Anyone can be a boss. That’s easy. But, to be an effective manager or even an inspiring leader? Well, that takes effort and focus, and dedication. Not every small business owner or manager really takes the time to understand that and invest themselves in it. Also, not everyone can manage or lead. Many are not trained properly and many more simply don’t have any natural talent for it. However, most small business owners and managers forge on anyway despite these glaring, and often crippling, leadership challenges. The problem is, it seems, that all of your good people end up quitting on you. Why is that?
- The first mistake bad ownership and management makes is to take their good people and work them to death. Research studies have shown that productivity and overall effectiveness declines after 45 hours and, after 55, you might as well just save your money and send everyone home. Your best people are constantly being leaned on to take up the slack of others and get things done right. Most of your good people feel like they are being punished. Instead of overworking your best, how about firing the deadbeats and get some better players onto your team?
- In that vein, poorly run businesses and companies never recognize people for a job well done or for a contribution they made to the overall effort of the company. Recognizing a job well done takes almost no effort at all to do but the results, and the ensuing huge boost in morale, can be immediate and long lasting. Remember, without your good people, you’re likely flipping burgers or bagging groceries somewhere because you won’t have a company for long without them.
- Poorly run companies almost never hire the right people and rarely, if ever, keep a promise made to an employee. That shows a total lack of caring for your people, especially the best ones who are carrying the company for you. Also, how many times have you promoted someone who is not fit for the position? Do you even know? Have you even examined that situation?
- Bad managers and business owners never challenge their people. They don’t allow them to run with their ideas and passions. They do everything they can to squash their creativity and ideas. Middle managers tend to be especially good at this. You need to take the time to hire the best possible people you can, give them a vision, provide them with the further skills and opportunities they need, and then let them run with it and help make your company a success.
- This is what the best companies do. The rest? Well they just keep scratching their heads wondering why all of their best people keep quitting on them.
-Written By Kevin Sawyer
