I think it was Jim Rohn who said “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. In my experience, it’s true, both in life and in business. As a small business owner you are going to spend a great deal of time with the people you work with, choose them well. The very success of your business depends on it.
It’s so important that you surround yourself with hard working, engaged people. Strive to build a team of likeminded people who share your vision and purpose.
One of the most important decisions you will make as a leader is to put together the right team. Take your time in hiring and make sure they’re a good fit. If they’re not, don’t waste any time in firing!
As Jim Collins so beautifully puts it: “Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus and the right people in the right seats.” Once you have chosen the right people for your bus, make the most of their talents.
We’re all different, we have different strengths and weaknesses. With honest self-awareness it’s not too difficult to see what you are great at and which areas aren’t your strongest suit. A good indicator are those tasks that you’d really rather not be doing. When you acknowledge them and happily delegate these tasks to members of your team, it’s amazing what can happen!
Knowing the strengths of your team members and publicly acknowledging them can contribute a great deal of positive energy to your workplace culture and the level of commitment from your staff members. Most people will happily take ownership of a task that you’ve been acknowledged for being great at.
As a leader you must know what needs to be done, and you should know who the best person for the job is. Know what the job entails and communicate with your staff. How are they going? How long does it take to get the job done? I know there are personally times that I have been surprised at how long it takes to complete a particular task that I’ve set. It gives me insight and knowledge for assigning similar tasks in the future and acknowledging the great job someone else has done.
Leading the members of your team to reach their potential will directly impact the productivity and success of your business. You know yourself the feeling you get when you love what you do; you own it, your motivation and energy is high, you feel empowered, you want great results. Engaged employees report a lower rate of sick leave, staff turnover and an increase in productivity and ultimately profits.
It’s a win-win situation.
