Leading the Way: Five Timeless Goals for Every Leader

What Defines Great Leadership? Beyond the Title, Beyond the Scale.

Leadership the word itself evokes images of strong figures, decisive actions, and impactful decisions. But what truly defines effective leadership, regardless of the arena? Is it vastly different to steer a small business than to guide a nation? Or to coach a youth sports team versus running a multinational corporation? The answer, surprisingly, is that the fundamental goals of impactful leadership remain remarkably consistent across all these scales.

At its heart, leadership is about people, vision, and progress. It’s about channeling collective energy towards a common objective, fostering growth, and navigating challenges with integrity. While the complexities and stakes may vary, the core principles that elevate a manager to a true leader transcend job titles and organizational charts. Let's explore these five timeless goals that every leader, from the sideline to the world stage, strives to achieve.

1. Fostering an Inclusive, Unified Culture

This is the bedrock of all successful leadership. A leader's primary goal is to intentionally create a culture where every individual feels a sense of belonging, and their unique identity, background, and perspective are not just tolerated, but celebrated. This involves actively building bridges between people and different groups, promoting respect, and ensuring that everyone feels heard, valued, and safe. A unified team, built on a foundation of inclusion, is a powerful force.

Think about it:

• For a kids' sports coach: This means ensuring every child, regardless of skill level, feels like a vital part of the team, gets playing time, and is encouraged. It's about building camaraderie and mutual support, not just winning.

• For the owner of a SME: It's about cultivating a tight-knit workplace where every employee feels their contribution matters, fostering an environment where ideas are freely shared, and differences are seen as strengths.

• For the CEO of a multi-national company: This scales up to creating a global culture that embraces diverse nationalities, work styles, and beliefs, ensuring that employees across continents feel connected to the company's core values and mission.

• For the leader of a country: It's the monumental task of uniting diverse populations, cultures, and political viewpoints under a shared national identity, ensuring all citizens feel represented and valued.

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2. Inspiring a Shared and Inclusive Vision

A leader's vision must resonate with everyone. The goal is to develop and communicate a compelling vision for the future that is broad enough to include diverse perspectives and goals. By co-creating this vision with the team, a leader ensures that everyone feels invested in the mission and understands how their individual contributions, no matter how different, are vital to achieving the collective objective.

Consider the parallels:

• For a kids' sports coach: The vision might be "to learn, have fun, and improve as a team," clearly communicating what success looks like beyond just the scoreboard.

• For the owner of a SME: It's articulating where the company is headed, what its unique value proposition is, and how every employee contributes to its growth and success.

• For the CEO of a multi-national company: This involves crafting a strategic vision that aligns thousands of employees across diverse business units towards common corporate objectives, such as market leadership or sustainable innovation.

• For the leader of a country: It's about presenting a national narrative, a vision for prosperity, security, or social progress that inspires citizens to work together for the greater good of the nation.

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3. Empowering Individuals and Promoting Team Growth

Great leaders recognize that a team is only as strong as its members. A key goal is to empower each person by providing the resources, autonomy, and opportunities they need to grow. This includes thoughtfully delegating tasks, providing mentorship, and promoting from within. By creating an environment where individuals feel empowered to take ownership and contribute their best work, leaders not only develop their people but also build a more resilient and dynamic team.

This applies everywhere:

• For a kids' sports coach: It means teaching skills, assigning different roles, and giving kids the confidence to try new things, make decisions on the field, and learn from mistakes.

• For the owner of a SME: It's about trusting employees with responsibilities, investing in their professional development, and creating pathways for career advancement within the company.

• For the CEO of a multi-national company: This involves building robust talent development programs, succession planning, and creating a culture where employees are encouraged to innovate and lead projects.

• For the leader of a country: It means investing in education, healthcare, and infrastructure to empower citizens, fostering entrepreneurship, and ensuring opportunities for all to thrive and contribute to society.

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4. Driving Equitable Results and Innovation

Leadership is about achieving goals, but it's also about how you get there. This goal focuses on guiding a diverse team to deliver results by leveraging the unique strengths of each member. An inclusive leader ensures that decision-making processes are fair and that everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute. This approach not only leads to better outcomes but also fuels creativity and innovation, as varied perspectives can lead to novel solutions and breakthrough ideas.

The principle holds true:

• For a kids' sports coach: Results might be improved teamwork, skill development, and good sportsmanship. Innovation could be trying new plays or strategies based on the team's unique talents.

• For the owner of a SME: It's about achieving business objectives efficiently, identifying new market opportunities, and encouraging creative problem-solving among staff.

