Does Your Leadership Style Influence The Type Of Business Owner You Are?

Does Your Leadership Style Influence The Type Of Business Owner You Are?

Does Your Leadership Style Influence The Type Of Business Owner You Are?

By Said Ul Amin | Submitted on November 23, 2022.

What type of business do you own?

Over the past 16 years, I have worked with many business owners and have recognized the impact that leadership style has on a business. So, if I were to ask you how you manage your business, which of the following would apply to you?

Hooray.

You recruit people to do a job and want to tell them how to do it. Even though this person may have years of experience and is quite capable of self-organization, you feel as if you have to tell them how to do their job, even behind their back. To go and change what they have already done.

If you fall into this category, you may want to consider whether this is the best use of your time. Any concerns you have about your team members' abilities to do their jobs may be due to a desire for reassurance, or showing you that you need to change your hiring strategy. Required. Either way, your business is at a loss as it is unlikely to function efficiently.

Unorganized.

You have piles of unopened business correspondence around your workplace, and when team members ask for documents you don't know where to find them, but you "know" they're there.

They will be in a heap somewhere. Even worse, you don't acknowledge receipt of the information and ignore the request so you can do other things.

If this sounds familiar, the first step to improvement is to admit that you used to act this way, and then make a firm decision to get organized.

If sorting through all the piles is too much of a pain, get someone to do it for you. Remember, you have to let them do their thing and create a simple but effective system for you to use to stay on top of correspondence and action points. Then, stick to it!

Head in the sand.

Problems aren't being solved in a timely manner, and your team keeps asking you to make decisions, but why can't they see that you have other things to do and just get on with it?

Does this sound familiar? The thing is, sometimes as a business owner your team needs you to make the "big" decisions, and if important strategic business decisions need to be made, external authorities address your team. May not have all the answers to fix the situation.

I remember a business owner who called me to review their collection process, I had developed a process and supporting documentation for them to implement and needed their feedback.

Whether they are happy to proceed. It was then that I pressed the issue and highlighted the cost of not making a timely decision and they finally realized how the delay was affecting the company's cash flow.

Resistant to taking advice.

You've hired experienced people to join your team, but the advice they're giving you means you'll always have to change the way you work, and you're unsure. How will it affect your business? So, regardless of how many times they repeat the same advice, you continue as usual.

The fact that you have hired "experts" in their field in your business shows that you know that some things need to change. So, while accepting change can be painful, and even stressful, you can either feel uncomfortable now if the long-term impact is beneficial to both you and the business and take the advice given. Accept, or realize later, when the consequences are far more painful.

Appreciate the talents of others.

When hiring you to know what you are looking for in a team member and let them go ahead and do their job. In your mind, they are experts in their area, so you can trust them to deliver and you'll focus on doing what you do best. If problems arise you know they will be dealt with, or you will be notified when you need to get involved.

Although you appreciate your team, you still have your eye on the ball and know what's going on in the business, and where any potential problems may arise.

You trust your team to prioritize the well-being of the business, and in return recognize them for what they do. This is a healthy way to build a loyal team that feels responsible and valued.

In companies where this level of autonomy is practiced, assuming the "right" people are hired in the first place, staff turnover is low and team members feel like family. People stay with an organization for more than a monthly paycheck.

Dynamic.

You are passionate about what you do, and once you have an idea you want to go with it immediately. Your expectations are that your team will get on board and make things happen.

Have I got your attention? Are you already thinking about the next initiative you are going to pursue? Wait, did you get all the feedback to see how the last initiative performed?

Great if you have, and great for your innovation. This approach works best if you are fully committed to your team, as they will either love the speed and intensity of your drive or start burning out just trying to keep up.

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Once you have been in business for several years unless you have a process of constant review and updating you may identify with the following:

Are you so busy in business that you've forgotten why you got into business in the first place?

Are those reasons still valid?

Do you enjoy life, and does the business meet your four basic needs for health, business, relationships, and fun?

Most of us go into business because we believe we have something special to offer, and we want to present it our way. We have visions of how the business will operate and grow and hope that it will give us a good, if not better, quality of life. This reality, especially in the early stages of starting a business, is quite different for the majority.