So you’ve started your own business and you need staff members. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed at the idea of this then you’re not alone. Just because you’re an innovative entrepreneur and business owner doesn’t mean you know how to be a boss.
Some people have a knack for leadership. They understand how to assert their authority and continue to remain empathetic. But for many of us, it’s something we need to learn. It’s a skillset that must be nurtured in order to succeed. There are some specific skills you can harness to help you develop your leadership ability. As a new or seasoned manager or boss, you can always improve your capability to lead a team.
Here’s how everyone can become a good boss.
Value communication
Communication is crucial to creating professional bonds with your team. Just like respect begets respect, your team will trust you if you show that you trust them. By communicating with them you’re keeping them up-to-date with what’s happening in the team, management, or the company as a whole. If you don’t communicate and they find out pertinent information after the fact they will then feel that you didn’t trust them enough to share with them. Also, maintaining open lines of communication with your team members means they’re more likely to open up to you if something is wrong.
Being proactive about communication in your team will lead to you having a better understanding of those working for you. As the boss, you must learn to speak less and listen more. You should be forwarding important information to your team, but by listening to their responses you’ll be able to identify any problems that are going to arise. This way you’re more able to mitigate any unhappiness and your team members will feel valued.
Spot their strengths
You need to consciously be able to spot your team member’s strengths and attributes. These positive characteristics of theirs need to be nurtured if you want them to use these attributes to impact the team. Good bosses will celebrate the strengths in their team members and help them to achieve repeated success. And it’s a well-known fact that by recognising your team members’ good work, you build them up in a positive way. Positive affirmation breeds productivity and motivates the team to always try hard. By creating this type of work space you’ll find your relationship with your team is strengthened.
Understand that they’re all different
Each and every one of your team members is different. They likely have very different backgrounds and you may even find that they’re from different generations entirely. You need to confidently navigate your way through communicating with each of them no matter their perspective or point of reference.
You, as the boss, also need to bridge the gap between how the generations communicate amongst themselves in the work environment. You as the boss (who is doing a great job) need to have a firm grasp on the different value systems that might arise between the different team members. Understanding cultural diversity is also critical to maintaining a happy team. A good boss will happily embrace the difference in each of their team members and use these distinctive characteristics to benefit how the team operates.
Know yourself
You need to know who you are and what your strengths are. When you are self-aware, you’re more open-minded which means you will embrace challenges far easier. You’ll be perceived as easier to talk to you and more trustworthy. By knowing who you are, you’ll also be more open to receiving constructive criticism which in turn will only improve your leadership skills.
Source: The Cradle
