Michelle Wright, Founder of Cause4.
Former professional violinist, Michelle Wright, founded her social enterprise Cause4 in 2009. The enterprise supports charities and social enterprises to grow, and works with businesses and celebrities wanting to create their own charitable programmes.
Five years on and the multi-award winning entrepreneur has grown the company internationally with hubs in Amsterdam and New York and an impressive roster of corporate and celebrity clients, all supported by a fast-growing graduate talent programmes to develop the next generation of charity sector leaders in fundraising and philanthropy.
As a Growth Accelerator recognised ‘hyper-growth’ company, and with listings in the Silicon Valley 100 UK, as well as the Accelerate 250 for Britain’s fastest growing businesses, this social enterprise is not only getting people talking but is also standing tall alongside more regular profit-making enterprises in terms of its growth and scale.
Michelle shares her Top 5 Tips for women wanting to get to the top.
Know what you don’t know and get a mentor (or two, or three…)
When I started Cause4 I’d never run a business before and whilst I had some good business training under my belt, nothing prepared me for the huge number of things that I didn’t know.
Most of the successful entrepreneurs that I meet are hyper self-aware and very self-critical about where they have gaps in their skills or knowledge. So I have a coach and a mentor and their support is invaluable.
It’s a cliché that it’s lonely leading an organisation but when you’re the only manager worried about meeting the payroll at the end of the month, or worrying about cash flow, then it’s hard to share the stress with staff without worrying them unduly. Being able to talk to a mentor helps me externalise rather than internalise the pressure and to cope with the responsibility.
Know your goal and learn to adapt
When I look back on where we have got to it feels like a whirlwind of spontaneous growth, but in fact we’ve always had a detailed business plan from day one and a clear idea of where we were going. A good business plan is vital, but once it’s in place it’s important to realise that a plan is just a plan and that you need to adapt as opportunities emerge.
It’s the same with promotions for staff. There isn’t a natural cycle for promotions and it is not enough to think that you deserve one; staff need to clearly demonstrate how they meet the requirements for a promotion and to adapt and flex with the development of the organisation.
In a fast-growth business the needs of the organisation might change from one week to the next, and the staff member that wins the fastest promotions will be somebody with a great attitude, that is in tune with the developments of the business and who is calm in terms of the organisational strains that inevitably come with fast growth.
Keep people informed
If you don’t know what value you bring to an organisation, then it will be difficult for your boss to know.
In our work with organisations we’re constantly scanning and adapting our work so that we can add value and the same should go for staff. If you don’t know what value you bring to the organisation then don’t expect your boss to have time to recognise it. It’s important to quietly remind people of the value you bring and to make sure that achievements are noted.
The staff member hungry for promotion will start to get noticed by volunteering for additional work or writing blogs to support the company. The more you are known, the more likely your name will be suggested for promotion and interesting projects.
Feedback, feedback, feedback
The entrepreneurs I know that are right at the top of their game are obsessed by feedback. Whilst we might all find feedback hard to take at times, it’s those that can absorb it and learn from it, and filter out the stuff that’s not helpful that get ahead.
The most dangerous leader I come across is somebody that doesn’t know what they don’t know. If you know your strengths and weaknesses and are honest about them, then you can build a strong team to mitigate against them.
Be humble about receiving feedback, it is usually always given in good spirit and is almost always helpful.
Grab as much training as you can
I’ve got slightly obsessed by professional training and it can definitely leap-frog you ahead.
It doesn't have to be a masters level qualification, a day course or short course may be useful, but demonstration of this commitment is important.
For a company that encourages clients to succeed through entrepreneurialism, I believe staff should be of the same mind-set. At Cause4 we have a number of programmes that encourage staff to take on responsibility and provides the necessary coaching and access to a range of training opportunities focused on developing creativity, pro-activity, innovation and vision whilst being firmly rooted in best practice and ‘real life’ activity.
When I’m recruiting I’m looking for the life-long learner – someone that is curious to learn.
And even if there isn’t a training budget there is a heap of support out there in terms of bursaries and funding for those that want to keep learning.
For more information about Cause4 visit http://www.cause4.co.uk/
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