Democracy (in the workplace)?
We have just witnessed an historic (can someone PLEASE explain to me why ‘historic’ has to have ‘an’ before it, and not ‘a’- i don’t get this grammar rule) Democratic event last night. The American people have spoken, and chosen Barak Obama. So, how do you run your small business? What kind of leader are you? Dictator (aka “authoritative leader”), Participative or Delegative?
You must be thinking - me? Authoratative? Never! I’m a good guy, and i would never want to be a “bossy” boss! Well, before you dismiss this leadership style, keep in mind, that some of our greatest leaders were authoritative leaders (ie, Patton, Trump, Vince Lombardi). When would someone want to be authoritative? Consider your industry- if you are the expert, and you’re working with entry level or inexperienced employees, or maybe a “rougher” crowd (think construction, Armed Forces or the fishing industry)- the being a bit of a dictator may make sense. And if you are working in a detail oriented industry with picky clients (think painter or wedding cake maker)- then, pick away. You can’t afford to let your employees to learn on the job and potentially risk losing a client.
As your company grows, your employees skills will improve and you should begin to rely on them to make decisions and execute the plan. One of the greatest mistakes small business owners make is to immerse themselves working IN the business, rather than working ON the business. If you want to have the largest wedding cake bakery in the country, at some stage, your going to have to stop baking. As long as you are baking, designing, building (and handling bills, fixing printers, taking out the garbage) - you aren’t building relationships, developing procedures, managing your staff and growing your business. As your company grows, you’ll want to move in to the participative or delegative role. In order to do this, you’ll have to train your key employees to meet your standards, or invest in quality employees who you can trust, and in some cases, have better experience that yourself. Don’t underestimate the power of quality employees.
As you develop good employees around you, you’ll begin to delegate tactical tasks to them. However, ensure that they are accountable to you. I highly recommend you read “Mastering the Rockefeller Habits” . This will help you manage your team more effectively while maintaining your standards. We’ve started to implement these tips, and it’s had a huge impact on allowing me to focus on strategy, new concepts and business development along with managing our staff.
As you move in to the participative style, keep in mind, that if you ask your employees for their opinion, you sure better honor it. A quick way to frustrate employees is to constantly ask for their opinion and then always go your own way. Not ALL decisions are critical. Give your employees some opportunites to OWN a decision and execute it. But, in the end, this is your business. Don’t be afraid to step in when needed and make final decisions. This is YOUR BUSINESS.
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Technically, all words that start with an ‘H’ or have no consonant sound should be prefaced with the article ‘an’.