• For the CEO of a multi-national company: This involves setting ambitious performance targets, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, and driving R&D to stay competitive and relevant globally.

• For the leader of a country: It's about implementing policies that lead to economic growth, social welfare, and national security, while also encouraging scientific and technological advancement for societal benefit.

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5. Leading with Authenticity, Empathy, and Integrity

The most effective leaders lead by example. This goal involves consistently demonstrating a strong moral compass, being transparent, and showing genuine empathy for others. By owning their mistakes, being vulnerable, and acting with integrity, leaders build trust and psychological safety. This kind of authentic leadership is what truly unites people and inspires them to follow, as they know their leader is a person they can depend on and a force for positive change.

This is universal:

• For a kids' sports coach: It's about being fair, supportive, and modeling good sportsmanship, teaching kids not just how to play, but how to act.

• For the owner of a SME: It's about running an ethical business, treating employees and customers fairly, and being transparent in decision-making.

• For the CEO of a multi-national company: This involves upholding corporate ethics, demonstrating social responsibility, and communicating openly and honestly with shareholders, employees, and the public.

• For the leader of a country: It's about governing with honesty, compassion, and a commitment to public service, earning the trust of the populace through consistent ethical conduct.

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Final Thoughts: The Enduring Power of Principled Leadership

As we've seen whether you're rallying a group of excited youngsters on a soccer field, steering a burgeoning startup, navigating the complexities of a global enterprise, or guiding the destiny of a nation, the core tenets of effective leadership remain steadfast. The specific challenges and contexts may differ dramatically, but the human element at the heart of leadership, the need to unite, inspire, empower, drive progress, and act with integrity, is a constant.

True leaders understand that their most profound impact comes not just from their decisions, but from their ability to cultivate a culture where every individual can flourish. It's about building bridges, not walls; fostering inclusion, not division; and always striving to leave the people and the organisation in a better, more unified, and more empowered state than they found them. This enduring commitment to people and principles is the hallmark of truly impactful leadership, no matter the scale.

Post written by Jason Jost

Your Business is Your People

Your business doesn’t grow because of systems, processes, or products alone it grows because of people. High-performing teams are built by leaders who prioritise wellbeing, set clear direction, and foster positive culture. Attitude spreads from the top, and staff who feel valued give more of themselves in return. Too many businesses let performance slide by failing to support staff under pressure, or worse, by replacing people instead of helping them thrive again. By looking after your team, you look after your business.

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Introduction: Why People Are the Heart of Your Business

Every business leader dreams of growth, resilience, and consistent performance. We talk about strategy documents, efficiency systems, and bold goals. But behind all of that lies the one truth often overlooked: your business is your people.

It doesn’t matter if you’re building a tech start-up, running a manufacturing plant, or scaling a professional services firm your success ultimately depends on the mindset, energy, and ability of the people in your team. You can have the best plan on paper, but if your team isn’t aligned, motivated, or supported, it won’t translate into results.

The most effective leaders know that their role goes far beyond managing tasks or hitting numbers. Their real responsibility lies in shaping an environment where people feel valued, cared for, and proud of their contribution. When you get this right, performance follows naturally.

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Leadership Shapes Performance

A team’s attitude doesn’t come out of thin air. It reflects the leadership they see every day. If leaders are positive, clear, and consistent, the team will adopt those qualities. If leaders are inconsistent, disengaged, or dismissive, performance and morale will quickly unravel.

• Clarity matters. People perform best when they know what’s expected of them and why it matters.

• Consistency builds trust. When leadership behaviour is predictable and fair, people feel safe and engaged.

• Positivity spreads. The way leaders talk about challenges influences how teams respond to them.

In short: leadership is the mirror in which team culture is reflected.

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Wellbeing and Performance Go Hand in Hand

Performance isn’t just about skills or effort; it’s deeply tied to wellbeing. A stressed, unsupported, or unwell team member cannot perform at their best no matter how capable they are.

Too often, businesses see underperformance and jump straight to disciplinary measures or even dismissal. But here’s the reality: many times, the problem isn’t the person’s ability it’s their state of wellbeing.

I’ve seen too many businesses let go of talented people simply because they were going through a tough patch with health or stress. Instead of supporting them, businesses cut ties. The irony? With the right care and support, many of those employees could have been back to their best within months thereby saving the business recruitment costs and retaining valuable knowledge and skills.

Supporting wellbeing isn’t charity; it’s smart business. People who feel looked after come back stronger, more loyal, and more committed.

