162: How Identity Is The Most Important Part Of Any Business w/ Christopher Cook

We all want our business to be the best it can be. As leaders, though, that improvement starts with us. In order to take your business to the next level, you're going to need to look inside of yourself and see where you can grow. This type of introspection is hard. Today, I've brought in a good friend and business mentor who has helped many leaders do this important work. Christopher Cook is a business consultant and podcaster, not to mention an amazing thinker and communicator. As a leadership coach and consultant to both Fortune 1000 companies and non-profit organizations, he serves as a guide to help people design their roadmap to wholeness from the inside out. He's also the host of his own podcast, Win Today with Christopher Cook. Today's episode is all about your personal identity and how your business is an extension of that. The important thing is to know if you're working from that identity or for it. That will help you to understand that significant personal growth can't help but influence your business for the better. Even if your business is producing a decent revenue, there may still be aspects that need attention. Simply exerting your will as a leader will result in disappointment. In fact, Christopher explains why relying on willpower will only result in frustration. Once you find yourself frustrated and not making the progress you're after, it's time to bring in an outside perspective. In what ways is your business an extension of your identity? Share in the comments on the episode page!   In this episode What it means to work and lead from a position of wholeness Knowing when you're ready to receive coaching to get the results you're after Why relying on willpower will not work for your business Signs of an unhealthy business to look out for How a coach can lend new insight into your journey of personal growth Why it's important that business leaders be open to vulnerability How identity is the most important part of any business   Quotes "I've just been a nerd for leadership and growth. So I've got this huge desire to teach and add value to people…. There's a niche for me. And that niche is organizational help." [6:05] "Everything starts from the inside out. The quality of the soil determines the fruitfulness of the seed." [14:19] "When we exert willpower in and of itself, we put ourselves in a state of stress. When we do that, we're working from deficiency." [18:02] "Shame manifests in self-protection and self-promotion. I think those two things cripple a business from growing." [25:19] "In life, you'll never know what to do until you know who you are." [38:25]   Links Find Christopher Cook online Follow Christopher on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube Get Christopher's free 31-day course "Scissor Me" - The Office Start with Why by Simon Sinek The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni The Studio Sherpas Onward Conference   Additional Links: Check out the full show notes page Do you have something to share on this podcast? Fill out this form here. Be sure to take the Studio Sherpas survey for a chance to win some incredible prizes (if we do say so ourselves!) Stay up to date with everything we're doing at Studio Sherpas Tune in to our weekly Facebook Lives Follow Studio Sherpas on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, we'd love it if you would take 1 minute to leave us a review on iTunes!