EP21: Culture Starts with You: How Great Leaders Build Teams That Thrive

Most businesses don’t fail because of bad ideas — they fail because the founder can’t get out of their own way.

In this heartfelt conversation, Celeste Zanoli from BizRev Advisory explores what it truly means to lead. She unpacks how culture, communication, and trust aren’t HR buzzwords—they’re the foundation of every thriving business. From creating psychological safety to celebrating small wins, Celeste shares the habits that turn a group of employees into a high-performing, value-driven team.

This episode is for the founder who’s exhausted from carrying it all alone and ready to build a culture that grows with them, not against them.

3. Key Takeaways

1. Leadership isn’t control — it’s connection. Growth begins when you stop managing tasks and start nurturing people.
2. Culture is built daily. It’s in how you communicate, handle mistakes, and celebrate wins.
3. Your team mirrors your leadership. When you lead with integrity, trust, and empathy, your people rise with you.

👉 Visit www.bizrev.co.za to learn more about our coaching, consulting, and full-service business support solutions.

📊 Want to see where your business really stands today? Take our free Biz Clarity Score™ — a 3-minute diagnostic to uncover gaps in financial visibility, tax strategy, advisory support, and business resilience. Get instant feedback and actionable next steps.

[Take Clarity Score Quiz Here]

💼 Have a business challenge, need strategic mentorship, or want to be featured on an upcoming episode of The Rev Room? Reach out directly via our site—we’d love to hear from you.

Let’s build better, together.

