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We learn leadership in so many ways – sometimes based on a great example that you want to emulate and sometimes based on actions you want to avoid. Either way we always learn from one another. I invite you to send me an email to share your best, and even your worst, practices so that others may find new leadership techniques and ideas to try out. We will post the ideas here with our thoughts on getting the most from it. Each quarter we hold a drawing from all of the ideas submitted during that quarter - you could win a leadership pack which includes a copy of From the Classroom to the Boardroom.

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• Small Business Leadership
• Dealing with a Difficult Employee
• Keep a Leadership Diary

Best Practice: Small Business Leadership

Small business owners have MORE at risk by putting leadership skill development at the bottom of the “to do” list. The result of poor leadership in a small company can have devastating affects! Employees flounder with lack of focus and the values of the company and dealings with customers suffer!

As the owner of a business, we know that you got into business because you believed in your product or services and because you wanted to be in control of your own destiny and financial future. Innately, you believed you had the right set of skills to venture out on your own, but this isn’t enough in today’s competitive landscape. 

Without developing employee and customer trust, most small businesses suffer from marginal growth. Without demonstrating strong leadership skills to accompany your passion for the business, many small companies fail.

Here are Five “to do’s” for leadership success as a small business owner.

1. Admit that you need help: So many small business owners believe they have to do it all themselves. A good leader knows when to reach out for help, expertise and council. If you are having difficulty focusing then hire a qualified consultant that can assist you with business planning. If your marketing is not yielding client results, then look for appropriate marketing support.
2. Create a focused business plan: Clearly, a small business owner does not have an unending supply of cash to hire every expert. It is important to start with a much needed, focused business plan. A business plan helps you decide what your critical business objectives need to be and where you want to spend your money.
3. Develop success metrics: What are the things that will make you successful as a leader? What are your customers telling you? What are your suppliers telling you? What are your employees telling you? So often, as small business owners, we don’t put metrics in place to monitor how we’re doing. We typically act on impulse or a gut feeling that we are going in the right direction. If you measure success by repeat business, set repeat business goals. If you measure success by gross profit, set realistic measures for achieving those profits. You can’t expect to be a good leader without a barometer telling you how you are doing.
4. Find the appropriate networks: Knowledge is power to a small business owner. Regardless of your success rate, small business owners need a support structure. Do you belong to the appropriate networking groups that can provide a mechanism for you to confidentially share information on your company, leadership issues or problems you are trying to resolve? Often, your instincts are correct, but you need validation. Strong leaders surround themselves with successful people that can impact their own success. Look for viable networking groups within your industry or those that compliment your industry.
5. Be willing to change: As the head of a small business it is difficult to know when to change if you are only focused on what’s going on inside your company. Strong leaders look external to their own companies to find out what’s working, what’s new and what's on the horizon. Being myopic only promotes a stagnant business environment. Read a business journal, pick up executive book summaries and read about what is happening in your business or in the business of successful companies. Be willing to bring new ideas into your organization.
   

Best Practice : Dealing with a Difficult Employee

An idiomatic expression that we’ve all heard is “one bad apple can ruin a whole barrel.”  So how do you get the “bad apple” or difficult employee to meet your goals and objectives?  How do you get the “bad apple” to turn performance around and not interfere with what you are trying to accomplish as the manager?  

Dr. Melinda Hill from Ohio State University conducted a study asking managers to recount how they handled “Difficult Employees.”  Dr Hill had this to say:  “Difficult people generally use their behavior because it works for them.  That’s how they can gain control over situations.  Most of the time, difficult people have an inability to resolve differences and they strive for a win/lose outcome.”

Eight Tips to help you deal with difficult people

1. Don’t take it personally
2. Confront behavior, not personality
3. Accept the diversity of style and modify your behavior
4. Take responsibility for your communication
5. Listen
6. Take a time out
7. Focus on the positive
8. Realize that you may be the problem

Have you had a difficult employee or colleague and found an effective way to handle it?  Send an email, celia@ccconsultingllc.com, and we may include your ideas in a future newsletter or best practices page.

Best Practice : Keep a Leadership Diary.

Creating a Leadership Tool Box- Your Acting Diary!
A management diary, like an acting diary, can make a huge difference in your ability to handle issues. A management diary is not conceptual but filled with practical examples of ways to handle a bunch of different situations. Writing down your observations or your actions can also help you dissect what you did well and where you need to improve. It is also a good way to capture your impressions on how another person handled a particular situation. Perhaps you were on the receiving end of bad news delivered incredibly well, or saw another manager call attention to poor performance in a way that made everyone uncomfortable. Understanding what works and what doesn’t will help you develop the skills that allow you to become a great leader.

The more you can do to capture those unique situations or actions you take as a manager, the easier it will be to lead your team. This practice is also a great jumping off point for coaching or mentoring others.