Leading From The Front: Tips For Business Owners
Being a good leader can make the difference between success and failure in business.
If you run a company, and you’re eager to get the best out of your team, here are some tips to take on board.
Business Owners Set a good example
Nothing looks better to an employee than a boss that cares. If you expect high standards from your team, it pays to set a good example.
If you’re passionate about the business, you work hard and you respect others, your employees will follow suit.
Lead from the front and show that you admire and appreciate your staff.
Get to know your employees
Whether you have a small team or an office that employs hundreds of people, it’s beneficial to make the effort to get to know individuals and learn about what makes them tick.
You might not be able to sit down and enjoy lengthy chats with every member of staff if you have a large workforce, but this is what team leaders and line managers are for.
Every employee should feel like a valued member of the team. When putting teams together and assigning roles on projects, it can be incredibly useful to use conversations and personality tests to build cohesive units.
The Enneagram test can help you understand other people better and identify key traits. People work in different ways, they behave differently and they might get on with certain individuals better than others.
As a leader, it’s advantageous to adjust and adapt the way you communicate to cater to different mindsets and personalities and get the best out of every individual.
Listen
Talking to employees is crucial, but listening is perhaps even more important.
When you arrange one-to-one chats or group meetings, let all the participants talk and take their ideas, thoughts, opinions, and concerns on board.
Use the information you gather to make changes, address problems, and try and find ways to improve.
There is very little point in speaking to employees if they feel like you’re not listening to them.
If they raise issues time and time again, and those problems go unnoticed, they might start to lose respect for you and they may not be as keen to communicate in the future.
Learn 
Nobody is perfect, and many business owners launch ventures with limited leadership experience.
Some people are natural leaders, but for others, the idea of managing a group is daunting.
Learn from your own experiences and use positive and negative feedback to develop your skills along the way.
Think about bosses you have had in the past or teachers or mentors who have had either a positive or negative impact on you.
You can use your own tales and stories to ensure you don’t make mistakes and to support, nourish, and encourage your team.
Some people take to leadership like a duck to water, but for others, it’s a challenge. If you own a business, take these tips on board to motivate, inspire, and protect your team.