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Building a High-Performing Culture

High-performing teams are not built by chance, they’re built intentionally. Leaders need to consciously design and reinforce a culture where people thrive.

Key elements include:

1. Recognition and Appreciation – A simple “thank you” or public acknowledgement goes further than many leaders realise. Recognition fuels motivation.

2. Growth Opportunities – Training, mentoring, and career progression show staff they’re valued long-term.

3. Flexibility and Balance – Where possible, give people room to balance work with life. Flexibility is often repaid with greater effort and loyalty.

4. Shared Purpose – People perform at their best when they understand how their work contributes to the bigger picture.

Culture isn’t posters on the wall or values in a handbook. It’s what people feel every day at work.

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The Ripple Effect of Attitude

One of the most overlooked truths about performance is that attitude is contagious.

A negative, cynical team member can quickly bring down the energy of those around them. Conversely, one motivated, positive individual can lift the entire group. This ripple effect is why leadership behaviour is so critical because leaders set the tone.

When leaders bring energy, resilience, and focus, their teams mirror it. When leaders demonstrate care and respect, those values flow through the team. The result? Better collaboration, more innovation, and stronger outcomes for the business.

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Final Thoughts: People First, Always

At the end of the day, businesses don’t succeed because of spreadsheets, systems, or slogans. They succeed because of people who believe in the mission and are supported to do their best work.

If you’re a business owner or leader, ask yourself:

• Am I creating an environment where my team can thrive?

• Do I support my people through tough times, or replace them when challenges arise?

• Is my leadership setting the tone for the culture I want?

When you put people first, performance follows. Not only will your business see stronger results, but you’ll also build a workplace where people are proud to belong.

At Josty, we help businesses strengthen leadership and culture to unlock the full potential of their teams. If you’d like to explore how to build a high-performing, people-first business, get in touch.

Because at the end of the day, your business is your people.

Post written by Jason Jost

Is Good Customer Service Slowly Dying?

These days, it feels like the simple act of receiving good customer service is becoming rarer and rarer. For every positive experience that leaves us impressed, there are multiple poor experiences that frustrate us, waste our time, and erode our trust.

What concerns me isn’t that businesses sometimes get things wrong as mistakes are inevitable. It’s how they handle those mistakes that seems to be slipping. Instead of receiving genuine apologies or meaningful solutions, we are often met with defensiveness, excuses, or, worse still, complete indifference. Even when a response does come, it’s frequently scripted, insincere, and designed to close the complaint quickly rather than resolve the underlying issue.

This shift raises an uncomfortable question: is good customer service slowly dying?

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The Hard Truth About Bad Service

Here’s the reality: bad customer experience equals lost customers.

Yet, too many businesses act as if customer loyalty is unconditional, as though we’ll tolerate delays, poor communication, and empty apologies because it’s too hard to switch. That might be true for a little while, but customers today have more choices than ever. Competitors are only a click away. And with online reviews and social media amplifying every experience, the cost of poor service is far greater than just losing one customer. It can create a ripple effect that damages a brand’s reputation for years.

Businesses that fail to acknowledge this are playing a dangerous game. Customer service is no longer a nice-to-have. In many industries, it is the only sustainable differentiator. Products can be copied. Pricing strategies can be matched. Technology can be replicated. But the experience customers have with your people that’s much harder to duplicate.

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Where Leadership and Culture Fit In

When I think about why customer service is deteriorating, the finger often points at leadership and culture. If leaders don’t genuinely believe that customers matter, the message quickly trickles down. When leadership is focused only on short-term cost cutting, service becomes the first corner to cut.

Culture plays an equally powerful role. If staff feel unsupported, undervalued, or constantly pressured to move on to the next task, it’s unrealistic to expect them to deliver warm, attentive service. On the other hand, when culture is built on ownership, pride, and a genuine desire to help, employees are empowered to go beyond the script and truly serve the customer.

The organisations that stand out are those where leaders don’t just say customers come first, they live it. They set the tone by listening to complaints instead of brushing them aside. They reward behaviours that build trust, not just those that hit targets. And they treat service as part of the brand promise, not just the cost of doing business.

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The Illusion of Efficiency

Another factor is the rise of automation and outsourcing. While technology has the potential to make service more seamless, it too often strips away the human element. Chatbots that can’t resolve an issue, endless phone menus, or offshore call centres with no authority to make decisions are examples of efficiency on paper that result in frustration in reality.

The drive to save costs in the short term has blinded many organisations to the long-term damage these models cause. Efficiency should never come at the expense of effectiveness. Customers don’t remember how quickly you answered the call if you didn’t actually solve their problem. They remember whether you cared enough to fix it.

