past shouldn't trap me.
Alex Judd:Now that doesn't mean we're gonna be lackadaisical on our commitments or what we tell people or what we're aiming at or things like that. Y'all know that. But but what it does mean is the world changes, and so we shouldn't be recalibrating our values and our beliefs and and our guiding principles, but we should be willing to recalibrate our strategies, our approach, our goals, what we're focused on. Man, one of the most practical areas where this is helpful is, agency to recalibrate compensation packages. Right?
Alex Judd:Whenever you're building compensation packages with your team, right, or you're building them for your team, you are basically saying, hey. This is the road map on how we're going to tie your pay to the performance of the business, which is great. We should be doing that, and and we want to do that. But but what we need to be able to say is the goal is always the same. It's that the business wins, it's that you as a team member win, and that the customer wins.
Alex Judd:And all of those things have to be clicking. They have to be humming. And if ever we're at a spot where you're winning, but the business is losing, or the business is winning, but you're losing, or the customer's winning, but neither of us are winning, we're gonna have to recalibrate. We're gonna have to change something. What that looks like is you maintaining or preserving the agency to recalibrate.
Alex Judd:You can see how this could fit in with your long term vision for the company, with your product line, with your goals. So often leaders set goals, and then they realize, man, I set this goal a year ago, and this goal is actually no longer relevant to what we actually want or where we're actually going. But I was so vocal about it. I don't feel like we can change anything now. And what I would tell you is that person is feeling a lack of agency.
Alex Judd:They're saying I can't change it. And what I would kind of encourage that leader to do is, man, anytime you establish goals, always preserve and maintain the agency to recalibrate. And so, again, as more information becomes available, be willing and able to recalibrate. And when you do that, what how do we do that? Right?
Alex Judd:The first thing I would say is own and apologize for flaws in your thinking. This is why being a leader that believes in grace is so helpful. You can say, hey. I genuinely, you know, created this plan, created this vision. We we launched out on this goal because with the information that we had available to us and with what the world looked like at that time, that seemed like the absolute right thing to do.
Alex Judd:And now we see all this new stuff showing up. And and so we're realizing it's time to readjust. It's time to reset. It's time to recalibrate. So we're gonna own and apologize.
Alex Judd:We're not gonna abdicate. We're not gonna pretend like those things didn't exist. We're gonna say, that did exist then, and now we see a different world or we we understand more, so we're gonna reset. What are we recalibrating to? That's important.
Alex Judd:We're not gonna go without vision, and then we're gonna recommit and ask them to rebuy in. Now we should keep this in mind. Inflation is often rampant when it comes to recalibrating. And what I mean by that is what happens when there's inflation in The US economy? The dollar becomes less valuable.
Alex Judd:What happens when there's inflation with regard to your tendency to recalibrate? Well, if you're always doing it, like, you're doing it over and over and over again, it's gonna become less valuable. If you do this at strategic times because it's right and it's not at all a reflection of thoughtlessness as a leader or you didn't take time to actually think about what you want or things like that or you didn't actually consult the right people, if it's actually reflective of, like, hey. The world changed or we changed or we know more, people are actually gonna respect that a lot. But if you do it too much, it's the boy who cried wolf, and we all know how that goes.
Alex Judd:Okay. Let's jump into the next one. We talked about the agency to decide. We also talked about the agency to recalibrate. Now let's talk about the agency to reinvent.
Alex Judd:What often happens? We confuse beliefs, values, and wiring an identity with style. So so here's what I never want you to do. I never want you, unless there is compelling irrefutable evidence that that these things are wrong, to reinvent your beliefs or values or who you are as a leader. I would never, say that you should be remarkably flexible with those things.
Alex Judd:Right? But but here's what I would say is you do need to be able to, and it's good to be able to reinvent your style and your strategy as a leader. But here's what I often see is that more often than not, leaders actually confuse their style with their identity. Your leadership style is not your identity. Keep that in mind.
Alex Judd:You know? So people say, oh, well, I that's just who I am. I'm a fly by the seat of your pants person, so I'm never gonna be an organized planner. And it's like, well, the fact that you have flown by the seat of your pants is not actually part of who you are. It might have a little bit to do with your wiring, but that doesn't mean you can't become an organized planner, someone that operates off of plans, someone that thinks ahead, someone looks further down the road.
