Leadership: Practical Tips for Small Business Owners

Leadership for the Small Business Owner

Leadership is a choice, it is not a position that you hold. Leaders have chosen to lead, inspire, and look after those around them. Leaders are courageous.  Those who lead are risk takers.  Leadership requires a willingness to collaborate and bring out the best in others. Leaders lead every single day.

Many small business owners struggle with the concept of leadership. They watch videos, read books, take classes and try to understand and mimic the characteristics of great leaders that are being held up as examples. Many believe that being a great leader is an unattainable goal. I personally think that is rubbish. I think leadership is easily attainable if you understand some basic concepts and characteristics of great leaders.

Even better, you do not need to impersonate anyone to be a great leader. You can have your own style, quirks, and beliefs and still be a great leader.

Take a few minutes now to watch this TED Talks with Drew Dudley about Everyday Leadership! One of my favorite TED Talks!

Everyday Leadership

You are powerful, you can be a leader every day. I think the most important point in Dudely’s talk is that you can change the world by changing one person’s understanding of the world. I venture to say that small business owners have likely already impacted a life, changed a trajectory, or shown someone a new way of looking at the world. Small business owners in many cases are already leaders!

So repeat after me,

“I AM a leader! I have chosen to lead, inspire and look after those around me”

Okay, now that we are all in agreement. Let’s look at some of the characteristics of great leaders.

Great leaders:

1. Inspire
2. Focus on the why
3. Anticipate change
4. Have the courage needed to try new things
5. Surround themselves with a diverse group of people with varying opinions
6. Take risks
7. Collaborate
8. Listen
9. Are empathic
10. Accept vulnerability as a strength
11. Encourage openness and candor
12. Are passionate

That List is Daunting

We have all seen this list or a similar list before, and it may only be 12 things but it starts with Inspire and includes things like taking risks and anticipating change. How is it possible for a mere mortal to be a leader every day? After all, we have businesses to run! That is why I am providing you with some of these practical tips for leaders of small businesses! Small things that you can do every single day to be a great leaders.

Make decisions based on your “why”

This means that you should make decisions based on your beliefs. Not only should you make decisions on your beliefs but you should share your “why” with those around you. Talking about your beliefs will attract others who share those same beliefs and build up the story of your brand. Effectively telling your brands story and why you/your brand do certain things is not only an effective way to build your brand but it’s an effective way to build and inspire your team and followers.

Take walks with team members.

When I was a retail manager I would regularly take my team members outside of the store and go for a walk. These were always the most honest and productive conversations I had with team members. It evened the playing field and allowed for a more open flow of ideas. These walks also allowed me to discuss my beliefs with team members (again reinforcing the “why”)

Encourage input from all.

I painted an entire wall in my office with black chalkboard paint and the only permanent words on that board were “What’s Next.” Every member of the team was presented with a piece of chalk at employee orientation and encouraged to contribute to that wall from day 1. Some of the best ideas we had came from suggestions scribbled down on that chalkboard. It encouraged everyone to openly share ideas and be a part of the big picture. It also allowed the management team to anticipate and plan for changes sooner and not just react to things when it was too late.

Never Ask Anyone to Do Something That You Would Never Do

Mop the floors, do data entry, clean the bathroom… whatever it is, never ask someone to do something that you would never do yourself. This little tip has amazing power in my experience, in ways you can’t even imagine. It builds loyalty, it creates an environment of cooperation and collaboration, and it elevates morale among other things.

Try Something Crazy

You or a team member has a crazy idea, but it could work! Take a risk. This is where innovation occurs. And why not give it a try. Many times the only risk is failing. And failure isn’t really failing it is just a stepping stone towards success. Let people watch you fall, it happens, and then let them watch you get back up and try again!

Not All “Wins” Will be Able to Be Measured Formally

This is a hard one to put into words, and I don’t mean you should abandon all metrics, however, there are times when you should “trust your gut.” In my past life, I know a turning point of my communication strategy with the faculty and staff at the University I was working at was when I launched a series of breakfast meetings celebrating our relationship called “Books & Bagels.”

After the first one, I felt like I had made a huge breakthrough, gained some allies, and opened up lines of communication that were going to be huge going forward. My numbers, however, didn’t show that. It actually took almost 6 months and two more “Books & Bagels” events until I started to see major increases. I knew in my gut that these meetings were going to pay off so I didn’t abandon the strategy based on the lack of success according to the metrics. If I had abandoned the strategy I may not have seen the long-term success and may have continued having an issue reaching an essential group of people. Wins may not be able to be immediately measured but if it feels like a win, roll with it for a bit. Adapt and edit as you see necessary but don’t abandon good ideas.

Don’t be afraid to show your passion

Your passion is not something that you should hide from others. If you are truly passionate about something then let others see that passion. The passion that you have for what you do reinforces what you are telling people. As they say, actions speak louder than words, so show the world that you really believe what you are saying.

Collaborate

Work with the community, work with your team, work with other businesses. Bring out the best in others and find the best in yourself!

Celebrate Wins, Learn from Your Losses

Celebrate your wins with your team. Show them that you appreciate the work they have done. Highlight individual winners through recognition and creating a program that will allow other teammates to model winning behavior. Learn from your losses and share the lessons across your organization. These practices will help build a team that understands the impact of all actions on the big picture and will work to help reach the winning outcomes.

Learn and Teach

Learn something every day.

Teach every single day.

Every single person in the world knows at least one thing that you don’t know. A great leader is someone who learns from others. Listens to others ideas and learns from what they hear. Being a leader involves constant learning and constant evolution.

The flip side of learning is teaching. Share your lessons, share what you know, help make people stronger by teaching them knowledge and skills you have gained over the course of your career.

Learning and teaching are essential aspects of all great leaders and something that we can all do every day!

Now Take these Tips and Apply Them (in your own way)

All of the practical tips I provided can be implemented in your own way. Those who know me or have worked with me may hate that I am a blunt, sarcastic and hard working manager who expects a lot from his team. Others may love it. But even if I was a soft-spoken and laid back manager who developed my team in a different way I could still take the practical tips I have suggested and apply them differently to meet my style. Many leaders are quirky and have there own ways of doing things but when you break it down, the aforementioned principles will be there in some way, I promise you!

Now, get out there, don’t worry about others and LEAD EVERY DAY!If you want to learn more about Leadership or any of the Three Essential Tools needed for Absolute Career Mastery grab your ticket today for this great event being put together by Berry Coaching & Consulting on June 20, 2018 at MakeOffices K Street in Washington DC

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/absolute-career-mastery-3-essential-tools-for-success-tickets-46176573374