You’ve been working hard and are finally starting to see the fruits of your labour. Now it’s time to hire a helping hand or two! However, you might be wondering how to be a good leader and whether or not you’re even ready for that kind of responsibility.
Well, we can tell you one thing: the fact that you’re already worried about being a good leader means you care.
So, what are the sorts of things that effective leaders have in common?
They Get Buy-In From The Team
You’re definitely going to be telling your team what to do, but it’s equally important they understand why they’re doing it.
You started a business, you’re clearly passionate about what you’re doing! Don’t hide that! Let the team know how their efforts impact long-term goals and make sure they know how much they mean to the overall success of the company.
Accept Brutal Honesty
Nobody is perfect, mistakes will be made. The real question isn’t whether you’re going to nail things on your first try, it’s how willing you are to accept constructive criticism.
The best leaders are really good at disconnecting themselves from their ideas, never being too attached to any one idea. Remember, when someone on your team brings up a concern, it’s not a personal attack. If you’re doing the first thing on this list, it’s because they genuinely care and want the business to succeed.
Ask For It
To expand a little further, don’t just wait for people to come forward with problems. People don’t always want to be the ones who is just bringing up issues, even if they matter.
Make sure you’re asking for feedback on ideas, directions, and even your overall leadership. Listen, learn, and actually implement improvements based on this crucial feedback.
As a bonus, if you know someone who has fantastic feedback but might be too timid to voice it, set up a system that might allow for anonymous feedback.
Check Out Another Blog: Is Remote Work More Productive?
Lead By Example
It might sound like a cliché, but it’s hard to ignore. Whatever you expect from your team, you should be expecting from yourself. Full stop. Making sure you’re adhering to the expectations you set down for the rest of the team helps to build a sense of trust.
One side note to understand: this doesn’t exactly work the other way. You are the business owner, and expecting your team to work 12-hour days just because you do, isn’t fair. If certain team members see you staying late, they might feel obligated to stay late too. This might actually wear your team out.
Growth Is Key
If you want people to invest in your business, you need to invest in them in return.
Time spent learning new skills or improving the skills they already have, should not be expected, it should be rewarded.
Moreover, giving them the time to get better will not only breed trust and loyalty, but it will also only be good news for your business.
