As a business leader we wear many hats, customer service, sales person, boss, financial decision maker, technology navigator and possibly even technician. There are so many things for us to master in business to run a successful business. So how do you prioritise what’s most important?
My theory is, prioritise what’s going to remove work from your plate, not add to it! Therefore, being an effective leader should be at the top of your list. Why? Because when you’re an effective leader you have proficient, engaged and productive staff who stick around. Which means, you’ll have experienced staff who know what they’re doing, so fewer customer complaints, a high customer retention and referral stream, a successful sales team, fewer HR and staffing issues, and even a cash flow that enables you to focus on growing the business. Not to mention the absence of having to recruit and train continuously. So here are the 6 steps to master to be a Motivational Leader;
- Know who you are as a person and like that person
To be an inspiring and motivational leader you must know who you are as a person, what you stand for and what you believe in. Choose an optimistic approach, search for the good in people. Be willing to take responsibility for everything, then you have the power to change it, if necessary. Never blame or make excuses because then you abdicate your power. People are not inspired by self centred, ego driven leaders, they’re looking for a leader who takes the time to get to know them, believe in them and their dreams and how to get the best out of them.
- Get good at communicating with people, build positive relationships
Relationships are the cornerstone of successful business. Earn trust from your people by helping them be the best they can be. Respect them as you require their respect. Make them feel good about themselves and their role. Do this by treating them like an “emotional bank account”. You must make positive deposits, through acknowledgement and recognition. Only make negative withdrawals, when necessary. This ensures a healthy account and therefore relationship.
- Learn the art of personal discipline for effectiveness
Know your personal ‘why’. Why you get up each morning to do your job. Is it your purpose or is it leading to your purpose. When you know the ‘why’, then the ‘how’ to be successful will take care of itself. Your discipline allows you to expect your team to be disciplined. Discipline is leading by example, do what you say you will, hold your people accountable and follow up everything! Anything less will result in an undisciplined and therefore unsuccessful environment.
- Protect your environment with your life
The most valuable ‘intangible’ you have is your environment. If you implement these 6 steps effectively, you will provide a happy and productive environment. That is the catalyst for success. Do not let anyone mess with your environment. Protect it with your life, because it takes months, even years to build and can be torn down in a moment, if you allow.
- Identify your clear focus
Identify and communicated your team Vision. Along with that, clearly identified the goals (Key Performance Numbers) you must achieve, understanding what they are now, and what the desired number is. Give your team ownership by asking them to help formulate the strategies to achieve each KPN. Then ensure your team are implementing each strategy daily for success.
- Know your game plan
Once you’ve identified your focus, then translate it to your weekly meeting agenda, to assess your results each week. What strategies are working well, what strategies need tweaking and how the team is progressing towards the goal. Thus enabling you to easily and clearly identify your game plan each day.
Good luck with implementing these six steps. If you’d like to explore what impact improving your leadership could have on your business then click here to book in for your free 30 min Environment Assessment conversation with me, Lisa Wiking.
