Leadership in a Small Business

Leadership is a very important factor in business even when you’re the only employee.Leadership in small business means creating the vision, understanding the bigger picture, thinking outside of the box, expanding your horizon, reaching for the stars… well you get the point. Entrepreneurs must be both leaders and managers in order to keep their business afloat. Knowing how to see the bigger picture but also executing the steps to making that picture come to life is the great balancing act that successful small business owners have learned to master.

Have you ever wondered what your leadership style is? I’m sure you’ve heard of the popular DISC assessment before, but there are many other assessments that can really help you understand yourself as a leader and the members of your team. Sharing your assessment results with your team can create a great bond and bring forth improvements in areas like communication, overcoming obstacles, adjusting to strengths and weaknesses and many more. You may even learn how to better motivate your team or better understand why you are getting ‘stuck’ in certain areas.

Try taking one of these assessments:

DISC
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
Gallup Strengthsfinder
KOLBE
360 Degree Feedback

Leadership has many different facets that can take a while to master but understanding the key factors and working on them can make a huge difference. Here are some ways that you can improve your leadership starting today!

Communicate your goals and vision:

Leaders must be able to listen and understand as well as communicate effectively.

Set the tone:

A passionate and compassionate leader can energize an entire team.

Build relationships:

People are your greatest resource. Find ways to strengthen the level of trust you have with everyone involved in your business.

Share ownership:

A good leader allows both employee responsibility and creativity to encourage growth and new ideas. Successful leaders understand the value of customer and community input.