Top 6 ways to successfully lead your team
Your team is secured, and maybe you’ve been working together for a few months. You have a groove, but aren’t quite where you want to be yet...these tips are for YOU (the business owner) and the manager!
To get you in the right frame of mind, let’s talk about a successful team. One of my most recommended business books is Traction by Gino Wickman, and the biggest takeaway I absorbed is “having the right people in the right seats.” (Note: I found the digital version for free at my local library!)
If you’ve been in a business where you’ve outgrown your role, but there wasn’t a bigger seat to move into, the next viable option is to move on from the job. But to stay in a role you’ve outgrown, well—that’s not going to yield long-term success for anyone (the team member or the business owner) because it can create a toxic and repressive culture with your business! ← Yikes!
Being a good leader means reassessing ourselves (and often), not just our team. And if you’re feeling a little off on the vibe, here are some tips to engage with your team and to create a pathway of collaboration to begin assessing yourself (and your team members) to make sure everyone is in the right seat for their talents, skills, and strengths.
#1 - Tell your team how they can make you happy
This is all about EXPECTATIONS. Clear expectations before and during the working process will make your life and your team’s life better. But if you’re not sure what those expectations look like, just tell your team how they can make you happy! No matter what the expectations are, being consistent will help!
#2 - Schedule a Team Meeting
Book those meetings! If you have 1-2 team members you probably want a team meeting that fits all of your schedules, but if you have a bigger team you might need to have smaller group based meetings, and designate a representative on each team to attend a strategy meeting. Productive team meetings have an agenda, and are about new ideas, goals, and solving problems—not harping on what sucks (that comes separately).
#3 - Ask for feedback
ASK FOR FEEDBACK + often. Now, how much or how often you ask for feedback will be dictated on the type of work you do together. However, I always try to stay open for feedback, even if it sucks! Because if your team knows it sucks, it’s likely your clients will figure it out soon enough! Not ready for face to face feedback? ask them to fill out a survey and have a friend read through it for you. The sooner you can embrace feedback, the stronger you and your business will be.
#4 - Adapt
Adapt, adapt, adapt. Teams change, systems change, and processes change. Teach your team, and trust them to teach you or encourage you to dream and reach bigger. When your team asks why or comes with suggestions, encourage them to try the new process! Passion and excitement are infectious, and if it gets you to try something new that won’t cost much then give your team member ownership to the role.
#5 - Stop overthinking perfection → for yourself!
The biggest holdup is wanting all of the work/processes to be “perfect” before passing it off to your team. Remove that temptation right now; you’ve hired because they’re here to save you time, make you money, and make your life better. Let go of some control (and the perfectionism tendencies) and let them take over for you!
#6 - Give kindness to your team (and yourself)
This won’t be easy, but give your team freedom and kindness in this process. We’re all human here, and asking your team member for perfection when they’re not in your brain (or when you’ve been doing this for years) will take time to train. Be mindful, kind, and respectful of the process. Feeling like your team isn’t on track? Then creating mini-milestones for success so you can realign the team to your business’ goals, and provide guidance for growth along the way.
Being the leader can mean making the tough decisions, and sometimes that means removing yourself from the leadership role. Yikes → sounds scary, right?!? But it’s not wrong and doesn’t have to be scary.
Maybe you just hate the day-to-day questions or prefer to focus on the big vision, and these tasks and goals are getting you stuck in the weeds and uninspired. Every team’s success comes from knowing your strengths and having the right people in the right seats → the business owner included….!