Transcript

most businesses don't fail because of bad ideas
they fail
because the founders can't get out of their own way
today I wanna jump into something so profound
that is overlooked way too often
leadership leadership
and how to guide your team
and how to create a culture within your business
that thrives and that builds um
productivity and growth
so there's many things that we can say about staff
and how to encourage your team
and how to build a a positive environment
but unfortunately in the general
business
owners are so focused on creating success and driving
um their ideas that they forget about the staff
they forget about the team
that runs everything in the background
so my question to you is can you do it alone
no you can't
you specifically have interviews
and you talk to people
because you think they will fit into your team
so why not create a team why not create an environment
where everybody can be happy
everyone can have growth
and by doing that your business grows
you become just so much more
you you get ideas from your staff
you give your ideas to them
it just becomes
such a big benefit to you and everyone else
when you create an environment
where people want to go to work
those in those um
working situations
where you have people that just rock up to work
they work 8 to 5 you call them clock watchers
or people that are just there to earn their salary
at the end of the month because they have
to be there those are not productive staff members
and those unproductive staff members
are probably your fault
it's probably the fault of the entrepreneur
that is not focused on how they feel
so it's easy to fix when you are in a team
and you create an environment where you get to know
your people where your team becomes like family
your growth and your success
becomes their growth and their success
so
a few things that you can do to make this a reality is
firstly to get to know your staff
every person is different
every individual retains information differently
they strive differently
they want different things out of life um
some have children some don't
some want to learn more
and often
your staff just don't know what they capable of
why not go and encourage them
why not show them what they can do
and what you can teach them
and how you can grow together
the reality that I've learnt in
in my career as a manager
is that I can learn something from every single person
around me I can learn something from the lady
who so nicely makes tea for us
I can learn something from my administration team
from the lawyers from the top management and CEOs
it doesn't matter where the information comes from
we all have something to learn
and we can teach each other every day
if you as an entrepreneur
a manager
a owner invest time and effort in building your team
you will be so much more structured
and well ahead of everybody else
so a big thing that you can do
is really communicate with your staff
know where you want them to be
make sure that they know exactly what is expected
of them and where you see their growth going
make sure that your communication lines are open
they can tell you what they see for themselves
what they see for the business
maybe they come up with incredible ideas
that you've never thought about
but that's only possible if you create an avenue
for them to communicate that
so creating growth and creating inspired environment
um the first thing is communicate open
open your office door open um
your mind and your team's minds
to talking to each other
about what they see happening in the future
the other thing is to lead with integrity
always be an example what you do they will see everyday
if you're a good leader or a bad leader
your team will always look up to you
if you set the right example
then they will
start to learn how to be leaders themselves
they will start setting the right example
to the new people coming into your
into your business
they will look up with up to you with respect
if you lead um
in a way that your staff sees as a shining star
that is only done when you have respect
when you open communication
when you trust in your staff
when you believe in them
and when the success and the um
potential of your business and the growth comes
that is when your staff are really looking up to you
and you're empowering them to also become leaders
at a later stage
trust within your team is extremely important
having your team in general trust you
trust each other and trust themselves empowers them
it gives them the ability to come to work
and know that they are accountable
for what they need to be doing
and then also share the accountability
within the business
they can then realise when another staff member
members
may be under too much pressure when they're struggling
when they need help or knowledge
um and then also
come to you
if they're the ones that need help and knowledge
trust is a major part
of building a strong foundation within your business um
and being that that uh example to your staff
creating trust and trusting them really empowers them
when they feel like they are valued
when they make a difference
and you recognize the difference that they make
when you encourage them and you reward them
and you applaud their success
not once a year when you have your year in function
and you talk about everything that you've achieved
but all the time the small wins
the big wins
but then let's not only talk about the wins
there are bad days work is work and unfortunately
every day is not a good day
you might have an off day
your staff might have off days
but let's not be negative about those bad days
when something goes wrong
acknowledge that it's gone wrong
but then find a solution together
and a path that you can walk to
in future not have those problems
and that you can grow
and learn from the mistakes that you will make
but then in future when that
that same obstacle comes across your way
you can celebrate a win instead of finding the problem
so work together encourage growth
encourage um
mistakes being made as constructive to be built on
to be Learned from
and then in turn create success in a different way
creating a good
strong working environment is a really tough task
it doesn't come naturally
if your culture is not in place
when you get to work in the morning
go say hi
make it a culture thing where everyone says hi
have a cup of coffee together every now and again
sit together have coffee or buy some cake and just chat
and laugh in my office
our team are essential to my daily
my daily function it's not about the work they do
it's not about how fantastic
they are and how knowledgeable they are
and how great they are with my
with my clients
my biggest thing is when I walk in the door every day
I've got a staff member called noleisu
and when she smiles I smile
doesn't matter if I got up on the wrong side of the bed
it's fantastic to walk in when um
someone is having a hard day
our team picks up on it we get together
we support each other um
and that culture
was driven by the founders of our business
that is the culture that that they have created
that we are carrying forward
and that we want our staff to carry forward
so creating a good working environment
involves various aspects
you have to have a positive culture
be positive in the good times
in the bad times be positive
always stick to your values
make sure that your staff knows exactly
what the values of the company is
so that they believe in it
that they see the value in knowing what the values are
um be open and honest
communicate with your team
tell them what's going on
tell them what your plans are
so that they can be excited with you
so that they can see the growth
the future that you're planning
and build it along with you
be supportive some days are hard
we are all people
we all have things in the background happening
be supportive of your team
support them in their personal lives
and in their work environment
in their growth um
being a leader means that you are empathetic
and supportive in every aspect of their lives
you have to have a team spirit
have some fun you work most of the time
you want to come to work have some fun
laugh together make jokes together
have stories to tell at the end of the year
in our office personally
I have a wall behind me that's posted with stickers
and every end of the year
I make a point of printing
a whole bunch of photos of everything that we've done
and so often our clients walk in
and they stand
and they stare at this very interesting wall of mine
and they ask questions where were you
what did you do here
and in every single one of those photos
my people are laughing they're smiling
they're having fun
and they have renewed energy for the next
day that's coming along I'm so proud
every time that I look at that wall
and I think about all the extremely
fun times that we've had um
building knowledge most of those things are um
work situations where we go to conferences
we get to to gain more knowledge
but some of them are really just for fun
to get together and to care about each other
and to show our passion um
for our people and for what we do
you also have to create opportunities for your team
sometimes people don't know what they are capable of
they
don't see themselves they weren't um
in a situation where anybody
ever told them how great they are and
how great they could be so be that person
be that leader
that shows your staff how great you can be
find what their potential is
everyone is different
people might be applying for an administration job
for example but actually
they have superb social skills
and should rather be in a key account manager position
where they work with people
so often life streamlines you in a way
because you have to have a career
you have responsibilities
you have to grow you have to develop
but often people develop in the wrong way
be the leader that identifies what someone can be
and to help them
discover everything that is possible for them
and to lead the road into that success
because if they create so
or get success in what they're good at
it will all reflect in your business and
at the end of the day
just create a fantastic company to work with
and for clients to join because that feeling of love
and care and teamwork is electric
when people walk into your office
and they see how everyone works together
how every person is encouraged um to
to be whatever they could be and be as
as good as they could be we have specialists in
in different areas and often
I go to my team
that are specialists in other areas than I am
and I say to them I don't understand this
help me explain to me what the purpose of something is
and it is so nice to share knowledge to
to see that you know my
I've got so much to learn
I always get very encouraged
about how much I have to learn
and I learn from my people every single day
the other important fact is a work life balance
so easy to fall into you know
you come into the office at 8 and you leave at 5
and within that time you only focus on work
but you know what life goes on
you have to have a really good balance
you have to make sure that your team are healthy
that um
cognitively they are in a good
strong space so that they can be productive
so that they can become leaders
so that they can learn
when your team are tired and broken down
they cannot focus on anything for growth
so create an environment where
you know where your team are at
create a balanced environment
so that they can live really really good lives
and be excited to be part of your team
and do what needs to be done every day
so today I just want to encourage you
to be the leader that you can be
the biggest potential that your business has
is your staff they are your biggest asset
and to grow that asset is quite easy
create an environment where they want to learn
where they want to reach new heights
where they want to see you grow
where they want to stay with your company
staff
retention is the biggest thing that you can focus on
cause you teach them everyday
let them invest that knowledge and skill
that they learn from you everyday
and from the rest of your team
and invest it in your business
grow together and just be
a strong team that works together
and encourages each other to move forward and to grow
and in turn grow your business and have fun doing it
thank you