Why do some small businesses succeed, and thrive, while others struggle and die within a couple of years? The answer is rather simple. Those businesses that thrive and overcome risk are led not managed. Leaders are far above mere managers, or worse, simple bosses. You may not have been born a natural leader but you can become one by doing what great business leaders do.
- One thing leaders do is make decisions. They see a risk, they see a problem, and they seek a solution to it. They are not looking to blame someone. They are looking to fix it. Being decisive will help your business to thrive and it will inspire your employees. An ineffective boss or an incompetent manager will just make a decision without gathering in all of the necessary feedback needed to make a truly competent decision with regard to what will be best for the organization and the business. The leaders encourage feedback from their employees. They are on the front lines. They know things you don’t about certain situations. Leaders gather in all of the intelligence and the data and then they act on what will best help the business succeed.
- The true leader conducts themselves differently that someone who just wants to be the well liked boss or manager. They rise above the fray. They know that the employees depend on them and act accordingly. By not becoming overly involved with them on a personal level, it allows them to have more of an open and uncluttered mind about how the business operation is doing. And, believe it or not, your employees want a leader. It inspires confidence in their job and in the success of the business.
- A leader is not a fault finder or a blamer. The leader takes the responsibility for the successes as well as the failures. The leader never seeks to place blame. They seek to understand the causes and then to implement solutions so that a particular risk or problem does not repeat itself.
Leaders are great motivators. Anyone can be bossy but not everyone can motivate. That is the key to recruiting and retaining a stellar workforce. They motivate through listening, through understanding, and through constant communication. Not the bossy type of communication but the type that seeks everyone’s opinion and input. It will make your employees feel more valued and they will believe that they truly are an important part of the company’s success. If you can get them to feel this way, watch your productivity soar.
-Written by Kevin Sawyer
