Ignite Business by Ana Flávia

Continuing to share some of the most meaningful moments from my journey through Türkiye — and how they’ve connected deeply with the way I view leadership — I couldn’t leave out my time in Ephesus.

I stood where one of the most impactful early communities once thrived. Ephesus was the largest and most influential city in Asia Minor — a center of vision, commerce, and movement.

The message once directed to this community praised their resilience and discernment:

“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance…”

But it also came with a powerful warning:

“You have forsaken the love you had at first.”

That line stayed with me.

Even high-performing leaders can lose connection with why they began.
We build, deliver, scale — but sometimes, the original spark fades into routine.

True leadership isn’t just about performance — it’s about presence, heart, and alignment with what matters most.
And performance rooted in values lasts.

As I stood in Ephesus, I asked myself:

Am I still leading with fire — or just from function?

✨What keeps your leadership anchored in what truly matters?

As leaders, we often feel the pressure to always have the answers, to always be right, and to never ask for help.

But true leadership looks different.

“I don’t know” opens the door to learning.
“I was wrong” shows growth and integrity.
“I need help” reflects confidence and humility.

These aren’t signs of weakness. They are signs of strength, wisdom, and spiritual maturity.

Jesus Himself modeled this — leading with compassion, truth, and vulnerability.
May we follow that example, leading not from ego, but from a place of purpose and faith.

Asking the right question is a ART. Let’s be curious!
In high-velocity industries, leadership isn’t about having all the answers but asking the right questions. As a leader, the key lies in unleashing the creativity of your workforce, exploring ideas beyond the obvious, and embracing the power of listening and humility.

Leaders dont need to have all the answers and solutions. Transformational leaders bring the best from others, learning how to ask the right questions is an art.

There are 4 types of questions to unleash the best from people.

✨Why questions followed by how questions
When they are facing a problem or an opportunity, effective decision-makers start by clarifying their purpose—asking themselves what they want to achieve and what they need to learn to do so.
✨ Speculative: What If?
To explore more-creative solutions, leaders must ask things like “What if…?” and “What else…?”
✨ Productive: Now What?
Productive questions help you assess the availability of talent, capabilities, time, and other resources. They influence the pace of growth.
✨ Interpretive: So, What…?
They push you to continually redefine the core issue—to go beneath the surface and ask, “What is this problem really about?”
“What did we learn from this?” “How is that useful?”

Can you see yourself using these questions in your team meetings and in specific situations?

You don’t sell products. You sell impact.

Do you know why you often can’t find the energy to wake up and do your job? It is because you wake up to complete tasks, not to create an impact. But believe me, no matter what you do, you were created to make an impact.

You don’t implement products; you impact people’s lives. However, what happens is that we don’t spend time to see the effect of what we do, and we don’t speak the impact language that inspires people and ourselves.

When you see and communicate the impact, you change human behaviors and beliefs - we call this outcome, and as leaders, this can be measurable.

Results and numbers are a consequence of the things you do!
The impact is bigger than yourself is a LEGACY, my dear friends!

The problem we face today is that we don’t spend time trying to see what impact we are making. We get easily distracted by the trap of comparison, the internet, etc.

When mentoring J&J technology squads, I tell them repeatedly: “Your work is beyond tasks and results. You are in people’s business, saving lives! That is why you wake up every day.”

But what do we do when we realize that where we work is not creating a positive impact? Well, then, you need to make a decision. However, knowing your values and letting them guide you is vital.
Personally, there are a few industries that I couldn’t work in. I am a woman driven by purpose, and everything I touch is to transform, multiply, inspire, and bring light into people’s lives. I refuse to spend a second of my life without being faithful to my calling.

How about you?

It is time to make a decision!
Do you want to make and sell things? Or do you want to generate impact?

Leaders, let’s communicate IMPACT to INSPIRE and use the outcomes of it to measure results.

Suppose you think this message is too abstract, aspirational, and cannot apply to the real business world.
In that case, I recommend you to read the book “Outcomes Over Outputs: Why Customer Behavior is the Key Metric for Business Success” by Josh Seiden, and you will see that this is not romantic; this is business.

Many people say it is wrong to make assumptions, one point in my career I was punished for this, but I would like to challenge this way of thinking.

Normally people that are curious and want to challenge status quo make more assumptions .

✨Making assumptions is healthy, BUT making conclusions or decisions without validating them is the problem.✨

We are wired to make assumptions; it is part of our human nature.
So, telling someone not to make assumptions is the same as asking them to neglect their human nature.

➡️However, we must remember that assumptions can be inaccurate. We should not jump to decisions and conclusions based on mere assumptions.

I am a reflective person, and I certify, clarify, and validate my assumptions by asking questions.

For example, “Is my assumption factual?” Based on the answer to that question, I can proceed with the decisions I want to take.
I do not proceed with the decision if my assumptions are not factual. As a result, I avoid misunderstandings, wrong conclusions, and my time being invested in the wrong thoughts.

Working at J&J, I learned the importance of assumptions in product management. Ultimately, assumptions are a set of preconceived beliefs, so validating these beliefs is critical in product management.

For example, we can run small tests and interviews; in the end, what we need to avoid is to implement a complete solution without validating our assumptions.

So instead of punishing your team for making assumptions encourage them to be curious and validate theses preconceived believes .

Thoughts?

#

Makes sense for you?

Leadership isn’t a job. It is your mission.

The moment you understand the profundity of this calling, you will:

1 - Achieve the financial results you want to achieve.
2- Stop complaining about the lack of ownership over your team because they will feel engaged.
3- Your employees will care for your customers because you care for them.
4- People will do things because of you and aspire to be like you.

Is it effective taking a break during work? Here it is what a article from HBR says.

I am a woman driven by purpose but through my journey of life I have learned that if you can not measure you don’t know if you are moving in the right direction. And believe me! I am not the most analytical lady, and you don’t have to be. How to measure success is the key differentiator to your career and business. Without metric no strategy is real.

💡What have you been doing with the gifts and talents your Creator has given you?

I believe that one day we will be face to face with our Creator, and he will ask us the following question:

“What did you do with the gifts and talents I gave you?”

So now I ask you:
What have you been doing TODAY with the talents and skills God has given you? How are you making a difference?

Think about it.
and and not