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The Questions Leaders Must Ask

If customer service really is dying, then leaders need to look in the mirror and ask some uncomfortable questions:

• Are we setting the right tone in our organisations for how customers should be treated?

• Do we see complaints as an inconvenience, or as an opportunity to earn back trust?

• Are we listening to the experiences of our frontline teams, who often know the customer’s pain points better than anyone else?

• And most importantly, do we understand that every single negative interaction carries consequences far beyond that one transaction?

Because here’s the truth: you can spend millions on marketing, branding, and advertising. But one bad service experience can undo it all.

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Why Businesses Can’t Afford to Ignore This

Customer service isn’t just about solving problems; it’s about creating trust. Every time a business dismisses a complaint, makes excuses, or offers a hollow apology, it erodes that trust. And once trust is gone, loyalty follows.

The companies that will thrive in the future are not necessarily those with the best products or the cheapest prices but those who treat customers with respect, empathy, and consistency. They will be the ones who see complaints not as a cost but as an opportunity to learn and improve. They will be the ones who invest in their people, because empowered and valued employees create empowered and valued customers.

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Final Thought

Good customer service may be dying, but it doesn’t have to. It is within every leader’s power to breathe life back into it. That starts with culture, accountability, and the courage to treat customers not as transactions but as people.

But if businesses continue to ignore the warning signs, if they continue to believe that customers will tolerate poor experiences without consequence, then customer service won’t just die quietly. It will take those businesses down with it.

Good customer service isn't a luxury it's your most powerful competitive advantage.

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If your business is ready to transform its customer experience and build a culture of trust and excellence, Josty can help.

We work with leaders to design and implement strategies that turn your customer service from a cost center into a growth engine.

Find out how Josty can help you earn lasting customer loyalty at josty.nz.

How Team Mental Health Drives Business Performance

Team mental health is no longer a soft issue; it's a critical component of business success, directly impacting productivity, retention, morale, and the customer experience. Businesses that proactively invest in consistent, inclusive employee well-being initiatives can prevent burnout, boost staff engagement, and minimise costly errors that damage reputation and profitability.

The Business Case for Mental Health

When employees feel supported, they are more motivated, engaged, and resilient. This leads to higher performance, better decision-making, and improved service delivery. Conversely, neglecting mental health issues can quietly drag down productivity and collaboration. Poor morale often leads to high turnover, increased errors, and slower decision-making, while a supportive culture fosters loyalty and improved performance.

Burnout, in particular, is a significant financial drain, causing absenteeism, presenteeism, and disengagement. While some businesses may push for greater productivity during tough economic times, this often creates a false economy. The short-term gains are outweighed by the long-term costs of reduced resilience and high employee turnover. Prevention through a consistent mental health policy is far more cost-effective than dealing with the aftermath of staff burnout.

Furthermore, client relationships can suffer when a team is under mental strain. Missed deadlines, poor communication, and broken promises are often a symptom of overwhelmed staff. Customer-facing roles are especially vulnerable; when employees are running on empty, their patience and attention to detail drop, leading to service errors and reputational damage. This is a predictable result of systemic neglect, not a personal failing.

Common Challenges and Proactive Solutions

Many businesses struggle to support mental health effectively. Inconsistent leadership direction such as shifting priorities can cause anxiety and confusion. Non-inclusive support systems, where aid is offered selectively, can breed resentment. The lack of regular check-ins means early signs of distress are often missed.

Building a culture that supports mental health requires a strategic approach:

• Consistent and Equitable Wellness Practices: Ensure that support systems and policies are inclusive and apply equally to everyone, regardless of tenure or role.

• Encourage Flexible Work: Offer options like remote days and flexible hours. Flexibility is a performance enabler, reducing daily stressors and accommodating personal responsibilities.

• Create Routine Check-ins: Implement regular one-on-one and group catch-ups to uncover issues and build trust before stress escalates.

• Instill Psychological Safety: Foster a culture where employees feel safe to speak up, admit mistakes, and ask for help without fear of retribution.

Ultimately, mental health is a business imperative, not just an HR checklist. Organisations that adopt consistent, inclusive mental health approaches build stronger cultures and brands. They retain talent, deliver better results, and more reliably meet client expectations. Your investment in your team's well-being is an investment in your company's long-term resilience and success.

Head over to the Josty Blog to read the full article: Team Mental Health Drives Business Performance

How do you finish the week with your team?

