For our second anniversary, I wanted to celebrate with the word: Oubaitori (n), the Japanese idea that people like flowers bloom in their own time, and in their own, individual way.

Two years ago, (at nearly 50 years old!) I walked into a client’s office as a consultant. Originally, my business model’s foundations were based on the skills I had accumulated over my 35-year career. In those early months, I learned quickly that “I was never going to be enough,”. I was working every hour and sleeping very little. I know many people who have done the same, but it’s madness in the making!.

I soon realised that growth was essential. Fortunately, after three decades, I already knew my “how” and who.”

That is where we are today. There are 26 trusted allies in the Ezrah ecosystem, and I will be eternally grateful that they have put their trust in me and for being so incredibly talented at what they do. More importantly, they are not colleagues, they are friends. I consider myself to be very lucky. Our clients are happy, we have monthly retainers, and people are referring us, which speaks volumes.

I have always known that the people you work with matter, and I have never been afraid of sharing praise or adulation for a job well done. I wanted to articulate this in my article, and then, as if by magic, over Easter, I started to read The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett, and he has encapsulated my thoughts precisely in the extract below:

Pillar IV – The Team
The definition of the word “Company” is “a group of people” at its essence; every company project or organisation is just a group of people. Everything the organisation produces, good or bad, originates from the minds of the members of your group of people.

The most important success factor in your work is who you choose to work with.

I have never seen anyone build a great company, project, or organisation without a group of people, and I have never seen anyone reach personal greatness without the support of a group of people.

This pillar is about how to assemble and get the best out of your group of people. Assembling any group of people is not enough: for your group of people to become truly a great team, you need the right people, bound together by the right culture.

When you have great people bound by a great culture, the whole team becomes greater than the sum of its parts. When 1+1=3, great things happen.

Steven describes Ezrah perfectly…. We have the right people. They don’t work for me; they work with me. My freedom is important, and I respect this in others. This is our culture!

The plan for the business in the future is straightforward. – Oubaitori!