Alex Judd:The minute you say, well, that's just who I am, you are lacking agency because you're saying, I can't reinvent. I can't change. I can't move forward. I can't grow. Think about how hopeless that is.
Alex Judd:Right? I I've met leaders before that just say, well, I'm just not great with people. Okay. Well, maybe what you're saying there is I'm not really outgoing, but that I know a lot of people that are actually very introverted that are great with people. And so what we gotta make sure is that we're never allowing things that are actually style and strategy to be confused with identity, and we need to make sure we preserve the agency to reinvent our style.
Alex Judd:You know? If we look at some of the greatest leaders that we've ever worked with or known, my bet is that especially if you've worked with them for a very long time, you've known probably, like, four or five different versions of those leaders over the time that you've worked with them. I know that that's the case for me. My team could probably tell you, man, the version of Alex stylistically that I work with today is way different than the one I worked with six years ago. Praise God for that.
Alex Judd:Right? Because that's what means my style has changed. Now I I hope and I really believe they would also tell you his beliefs, his values, his sense of identity hasn't really changed all that much. Preserve the agency to reinvent your leadership style. Okay.
Alex Judd:We've got two more, and the two more are alright. And the the final two that we're gonna walk through are actually pretty heavy. So so buckle in because these are two that because they're heavy, they're easy to avoid. And as a result, they can be incredibly detrimental. As a leader and particularly as a business owner, I want you to remember that you have the agency to fire.
Alex Judd:And particularly, I'm talking about you have the agency to let people go. And I think this is so critical to hit home on because so often, I am in conversations with business owners, and, there's chronic performance problems or chronic attitude problems or chronic cultural fit problems. And the business owner will will say something to the effect of, well, I I can't do anything about it because that person got us here. And what they're essentially saying is this person's been with us for ten years. They our business wouldn't be where it is today if it weren't for their hard work and their intentional effort or their belief in me whenever we started this business.
Alex Judd:They got us to where we are today, and so I can't fire them. The minute you say I can't, you are now sacrificing your agency, and that's actually not true. It's you are you're a business owner. You're a leader, and and so you do have the ability to fire them. Now here's what I often find is the minute that leaders accept that agency and accept that responsibility, it actually gets rid of a lot of the the kinda necessity to do it.
Alex Judd:Not all the time, but sometimes because you start to walk around and lead as though you can enforce something. If you're just saying, man, that person is unfireable, then you become unable to lead because you basically say anything goes, and you will tolerate anything at that point. Here's what you gotta remember, and you know this to be true. What gets you here will not get you there. You know that.
Alex Judd:And here's what's also true. Sometimes the people who got you here won't get you there. Sometimes that is true. Now that can sound heartless and cruel and cold. And you could cut that clip of this video, and and you could air it online and say, this guy is heartless, cruel, and cruel cold.
Alex Judd:And and here's what I will tell you is, yeah, that is heartless. If you don't believe in growth, if you don't believe that people can change, if you don't believe that people can get better, I personally believe that people can grow. People can improve. Keep people can get better. And so the people that that got us to where we are today with their skill sets, their passions, their abilities, they're probably not gonna get us to where we're going.
Alex Judd:The good thing is is they can change. They can grow. They can improve. Now if I don't believe that, then it's absolutely heartless and cold. The good news is is I believe in growth.
Alex Judd:I I started a company called Path for Growth. And because I believe that, I believe that, man, maybe what they need is development. Maybe they need equipping. Maybe they need tools. Maybe they need a path.
Alex Judd:Maybe maybe we need to send them to a conference about this particular skill. Maybe we need to expand their leadership capacity. And here's what we need to be looking for. Is it that they will, they just don't know how yet, or is it that they know how or they could be provided with the how and they just won't? Because if it's an attitude or a will problem, then then they are basically opting out for where the organization is going.
Alex Judd:It can either be an equipping problem or a will problem. As a leader, what I would encourage you not to do is to abdicate the responsibility of finding out what it is by just saying I can't fire that person. Here's what I would challenge you to do. Believe that people can grow. And then if they're willing to go on that growth journey, invest in what they need to learn.
