Here's the No. 1 thing we learned from Arnie Malham

At Sidecar, we are super interested in a few things: the importance of culture, thought-leadership that helps us grow and the ability to make mistakes. These just so happen to be the expertise of Arnie Malham, an international speaker, the award-winning founder and CEO of Better Book Club, and author of “Worth Doing Wrong: The Quest to Build a Culture That Rocks.” 

As a successful entrepreneur for over 20 years who has employed thousands of employees at the businesses he’s founded, even while creating remarkable and sustainable cultures at each, Malham has the qualifications to travel the world speaking to executives, CEOs and other entrepreneurs about culture and team member engagement. Along with his many other accomplishments, Malham has also been featured on CBS and in Forbes magazine, awarded Most Admired CEO, ranked in Nashville’s Best Places to Work, and was a finalist for Ernst and Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year.”

In a recent interview with Sidecar general manager Chelsea Brasted, which took place over a Zoom call exclusive to our Members, Malham revealed the one thing your association can do to foster a world-class culture.

“Grow your team, and they will grow your business.”

Many organizations put innovation and acceleration at the top of their priority lists. But without the necessary support, tools and opportunities for team members to accomplish their goals, results fall flat. In order to achieve organizational growth, leaders must first turn their attention to offering resources to motivate their team’s personal growth.

“A great leader takes interest in their team on an individual level, getting to know one’s belief system, needs, career aspirations, and what drives them,” writes development practitioner Harriet Kezaabu. 

Taking an interest in your team’s personal development leads to employees feeling supported, engaged and respected. All things that lead to increased work ethic, productivity, psychological safety and willingness to achieve goals.

“It’s one of the worst things we do as leaders is try to project our growth ideals onto our team,” said Malham. “One of the best things we can do is find out how our teams want to grow and help them get there.”

When we help our team reach their goals, their growth inevitably leads to reaching organizational goals. Having support from the top down is invaluable for the motivation and support of your organization because, as Malham said, “grow your team and they will grow your business.”