When you’re running a company, you have many roles and duties to fulfill, even if you have many employees. Most likely the work that you do and your day to day jobs as the manager or CEO of your company will change over time, as your business adapts and becomes established in the field. Each employee you bring on (particularly in the beginning) will cause a shift within the company and what everyone else is doing, including you. But one thing that will remain consistent, is that as the boss, you will need to be a strong and efficient leader. You need to be able to drive your business forward and provide guidance for your employees. However, leadership isn’t a skill that comes naturally to everyone, so if you feel that this is something you need to improve on, here are some things to consider.
Learn the act of delegation
A good leader will work to understand the strengths and skills of others and assign them to the tasks that they’ll excel in. Don’t try and do everything yourself in the fear of tasks not being done correctly. If you spend time during the recruitment process you can be confident that you’re finding the best employees with the right skillset. With proper training and support you can then delegate tasks to them which frees your time to focus on higher-value activities and use your time more productively. You should be using your time to fulfil tasks that work with your skills and interests, rather than stretching yourself too thin to try and do everything.
Fight the urge to micromanage
Once tasks have been delegated, resist the urge to micromanage how they’re being done. Watching your employees like a hawk while they try to work will cause stress for both you and them. Give your employees the space they need to get their tasks done, this shows that you trust and respect them which are two things that can go a long way in business. Offer support when it’s asked for and decide on suitable timeframes for different tasks to be done in. After that, allow your employees to do their best work for you and your company.
Automate what you can
When you’re managing employees, it’s important to put everyone to their best use. You don’t want valuable team members being stuck doing basic tasks or paying them to do work that a computer could be doing for free. Work smarter, and make the most of the technology available to you and your industry. There are so many impressive softwares these days, and one of the few benefits of Covid is that it pushed technology and ideas that bit further when we were all forced to work from home. Do some research and invest in good software to help fully or partially automate areas of your business. It will save you time and money, and enable you to put your employees to their best uses based on their skills.
Consider Outsourcing
Outsourcing some departments makes sense for many businesses. Areas such as manufacturing or warehousing can take up a lot of space and use high end equipment which might not be feasible to do yourself. Departments like marketing and advertising require experience and expertise that companies who solely focus on these areas may be able to do better than you can in-house. Consider this as another form of delegation in your business. Decide which departments you will run yourself and which you will outsource, you have peace of mind that the work is being done by a professional company who specialises in the area they work in so that everything is done to the highest standard.
Be empathetic
Stress and anxiety will always cause people’s work to suffer, you’ll know yourself that when you’re under a lot of stress and pressure you won’t be able to do your best. This is why being an overly strict boss won’t yield the best result. If your employees live in fear of being fired or punished over small mistakes then this will have the opposite result of what you’re trying to achieve. There should be mutual respect and understanding between you as the boss and your employees. Bear in mind that life sometimes happens and employees might need additional support at work or time off, they might be going through a difficult time and being flexible means the relationship will bend rather than break. A high staff turnover rate isn’t good for your business and can affect the morale of the rest of the team, not to mention cost you time and money. Retaining the staff you have by treating them as human beings and with respect means they will give you the same respect back, and do better work for your company.
Find the balance
A good leader is empathetic while still remaining a figure of authority that people respect, which is why finding the balance is important. Compromise and flexibility is important, but there are some boundaries that should never be breached and so it’s crucial to put these in place. You don’t want to be known as a leader who never compromises or sees things from others perspective, but you don’t want to be a pushover either. This is a skill that’s useful for all areas of your daily life, so if you feel that you’re lacking here then consider a management course. These can help you to perfect this balance and give tips and advice on how to deal with a range of scenarios, ensure all parties are respected and kept happy.
Keen on learning
Knowlege and education puts you in control when it comes to business. It means that you have no need for trial and error and you dont have to guess at things which can be time consuming and expensive. You don’t naively put your venture at risk of silly mistakes, and you dont upset your team where things aren’t being dealt with properly. When it comes to leadership, management and dealing with people we all have the capacity to keep on learning to be the best we can be. Both from an academic and an experience perspective, the more you understand people the better the leader and manager you will become.
What steps have you taken to become a better leader in business?
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