GF Issue 54

1 The role of leadership To get a business to where it needs to be, you need strong leaders in place. This will not only help manage the business; it will mature it. Good leadership helps every team member grow as an individual – both you, as the leader, and the people working under you. Being a great leader isn’t all about giving direction; it means encouraging people to use and hone their strengths in a way that brings out the best in them and makes the business stronger. And while management is still essential, strong leadership makes managing team members responsible for day-to-day activities much easier. Many people confuse management with leadership. While management is task- orientated guidance of a team, leadership gives the team a collective vision to strive forwards, and impacts motivation, wellbeing and, importantly, staff retention. This doesn’t mean that a manager can’t lead, but it does mean you must be aware that your existing managers may not be the people to whom the team ultimately look up to for leadership. 2 A common goal Most businesses have a lot of targets in place, but they tend to be specific to the business owner or practical in their essence. Objectives like increasing profit margins by 10% or securing three new clients by the next financial year are perfectly good goals for a business to have, but they’re lacking in inspirational value for someone in a team whose job role isn’t in sales. A team needs to be united in at least one big common goal, so that everyone is moving the business in the same direction. Often, it helps to bring in a facilitator from outside the company to come up with the most compelling and relevant goals. Think about that company mission you had when starting your business. Perhaps you wanted to grow by delivering excellence and impacting the lives of the community who you serve, or unlocking the potential of the customers you reach. Link your goals back to your company vision, mission and values to keep your team’s sights firmly set on the prize. Individual goals are also important. As a leader, motivating your team members to set and achieve their own personal goals which are aligned to the business’s goal is critical. Build these into their 90-day reviews (because no boss should be running annual reviews without quarterly check-ins) and give your people recognition for personal growth as well as professional development. 5 MINUTE HEALTHCHECK Assess your leadership style. What are your strengths and weaknesses as a leader? How can you improve your own leadership skills? Do you set clear and inspiring goals? How do you define what you want to achieve together as a team? Does your team have a set of rules and guidelines? These will help to create a sense of order and fairness: your team can get involved in creating them Have you created an action plan?What specific tasks and goals does each team member need to accomplish and by when? How do you encourage teammembers to take risks and come up with new ideas? This will help to foster innovation and creativity Do you give everyone on the team a chance to have their say and contribute to the business? This will help create a sense of belonging and ownership. GLOBAL FRANCHISE.COM 75