Most small business owners think of themselves as good people doing their best. And they probably are both. But the key is that stewardship isn’t about being good people — it’s about running good systems. Here is the distinction on a point-by-point approach:
1. Good Intentions vs. Structured Stewardship
- Good people: “I care about my employees, I try to be fair.”
- Stewards: Put that caring into formal mission, vision, value statements, a Stewardship Plan with governance procedures, cash flow priorities, and succession plans.
The goal is to formalize what matters so it lasts, perhaps beyond the founder’s career.
2. Day-to-Day vs. Multi-Stakeholder Thinking
- Good owners: Focus mostly on customers and employees, and the owners.
- Stewards: Broaden the lens and add suppliers, community, environment, and even the business entity itself as stakeholders.
The goal is to expand your field of vision and the stakeholders they help to make better.
3. Short-Term vs. Long-Term
- Good owners: Make payroll, pay bills, keep the lights on, make it to the next year.
- Stewards: Think in terms of continuity, succession, and building something that endures beyond their own career.
The goal is to shift from survival to building a legacy.
4. Passive Values vs. Active Plans
- Good owners: “We believe in honesty, integrity, service…”
- Stewards: Write it down, align it with strategy, and use it to guide daily decisions and one’s stakeholders.
The goal is to operationalize what they already believe.
5. Reactive vs. Proactive
- Good owners: React to problems as they arise — a key employee quits, a client is lost, the roof leaks.
- Stewards: Anticipate risks and build safeguards — succession plans, reserves, maintenance schedules, and stakeholder engagement.
Stewardship shifts you from crisis management to risk management.
Bottom line: This isn’t “fluff.” A formal Stewardship Plan offers small business owners a way to:
- Protect what they’ve built.
- Grow stronger by widening their stakeholder lens.
- Create systems so their values survive succession.
This is a smart, hard-nosed strategy where doing good is good business. Learn more by reading my newest book, The Stewardship Advantage, today. It’s about so much more than business as usual.