You must have seen a lot of successful entrepreneurs who have set up huge businesses and employed hundreds of people. While it’s inspiring to look at these personalities, you should understand that not all successful entrepreneurs are great leaders.

Great leaders are not just entrepreneurs with the goal of creating a profitable business. Rather they are visionaries who are capable of motivating their employees to make their vision a reality. In doing so, they will always take their employees with them on their road to success. 

They are not like the boss who commands their employees, micromanages them, demands respect, creates authority and generates fear.

On the contrary, they are the ones who set the right example, treat others with respect and kindness, have a clear vision and are honest. They listen to you, value you and motivate you to do what’s best for you and the organization.

If you want to be someone like that, this post is for you. In the following section, we’ll look at three easy ways to become a better leader for your employees. So let’s get started.

1. Be a good listener. 

One of the most important traits of a good leader is to be a good listener. In the world of the internet and digital devices, being a good listener has become a lost art. But to be a good leader, you should be able to listen to your employees attentively and empathically.

For that, you have to give them your time. Pay attention to what your employees have to say. They might want to share an idea, clarify their doubts, ask for opinions, etc.

But not everyone is good at expressing themselves. Some people need time to gather their thoughts before putting them into words. You have to be patient with such people.  

Ask questions to clarify your doubts and understand the situation better. Once you hear their thoughts, worries and concerns, take your time to reflect on them and express agreement with certain points first. By doing that, you can help them diffuse their anxiety and feel more comfortable with you.

Now come up with a solution to solve your employee’s problems. If you think the issues can be resolved with a few discussions, make it happen. Explain to them how you'll take care of it and let them know that they don’t need to worry about it. This will help your employees have peace of mind and confidently believe that you have their back.

2. Learn to handle failure.

No matter how successful or powerfulyou are, there will be times when you’ll go through hardships, experience failures and feel demotivated. Good leaders don’t give up at such times. Instead of being demoralized and unmotivated, find ways to learn how to handle failures positively.

No one likes to fail. But failure and success are part and parcel of life. And you might have to face them every now and then. A good way to cope with failure is to develop realistic thoughts about your failures.

For example, instead of giving up, reaffirm to yourself that you have failed because you have challenged yourself to something difficult.

Some people try to put the blame on others. Good leaders don’t do that. They acknowledge the things they have learned from their failures and take responsibility for their actions. Once they do that, they involve their team to identify their mistakes and plan ways to move forward.

Discuss your mistakes with your team. In doing so, try to learn from your mistakes and see how to do things differently the next time.

3. Serve as a model.

Good leaders serve as role models by being examples of optimism, persistence and hope. If you too want to be a good leader, you should exhibit positive traits and characteristics that inspire people to respect and admire you.

Always be empathetic to your employees and treat them like your extended family. Remember, your business is thriving only because of the hard work of your employees. So treat them with the respect and kindness they deserve.

Make sure to apologize if you lose your temper. Never play the blame game and learn to take responsibility for your actions. Little things like these can make you more approachable and make your employees be more fond of you. It can also let them know that you care for them, and they may look up to you as a role model.

It’s not easy to be a good leader. Anyone can sit in an office and delegate tasks to their employees. Being a good leader is more than just that. The above tips can help you be a great leader and help you shape your road map to success. 



Source: Forbes.com
Image: GETTY

Growing a small business team isn’t just about hiring – it’s also about retaining your current employees. This concept is more important than ever as companies are struggling to find qualified and interested candidates. Here are tips for both hiring and retaining top talent, thanks to members of the online small business community. 

Upgrade Your Onboarding Checklists by Ditching Excel

Excel is often the default option for charts and checklists. But if you use this for hiring and onboarding, it may be time to upgrade. 

Use These Recruitment Tools to Improve Your HR Strategy

HR is just like any other business department; there are tools to automate and improve your processes. If you haven’t already, try online or software recruiting tools. 

