The Small Business Companion Blog Space

"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself; When you become a leader, success is all about growing others" Jack Welch.

My tips are: 

• To KNOW YOURSELF, understanding your EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE - “your emotional awareness”, - what makes you tick and how you interact with others. How can you inspire others? Find out what motivates them, what they are passionate about - their goals, aspirations and interests.  Know the strengths and weaknesses of not only your team members, but also your own, - work with the strengths. Great leaders show an interest in their people’s jobs and career aspirations in order to motivate them the right way. This is about emotional awareness.
• Develop a very clear VISION and SET CLEAR GOALS to stay focused. Top-level athletes, successful business-people and achievers in all fields of life, all set goals. Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation.  It focuses your acquisition of knowledge, and helps you to organise your time and your resources so that you can make the very most of your career/business. Know your strategies. Live your strategy. You are the role model for everyone's FUTURE FOCUS.
• Have BUSINESS VALUES (5-6 not too many) that guide everyone in performing and treating their fellow team members and customers in the same vein. Make them meaningful and not just a hollow set of values that have been written down. If you’re not willing to accept the pain real values incur, don’t bother going to the trouble of formulating a values statement. Values initiatives have nothing to do with building consensus - they’re about imposing a set of fundamental, strategically sound beliefs on a broad group of people. 
• Create great COMMUNICATION AND ENERGY. DON'T leave people out of the loop, give, and receive feedback- communication has to be two ways, but it starts with you. Listen, Listen, Listen and spend time with all your people.  Get into the habit of praising and complimenting people for their good qualities and work.  In turn, staff will increase their individual productivity, receive higher loyalty and satisfaction from customers and are more likely to stay with the organisation.  How regular are we talking? Weekly to Fortnightly feedback - encouraging communication should be given at every opportunity.
• Create a CONVERSATION AND COACHING CULTURE (asking questions). Do this in both formal and informal ways by creating those learning opportunities, both big and small, for continuous development and encouragement. I don’t mean you have to put them through every technical or safety training program to keep them or the business compliant, but actually give them meaningful new skills or knowledge in other areas that they can use to leverage their natural strengths for future roles, whether with their current position or a new one. The point is, to serve and value them so exceptionally well as people and workers that they have no reason to leave but use their newfound skills for new projects. 
• Create TRUST – be approachable, honest, and committed. Don't blame - encourage learning. Create purposeful work. People want meaning and purpose in their work. It not only improves that person’s happiness, it also boosts productivity. Praise for good work will also increase a person’s trust and loyalty.  Actively involve them and delegate. Trust your team to have a go but support them when they fall and make mistakes.

All these tips apply whether you are a solo entrepreneur or a team. Lastly, create a SUPPORTIVE TEAM around you – internally and externally  - Mentors, Coaches, HR organisations. That includes knowing when to ask for help; the buck will always stop with you, but we can help too.

“Our mindset controls the passion that inspires us and the determination that drives us” Helen Cowley                                                                                                                          

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