By Pearl M. Kasirye, Public Relations Manager Pearl lemon PR
Running a business is something that most of us have dreamed of doing. The appeal of being a successful entrepreneur is pretty exciting, to say the least!
However, there is a range of skills that are needed to have success in the business world. When running or organizing anything, you will need pretty good leadership skills. Running a business following the same concept as strong leadership skills will provide you with many benefits.
If you’ve ever had first-hand experience managing your own business, you’ll know it’s certainly not easy. Many shocks may come your way, making it pretty challenging to stay in business. Furthermore, millions of other businesses are trying to do precisely the same thing as you. Therefore, you’re going to need all the help you can get.
It’s possible that you haven’t considered sharpening up your leadership skills. A strong leader can distinguish between a successful business and one that can’t get its feet off the ground.
If you’re looking to increase success in your business, read on to learn more about leadership skills and how to improve them.
What is Strong Leadership in Business?
This is a rather crucial question, as identifying a strong leader will allow you to add these qualities to your arsenal.
Any work which is composed of a team requires a good leader. Strong leadership should maximize this team’s ability and allow all members to contribute their best possible work.
Andrew Tropeano, the EVP of NewsWatch says, “Good leadership is about vision” and making “sure the business is operating at an efficient level”.
This must be achieved healthily. Your team should be happy to challenge themselves and want to work as hard as possible. This ensures the workplace is an environment where communication is productive, and creativity thrives.
Tropeano continues, “Having a long term plan for success allows your organization to achieve relevant longevity. And it’s not just about setting a goal a year from now and working towards it, it’s about leaders setting a goal but being willing to adapt, evolve, and push forward when obstacles come into focus. The more agile and forward thinking a leader is, the more success their organization will see.”
The Benefits of Strong Leadership
As discussed earlier, strong leadership allows you to get the most out of your team. Since your team is producing your best work, this should allow you to increase your output level or even reduce costs. These two factors contribute to increasing your business’s profitability, and everyone likes profit!
Furthermore, being a strong leader allows for a positive working environment. This should reduce the dissatisfaction of your team and potentially increase your staff retention rates.
Higher staff retention means you spend less time searching for new employees to fill in gaps in your team. You will have heard of the phrase ‘time is money. This phrase fits well in this context as time spent looking for replacements could be spent focusing on expanding your business.
Good leadership also allows for more flexibility. A good leader should be able to adapt to changing times to benefit both their consumers and employees. For example, many firms continued with ‘working from home’ even after the lockdown ended. This is because many employees enjoyed the added flexibility of working from home.
Adaptability allows you to maximize output in changing times and ensures your business stays relevant.
Tasks a Strong Leader Should carry out
Knowing what you should do as a leader is a pretty vital step to improving your leadership. You should be familiar with these tasks and skills if you’re running a business.
A leader is responsible for making sure the team collaborates well together. This means setting goals for the team and promoting responsibility in each individual’s tasks. This takes good organizational skills and also good knowledge of your team to know what their strengths are.
As a leader, you should also set an example to your team in both your execution and behaviour in the workplace. You will also play a massive part in implementing policies that affect your business culture and ethos. Make sure that these policies reflect what you want for yourself and your business.
Tips to Become a Stronger Leader
Now that you know the benefits and characteristics of a strong leader, here are some tips you can implement into your lifestyle to improve your leadership skills.
Sharpening your communication skills is crucial to becoming a better leader. Communication skills are helpful in almost every aspect of life. With honest communication with your teammates, you can provide more accurate feedback to help them improve in their respective areas.
Building a healthy relationship with your teammates will also improve your leadership skills. Talking to your team as friends will make it easier when you need to provide constructive feedback. Furthermore, your team will feel more comfortable if they need to ask you any questions or for advice.
Tropeano believes in inspiring employees and motivating them. He states, “In my organization, connecting with and inspiring our employees is what leads to the highest level of success. Our employees are the lifeblood of our organization, and when they believe in the mission and have an emotional desire to achieve success, we are at our most powerful. My goal, daily, is to connect with my employees’ hearts and inspire them to action. That means having daily moments of affirmation with each person – shooting them a message and letting them know their work matters, thanking them for going above and beyond the call of duty, and being as transparent as possible on the company mission and direction.”
This approach to leadership has worked for NewsWatch and it can work for your business as well.
Uma Rajagopal has been managing the posting of content for multiple platforms since 2021, including Global Banking & Finance Review, Asset Digest, Biz Dispatch, Blockchain Tribune, Business Express, Brands Journal, Companies Digest, Economy Standard, Entrepreneur Tribune, Finance Digest, Fintech Herald, Global Islamic Finance Magazine, International Releases, Online World News, Luxury Adviser, Palmbay Herald, Startup Observer, Technology Dispatch, Trading Herald, and Wealth Tribune. Her role ensures that content is published accurately and efficiently across these diverse publications.