6 Signs You're a Great Leader

 

Making your business dreams a reality is 100% dependent on your team and the way you lead them.

You can’t scale your business by yourself 📈 You need people to help you. And how you steer those people can mean the difference between success 🎉 and failure. 👎

As motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar once said: “You don't build a business, you build people, then people build the business.”

In this blog, I’ll bring to life some of the signs that demonstrate you’re almost certainly a successful small business leader. Do you recognise any of these characteristics in yourself? 🤔

SIGN #1 - YOU HIRE WELL 🌟

According to NimbleFins, 1.3m small businesses in the UK hire staff. But, 85% of small businesses make a bad hire. And what’s more, those hiring mistakes can be costly. Not just from a financial perspective, but the sheer burden they have on your time and sanity too!

Being able to attract star talent to your business isn’t a skill you’re born with. It’s simply about doing the right things, in the right order, and using the right processes and paperwork to guide you.

It’s also about knowing who and what you want for your business – and NEVER compromising on it. 🙅

For example, successful entrepreneur, Karen Brady, talks about how an enthusiasm for hard work is what she actively seeks out in candidates who apply to work for her. She says: “That’s the sort of enthusiasm I look for in my staff. I have it myself and I don’t employ anyone without it.”

💡 Recruiting brilliant people is the key to unlocking success for your business

🔑 If you’re looking to hire for the first time, or you want to hire better next time around, then download my Hiring Bundle.

SIGN #2 - YOU SET AND SHARE THE DIRECTION YOU HAVE FOR YOUR BUSINESS 🗣

What’s the dream you have for your business? 🤔 It’s amazing how many small business owners can’t answer this question when I ask them.

⏰ Perhaps it’s to offer the quickest turnaround times for printing in the North West?

💻 Maybe it’s to help every client to rank number one via online search engines?

🚗 Or, is it to be the best rated delivery service for dry cleaning in the Midlands?

Whatever it is, you need to articulate it to yourself, your team, and all your stakeholders. And then, set the right goals to help you to make this dream become a reality. Otherwise, it’ll remain a vision that only resides in your head.

A successful team needs goals to be accountable for and to be motivated by. Your business goals should influence everything you do. From who you hire, to which suppliers you use.

💡If you need help to set the right goals for your business, read my blog, it’s called: OKRS OR KPIS? WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO BOOST TEAM PERFORMANCE?

SIGN #3 - YOU ROLE MODEL GREAT BEHAVIOURS 🤗

A successful small business boss will set the tone for their business by speaking and behaving in a way that inspires their team to do the same.

Everything you say and do sends a powerful message to your people about your values.

Think about it…

⏩ If you’re always on time for work, or for meetings, it suggests that punctuality is important to you

⏩ If you go over and above for your clients, it demonstrates how much you value brilliant customer service

⏩ If you clamp down on bad behaviours, it shows you won’t tolerate them going forward

The list could go on and on!

But, ultimately, if you expect your staff to work in a certain way – demonstrating specific values – they need to see them from you first!

SIGN #4 - YOU CAN LET GO AND DELEGATE 👋

Lots of small business owners have sweated blood and tears to set their businesses up, making huge sacrifices along the way. So, when the time comes to hand over some of the reins to somebody else, it can be super-hard to do.

However, to take your business to the next level, you must be capable of letting go of the tasks that you don’t need to do, or can’t do. This is what successful entrepreneurs are able to do 👉 DELEGATE.

When you delegate, it:

⏰ Frees up more of YOUR time to do the strategic work necessary to grow your business

📈 Allows you to take on more customers or bigger contracts

🛠 Enables you to diversify what you can offer to your customers (because you’re no longer reliant on your own skillset)

🥅 Helps you to achieve a specific goal you can’t smash by yourself

SIGN #5 - YOU HAVE THE NECESSARY HONEST CONVERSATIONS 💬

Super-successful entrepreneurs don’t shy away from having tricky conversations with their team. Even when it feels uncomfortable and awkward. Instead, they deal with them head on and learn from them. 💪

There are loads of benefits to having honest conversations in business. It means everyone knows where they stand and there’s no time wasted over guesswork. And what’s more, it gets easier the more you do it.

Poor performance or bad behaviours – left unchecked – can cause bitterness and resentment. And actually, can have a detrimental impact on your business. I see this a lot with small business owners who are paying for staff who just don’t cut the mustard. But, they’re too frightened to do anything about it. 🙄

I’ve written a blog on this. It’s called: HOW DO I TELL MY EMPLOYEE THEY AREN'T PERFORMING, WITHOUT MAKING THE SITUATION WORSE?

SIGN #6 - YOU HAVE ALL YOUR PEOPLE PAPERWORK IN ORDER 📑

When it comes to managing your team, don’t wing it by taking shortcuts on the people paperwork. I’m talking HR templates, contracts, and policies. Successful leaders don’t shirk on the people paperwork and nor should you.

Not only is some of this HR paperwork required by law, but it also helps you to communicate what you expect from your employees, and what they can expect from you.

Savvy small business owners also know that these documents protect them from ugly misunderstandings in the workplace that could end up in an employment tribunal.

🛒You can find a comprehensive range of contract templates and policies in my online shop. All of which are reasonably priced, 100% compliant, and super-easy to read and personalise. Check them out today!