 

For many workplaces, the Friday after-work drinks are a distant memory. With hybrid teams, remote setups, and shifting priorities, those informal wind-downs have faded but that doesn’t mean we should lose the opportunity to end the week well.

When I was a Sales Manager, I made sure we finished the week together online, every Friday afternoon.

It was our weekly roundup.

Everyone had to share:

• The worst or funniest thing that happened that week

• Their personal highlight

• And what they were planning for the weekend

The purpose?

✅ To stop the team carrying frustrations into the weekend

✅ To celebrate wins, big and small

✅ And most importantly, to shift our mindset from work to life

It didn’t take long, but it made a huge difference.

• It built trust.
• It lightened the mood.
• And it reminded us that behind every role, there’s a person with a life outside of work.

We laughed. We vented. We connected. And we left the call lighter more human.

We often underestimate the power of small rituals in business. A 15-minute catch-up might not seem like much on paper but in practice, it helps your team disconnect from work with purpose, rather than dragging the week’s stress into the weekend.

These weekly roundups often revealed things I wouldn’t have known otherwise. A team member who had a tough week with a client. Someone dealing with something challenging at home. Or a surprising win that hadn’t made it into the CRM yet. By creating space for both honesty and humour, we became more than just colleagues we became a team that had each other’s backs.

And here's the thing: you don’t need a title like Sales Manager to introduce something like this. Anyone can take the lead. Anyone can decide to create connection. Whether you're running a business or contributing to one, fostering a rhythm of reflection and recognition helps everyone feel more grounded and more motivated.

In today’s work environment, where messaging never sleeps and emails roll in on Sundays, it’s easy to feel like there’s no real off switch. But if we don’t create clear transitions between work and personal time, burnout creeps in and culture starts to fray.

Ending the week with intention is a small investment with a big return.

It doesn’t have to be drinks, or even a formal Zoom. It could be a group chat voice note, a quick check-in thread, or a shared GIF of the week. It’s about building habits that remind us we’re more than our KPIs and deadlines.

So, how do you wrap up the week with your team?
What little traditions help your people feel seen, heard, and ready to recharge?

👇 I’d love to hear your ideas. Let’s learn from each other. Leave a comment below or head over to our contact us page for other ways to connect. 

What’s Driving You and Your Team?

 

In every business I’ve worked with across industries, sizes, and stages there’s a common thread that determines whether a company performs at its peak or just ticks along: what drives the people inside it.

Is your team just clocking in and out each day, collecting their paycheque, doing what’s expected and nothing more?
Or are they driven by something bigger growth, purpose, challenge, pride in the work, or a shared vision for success?

The difference between these two is massive. I’ve seen teams where salary isn’t even in the top three motivators. These are the companies that consistently exceed targets, foster strong internal culture, and attract top talent without throwing money around. In those environments, pay increases come as a result of success not as the only reason to show up.

But on the flip side, I’ve also seen teams, sometimes including senior leadership, where money is the primary or sole motivator. And in those cases, you’ll usually find something else:

• Siloed departments

• Low collaboration

• Mediocre output

• High turnover

• Blame culture

• Resistance to change

When pay is the main driver, people tend to do the minimum required. Their focus narrows. Team spirit disappears. Innovation stalls. That’s because there’s no shared goal just personal gain. And when personal gain becomes the only thing people care about, businesses lose their edge.

So, ask yourself honestly:
What’s driving your team?
What’s driving you?
Are you cultivating a culture of curiosity, shared achievement, pride, and purpose? Or are people just counting the hours till payday?

True performance comes when people care when they feel connected to something larger than themselves. That might be:

• Building a product or service that genuinely helps people

• Achieving growth that opens up new opportunities for the team

• Seeing customer success as their own success

• Learning and improving every week

• Being part of a team where everyone has each other’s back

These are intrinsic motivators that create resilience, loyalty, and passion. They build organisations where people stay longer, contribute more, and help drive transformation from the inside out.

As a business owner or manager, one of your most important jobs is to build and protect that kind of culture. To ensure people know where the business is heading, how their role contributes to it, and why it all matters. That starts with leadership being driven by the right things too.

Because if you’re only in it for the money, you’ll never get the best from your team. And if your team is only in it for the money, your business won’t perform at its potential.

There’s always a bigger purpose if you’re willing to define it and back it up with the right behaviours, recognition, and strategy.

If you’re unsure whether your business has that purpose baked in, or how to identify the right drivers for long-term performance, culture, and growth, we can help.

Head over to Josty.nz to explore how we support business owners and leadership teams to embed meaningful drivers, improve team alignment, and achieve sustainable success.