Remove Drudgery and Dread from the Workplace

You can’t possibly get the best out of your team if they dread coming to work. So if you have an unpleasant office environment, improving it should be your top priority. 

Reward Employees to Improve Their Experience

You shouldn’t only evaluate your team when there’s something to criticize. Rewarding team members for quality work is equally as important. 

Don’t Let Customers Chase Away Your Best Employees

The “customer is always right” philosophy can make life harder on your employees. In fact, difficult customers may cause some team members to seek opportunities elsewhere. 

Learn How to Hire Freelancers

Freelancers can be an ideal way to grow your team without taking on extra office space or covering benefits and training. 

Run Effective Remote Meetings

Meetings are a big part of most workplaces. But allowing team members to work remotely – or at least attend meetings that way – can be seen as a major benefit. 
​
Find the Best State to Start Your Franchise

Opening a successful franchise business requires many ingredients, like access to capital and an eager pool of potential employees. Many of these factors change based on the location. So where you choose to start may impact your ability to hire and afford a franchise. 

Combat Impostor Syndrome in Your Business

Impostor syndrome can make entrepreneurs feel ill-equipped to run their companies. And it often impacts employees as well. Combating it may help businesses work more effectively from multiple angles. 

Inspire Others Through Positivity

Positive attitudes can rub off on others. At work, inspiring others through happiness and positivity may even lead to improved morale and productivity. 



Source: smallbiztrends.com
Image Credit:​ Depositphotos

There is a direct correlation between company culture and business success. In today’s competitive business world, having a solid company culture is paramount for success. In fact, 72% of companies that engaged with PwC's Global Culture Survey 2021 "report that culture helps successful change initiatives happen."

To create a successful business, you must focus not only on the task at hand but also on the environment and people in which those tasks are being created. That said, here's how great company culture can drive business success.

1. Enhances Productivity

One of the most significant benefits of excellent company culture is fostering teamwork. Collaboration and cooperation are essential for any team or organization to succeed, even in competitive industries.

A strong company culture encourages everyone to contribute ideas, offer feedback and improve processes. This can lead to increased efficiency, new ideas and innovation, which can help your business grow and thrive in an increasingly competitive market.

When you have a good company culture, your employees will trust each other and the management team. This will make it easier for everyone to work together on projects and improve the overall productivity of your business.

2. Improves Employee Engagement And Makes Work More Fun

Happier employees are more engaged, and more engaged employees are more productive, creative and committed to excellence. This combination leads to more satisfied customers, a stronger brand and better business results.

The workplace can be a highly stressful environment for many employees often due to the pressure to perform and be recognized for their achievements. However, companies and HR professionals should not underestimate the power of employee engagement and happiness.

People who enjoy going to work are happier and more productive, which is good for both employees and employers. Great company culture doesn’t mean you constantly have parties or ignore hard work; instead, it focuses on creating a positive environment where employees feel appreciated.

Happy employees are more likely to be loyal and stay with the company longer, which means reducing turnover rates and lowering recruitment costs. This can also lead to higher productivity, better customer service and higher profits.

3. Attracts Top Talent And Helps Retain Them

Companies need to engage in some aggressive recruiting tactics or risk being left with unfilled positions, or worse, hiring people who aren’t suitable for the job.

A company with a good reputation as an employer will also have more success in retaining its existing staff. In today’s job market, people are more likely than ever to change jobs regularly, and employers need to keep their workers motivated enough to stay with the company long-term.

Employees who enjoy working at a business will stay longer than those who don’t like the environment they are working in. Building a good company culture where employees feel valued and appreciated is essential if you want to retain your employees.

4. Enhances Brand Reputation

Company culture is the foundation of your organization. It encompasses where and how people work, the values that guide their behavior and the systems that reinforce those values.

A strong company culture enhances your brand reputation. Prospects can quickly see how your company operates and whether you invest in your people. It’s hard to hide because it’s an integral part of the company and a key driver of your success.

