Running a successful business — big or small — necessitates a strong leadership style. So, if you’re trying to start your entrepreneurial journey or elevate your brand, you’ll want to learn how to be a better leader for your team.
Leading can be particularly challenging if you’re an entrepreneur running a startup. With so much work already on your plate, investing in your leadership style may not seem that important. But the truth is, how you lead has a tremendous impact on the success of your business.
Research data shows that more than 50% of people who quit do so because they don’t feel valued by their organizations or managers. Moreover, positive leadership elevates workplace productivity. And, of course, it creates a positive company culture that lets all team members thrive in their roles.
So, if employee retention, productivity, or creating a great atmosphere at your company rank high on your list of priorities, here’s the entrepreneur’s guide to leadership you need to embrace.
Know Your Goals
One of the essential questions you need to answer before you start working on your leadership style is what you want to achieve in the first place.
Every entrepreneur has different goals. Some wish to build strong brands. Others aim for rapid growth. And some set out to become the most reliable provider of products or services in their niche.
Truthfully, each of these objectives will necessitate a different leadership style. So, as you start investing in your personal growth as a leader, why not define the goals you wish to accomplish? That way, you’ll have a clear starting point and path. Perhaps you’ll decide to work on your listening skills and your role as a mentor. You might have to improve your time management. Or, you could dedicate time to becoming a better negotiator.
Surround Yourself with the Right People
The second most important part of becoming a better leader as a business owner is to surround yourself with the right people.
Ultimately, an organization is only as strong as its team of employees. So, if you have clear business goals for your brand, ensure that the people working for you understand and care about those goals just as much as you do. Especially if you’re a small business that’s working with limited resources.
That’s why one of the best ways to increase your chances of positive leadership is to hire employees based on culture fit. Have a strong sense of your organization’s values and mission, and be clear about them during the hiring process. Do everything you can to empower new team members with the knowledge they require to fit into the existing company culture. And, of course, remember that culture needs to be actively managed and to continually improve — especially if your team starts to grow.
Embrace the Practice of Lifelong Learning
The thing about becoming a strong leader is that it requires you to invest an equal amount of attention in your personal growth as that of your employees. In other words, you need to embrace lifelong learning, paying particular attention not to overlook bits of wisdom because they come from unconventional sources.
The great news is there are numerous fantastic ways to boost your leadership skills these days. You can:
- follow fellow entrepreneurs on social media and draw inspiration from their thoughts
- read online blogs and ebooks or listen to podcasts, immersing yourself in in-depth accounts of how others mastered leading a team
- watch short-form content on YouTube, whether that’s a TED talk by Breneé Brown or a clip from one of Simon Sinek’s appearances.
Create an Engaging, Open, and Safe Environment for Your Employees
One of the most commonly overlooked ways entrepreneurs fail as leaders is that they expect their teams to be 100% in without first creating an environment that allows people to be fully committed to their jobs.
Great leadership isn’t just about motivating people to give their best, helping them surpass challenges, or teaching them new skills. It’s much more about generating a safe space where everyone feels like they matter, knows they’re being heard, and can be themselves without being judged.
With this in mind, do your best to consider your employees’ needs when determining your leadership style. Listen to feedback — even when it’s negative. Don’t retaliate for people being honest with you. Do your best to encourage everyone to reach their full potential. And allow your team to work on the things they’re passionate about, as this will only benefit your organization.
Be Open-Minded to Unconventional Solutions
Last but not least, as you explore ways to boost your leadership skills as an entrepreneur, don’t forget that running a startup necessitates an open and curious approach to work. So don’t hesitate to ask your team for solutions and genuinely consider their ideas — no matter how unconventional they sound.
Ultimately, the only way to change any industry is not to blindly follow in your predecessors’ footsteps. Instead, to be a leader, you must embrace innovation, think outside the box, and be prepared to take risks, knowing that they may be the key to your brand’s success.
Over to You
There you have it, the entrepreneur’s (short) guide to leadership.
As you can see, none of these strategies should be too difficult to embrace. Nonetheless, they can have a tremendous positive impact on your company’s success.
So, explore these tactics and do your best to implement them in your leadership style. Of course, make them your own. But remember, the key to being what your business and team need isn’t about micromanaging everyone’s time. Instead, it’s about empowering your employees to be the best versions of themselves and motivating them to invest their potential in your organization.