Alex Judd:And in doing so, you are guarding your agency to make decisions in the best interest of the organization. Okay. The final one. The agency to leave. You know, we we started this episode by talking about how business owners and leaders in particular, one of the things that's really attractive about business ownership is freedom.
Alex Judd:And what do we often see? That business owners are the people that feel the least free in the business. And why is that the case? Well, I've heard it so many times. I've heard business owners literally tell me, I feel trapped in the business that I built.
Alex Judd:And then they say this. They say, I can't leave. And I have had multiple conversations with business owners where I just tell them that's not true. Right? You actually can leave.
Alex Judd:You could shut the business down today. You could sell the business today. You could stop what you're doing right now. You actually can leave. Now that doesn't mean you want to.
Alex Judd:That doesn't mean that it would be wise to. That doesn't mean that it would be the best stewardship of resources to. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying you can. And the reason why I think that's so important, and I've seen it change the tone in conversation for leaders, is because the minute you believe you can't, you're absolutely right.
Alex Judd:Freedom often comes from realizing that you can. It doesn't mean that you will. It just means that you can. What I often see is that leaders start operating with this. I can't I can't do anything.
Alex Judd:I'm just stuck. I do not have the agency to leave this thing I created. The minute they start saying, I can leave, then they actually start having to justify the reasons why they're not. And they start describing for me, well, I'm not leaving because it's wise for me to stay here, because I have all of these resources wrapped into this, and and we wanna create a return on these resources. I I I I can leave, but I I don't want to because all these people are depending on me.
Alex Judd:And what what's crazy is the minute they start to see, oh, this is a decision that I'm choosing, not something I'm obligated to take on. Well, then they start to experience freedom just with taking on the responsibility for the choices that they are making. The minute you start abdicating your responsibility to make the choice is the minute you give away your freedom. So what I often see is that the minute it becomes a choice, often it actually decreases the feeling of being trapped. But I would also tell you, you can leave.
Alex Judd:And if in that in you realizing that it's a choice, you realize that's a choice you wanna take, I believe that some of the greatest leadership moments in a person's life can come from what Henry Cloud would call necessary endings. And you, saying, I just can't. It's not even an option that's available to me could actually be a mental blocker that's rooted in a lie that's incredibly destructive for you and other people and that God is not calling you to. And so don't say you can't. Recognize that you can, and then make a wise decision.
Alex Judd:Make a good decision, in the best interest of other people and for the glory of God. So so we talked about a few different types of agency. We talked about the agency to decide, the agency to recalibrate, the agency to reinvent, the agency to fire, and the agency to leave. Here's what I want you to hear closing. You have agency.
Alex Judd:That is true. As a human being, you have been given agency. The question is, are you going to exercise it? So you have agency. Now what I want us all to recognize is your greatest impact as a leader will come from you exercising the agency that you already have for two reasons, in service of others and for the glory of God.
Alex Judd:Let's go. Well, there you have it. Thanks so much for joining us for this episode. If you want any of the information or resources that we mentioned, that's all in the show notes. Hey.
Alex Judd:Before you go, could I ask you for one quick favor? Could you subscribe, rate, and review this podcast episode? Your feedback is what helps our team engage in a sequence of never ending improvement. We wanna amplify what's valuable to you and obviously reduce or even remove the things that aren't. Also, you leaving a positive review is what helps us connect with, build trust with, and serve other leaders around the country.
Alex Judd:So thanks in advance for helping us out on that front. Are you a leader that wants to grow your business in a healthy way, serve people exceptionally well, and glorify God in the process? Go to pathforgrowth.com to get more information about our community of impact driven leaders and schedule a call with our team. Hey, thank you so much to the Path for Growth team, Kyle Cummings and the crew at Podcircle, and the remarkable leaders that are actively engaged in the Path for Growth community. Y'all are the people that make this podcast possible.
Alex Judd:Y'all know this. We're rooting for you. We're praying for you. We wanna see you win. Remember, my strength is not for me.
Alex Judd:Your strength is not for you. Our strength is for service. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