A great company culture is a powerful tool for setting yourself apart from the competition. The most successful companies make their team members their number one priority and provide them with a positive, supportive working environment.

5. Heightens Customer Satisfaction

Your company culture should be a genuine reflection of what your brand stands for and what matters most to your business and customers. When you create a culture that is true to these values, people will see through it and recognize your sincerity.

Influenced by a great business culture, a business’s reputation is vital in attracting and retaining customers. This is because customers need to trust the company they are doing business with. If a company has a bad reputation, it will find it hard to attract customers as customers are more likely to purchase products or services from organizations they respect and admire. Building your reputation through your culture can give you an edge over your competitors.

Bottom Line

Ultimately, it would seem that having a great company culture is essential to business success. Everyone wants to work for a great company, and that’s something that every company—startup or otherwise—should strive toward.

Whether it’s through employee appreciation or some other means of fostering a collaborative atmosphere, there are plenty of ways to improve on this, so why not get started today?



Source: https://www.forbes.com
Image credit: Getty

Building your small business team is always challenging – but even more so in 2022. You may not be able to control the overarching uncertainty and worker shortages. But you can make sure your hiring and onboarding practices are in order. Here are tips from members of the online small business community for building a solid small business team.

Welcome New Hires

Once you find the right people to hire, it’s time to make them feel like part of the team. The right welcoming strategy can help them collaborate more effectively and work more productively. Mandy Caruso of ClickUp shares tips for welcoming new hires here.

Re-Open Workplaces Safely with Hybrid Models

Many offices are starting to reopen. But there are still many safety concerns. Luckily, hybrid work models offer some flexibility and safety benefits, while still bringing some workers back in person. Harry and Sally Vaishnav go over the benefits in this Small Biz Viewpoints post.

Consider These Factors in Changing Professions

There are many reasons why people choose to change professions. This isn’t just relevant for job seekers. It may also be relevant to business owners looking to hire those professionals. Get some insights from this post by Lisa Sicard of Inspire to Thrive. Then see what BizSugar members are saying here.

Reduce New Hire Churn

Constantly hiring and replacing employees can put a huge strain on your HR and leadership team. So it’s in your best interest to keep employees for as long as possible. To reduce new hire churn, check out this post by Grace Donaldson of Process Street for tips.

Prepare Before Expanding to Another State

Expanding a small business requires growing a team, researching a new market, and completing lots of paperwork. Going into a new state may even require some specific legal steps. Nellie Akalp goes over specifics in this CorpNet post.

Create Repeatable Processes with Great People

Part of the reason an amazing team can help your business get more done is the ability to create processes. Repeatable tasks provide more efficiency within teams. To learn more about this concept for teams, read this Startup Professionals Musings post by Marty Zwilling.

Ensure a Happy and Comfortable Workplace

Happy employees tend to get more done. While you cannot ensure that everyone on your team is satisfied in their personal life, you can provide a comfortable workplace. This Platter of Gold post by Anthony Williams includes tips for doing just that.

Deliver the Best Customer Experience

Hiring the right people for your customer service team can dramatically impact the experience. But this is just one aspect of improving the customer journey. Learn more in this Noobpreneur post by Ivan Widjaya. Then head to the BizSugar community to see what members are saying.

Find the Best Tax Deductions for Your Business

The tax deductions you can take depend on the structure of your business. If you’re self-employed, you’re likely the only official team member in your business. But there are still opportunities to save during tax season. Tim Parker of ZenBusiness lists options in this post.

Acknowledge Employee Burnout

So many workers have felt burned out over the past few years – perhaps none more than those in healthcare. Even if you don’t run a healthcare business, it’s important to notice and address when your employees have reached their limit. Lauren Galli shares an employee’s perspective in this Strella Social Media post.



Source: Smallbiztrends.com
Images: Depositphotos