Effective leadership has multiple benefits for businesses. From higher employee retention rates to increased productivity, there are several reasons to develop and hone leadership skills. Being a company boss isn’t easy and leading a team doesn’t come naturally to all entrepreneurs. If you’re wondering what you can do to be a better boss, this guide is packed with useful tips.
Use personal experiences
Personal experiences are incredibly valuable when it comes to leading a team. Whether you have ten employees or hundreds of workers, you can use your own experiences to shape the way you run your company. The vast majority of successful business owners have had other jobs on their way to the top of the tree. As an employer, take inspiration from people whose leadership style you admire and learn from negative experiences. Think about how you felt as an employee in different roles. What did your employers do that made you feel encouraged, reassured or valued and what made you feel angry, frustrated or overlooked? Perhaps you’ve had bosses in the past who didn’t know your name. Maybe you left a job because you never got a pay rise or even a mention for doing overtime or achieving something brilliant. On the flip side, you may be where you are now because a previous employer motivated you and gave you the confidence to aim high.
Show your team that you care about them
A 2021 study by McKinsey revealed that feeling undervalued at work was one of the top two reasons for leaving a job. The average employee spends around 36 hours per week at work. This is more time than we dedicate to anything else, including socialising and pursuing hobbies and interests. When you spend the majority of your time at work, it’s important to be motivated. Positive feedback, rewards and recognition play a crucial role in motivating teams and maintaining high levels of morale. If employees feel that their boss doesn’t care about them or the work they do, they’re less likely to put in effort and they may start looking for other opportunities.
There are multiple ways to show employees that you care about them. From robust, employee-focused benefits packages and rewards for accomplishments to personalised emails, employee of the month schemes and taking time to chat and catch up, even simple things can make a difference.
It can be difficult to make changes if you don’t know how you are performing or where you’re falling down. Use anonymous surveys or comment boxes to get feedback from your employees. Negative comments can be tough to take, but they are also beneficial for learning.
Be prepared to listen as well as talk
Open communication is key to building strong teams and boosting employee retention rates. When we think about communication, it’s natural to focus on talking, but listening is equally important. As an employer, it’s vital to make the effort to engage in conversation. Ask questions and listen to the answers. Take opinions, suggestions, ideas and concerns on board. Your team should feel that they can approach you or a senior member of staff if they want to share an idea or talk about a problem or issue. If you fail to listen, this can contribute to a lack of trust, which could impact performance levels and staff loyalty and impact the workplace culture.
Develop your skills and confidence
Being an employer should be a continuous learning experience. It’s rare to go into the world of entrepreneurialism with all the skills and traits required to manage a business and a team effectively. Be prepared to learn and develop new skills and build on previous successes. Look for courses you can do to improve practical skills, such as accounting and basic marketing, for example, and qualifications you can obtain to enhance confidence and build cohesive teams. A professional and accredited NLP and coach training programme is an excellent example. By developing your own skills and increasing your confidence in coaching and leading, you’ll help your employees and improve the business as a whole. Research opportunities and think about your strengths and weaknesses. Being a life coach or having skills in business leadership can be beneficial in motivating employees, overcoming obstacles, changing mindsets and helping individuals to fulfil their potential.
Get to know your employees
The best employers know their employees. Getting to know your team isn’t just about asking if they’re coping with their workload. It’s about delving deeper to discover their personalities and understand their career and personal goals and ambitions. If you don’t know much about your employees, try to be more proactive in gathering information. Organise regular catch-ups and group and one-to-one meetings and take advantage of interviews and appraisals to learn more. Add a social element to the working calendar. Make time for lunch with the team once a month or plan after-work drinks on a Friday or a day out. You don’t need to make friends with your employees, but it’s important to connect and engage with them. Positive relationships can improve productivity and reduce the risk of losing top talent.
Be passionate
Most employers have high expectations when it comes to the performance of their team. Passion is essential if you want to encourage every employee to give their all and increase the chances of reaching targets. If you’re not passionate about your business or a specific project, it’s very difficult to persuade other people to devote time, energy and effort to it. Don’t be afraid to show how passionate you are about the company. Make it your mission to inspire the people who work for you and set a good example. If you’re enthusiastic, it will be easier to get your team on side.
Understand what employees want
Every employer should want to make their company one of the best to work for, but how do you achieve this goal? It’s important to understand what employees want. Talk to your team, encourage people to share ideas and feedback and act on suggestions and pain points. It’s useful to analyse general workplace trends and large-scale surveys, but focus on your employees. Use questionnaires, polls and interviews to gather information and ask questions. What could you change? What are you doing well? If your employees were bosses for the day, what measures or policies would they introduce? What modifications could you make to the benefits package? You might find that your employees want more flexibility, or they’d rather have health insurance than an extra day off for birthdays, for example.
Learn to delegate
Running a business can be like juggling a hundred balls at once. Learning to delegate is a valuable skill. Delegating not only frees up time for senior members of staff, but it also builds trust and confidence within teams. Try to nurture talent and enthusiasm. Let your employees take on more responsibility and support progression by providing training and offering opportunities. If you try to do everything yourself, you could be at risk of burnout and your business may suffer because you don’t have all the skills needed to excel at every job. Your team may also feel that you don’t trust them and they may become frustrated at the lack of opportunities to climb the ladder.
Effective leadership is pivotal to business success. If you’ve recently launched a startup, or you’re looking to develop and improve your leadership skills, there are several ways to be a better boss. Understand the importance of communication, get to know your employees and use personal experiences to shape the way you manage your business and lead your team. Be proactive in personal development and take advantage of courses and new qualifications. Engage with your team, use feedback and encourage people to share ideas. Learn to delegate and be passionate about your business.
