Whether you’re a small business entrepreneur or head of a large corporation, running a business isn’t just about balancing the books, onboarding new clients and increasing profitability (although, those elements are key to a healthy business!).
Being a quality business leader is also about your interactions with the employees you serve — and unlike spreadsheets and data, when it comes to overseeing people, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Leadership requires empathy and objectivity; fun and discipline; flexibility and standards.
In a climate where staffing shortages are the norm and retaining employees can feel like an uphill battle, honing your leadership tactics is arguably more important in today’s world than ever before.
At Bestola, we believe people are the most important aspect of any successful business. Here are four of our tried-and-true tips for being the type of leader you wish you had.
1. Set the Standard
Whether you want it or not, when you’re in charge, all eyes are on you. From office conduct to goals and objectives, your people are watching, and they will adopt the standards (or, let’s be real, the lack thereof) that you set. Also critical, do your actions match your words?
When your people know exactly where they stand and what’s expected of them — both in their individual roles and as contributing members of the whole, good things happen.
For starters, it empowers them and clarifies exactly what they’re working toward and why.
On the other hand, not all employees are a fit for your organization and mission. When this happens, having a clear picture of what’s lacking can help you coach your people up or coach them out. Either way, everyone wins.
2. Balance Empathy with Business Objectives
Being a leader means walking a fine line between showing empathy and still hitting your bottom line. Whether you own a company or lead a department, as the leader, you are the one who is responsible for performance. This means you get all the praise when metrics are on track — and all the blame when they’re not.
Here’s the thing: Empathetic leadership does not imply leniency.It involves understanding the unique challenges individuals face and providing the necessary support while maintaining a focus on achieving collective goals. Striking this balance requires a leader to be perceptive, flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances.
3. Support Your Team During the Not-so-Good Times
It’s easy (or, at least, easier!) to be a good leader when everything is going well. When it really matters, though, is when your people are faced with hardship.
From personal challenges, such as a death in the family, to company challenges like budget cuts, to societal upheavals like the pandemic or civil unrest, scenarios will always happen that you may not be prepared to lead the charge through.
When trying times happen, here’s how you can step up as a leader:
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Keep lines of communication open: Regular check-ins, team meetings or company-wide email communications to let people know you’re thinking of them and that you’re aware of what’s going on is key. People feel included when they are in-the-know. Don’t keep them in the dark unnecessarily.
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Be flexible: We work to live — not the other way around. Say childcare fell through for your all-star employee and he needs an extension on a project. Is that really the worst thing? Or, a massive snowstorm has made for terrible driving conditions on a day the team works in-office. (Can you tell Bestola is Chicago-based?) Would they be just as productive — and safer — if they worked from home? Flexibility and understanding of your employees’ circumstances leads to good morale and employees who want to work harder for you.
4. Be Yourself
Authenticity is all the rage around here. (In fact, we’ve got a playbook all about power of authenticity!) We preach it because it’s a cornerstone of effective leadership.
Authentic leaders are genuine, transparent, and open about their own experiences and challenges. This authenticity fosters trust and rapport within a team, creating a more cohesive and resilient work environment.
Just because you’re the leader doesn’t mean you have all the answers. Being vulnerable and acknowledging when you don’t know what to do or that you don’t have it all figured out is relatable, refreshing and it allows your team to do the same. It also turns your employees into not just people who work for you, but people who have a vested interest in the success of the team and the company as a whole.
