What can a company owner do to make life less stressful?

When you run a business it can be a very stressful life you lead, but investing in high value leadership training for your managers and supervisors can make your life much easier. Managers who are skilled in good communication, time management and are effective at managing people and change will unsurprisingly lead their workforce to achieve maximum output and yield while also having high spirits and low staff churn. What more could you, as a company owner want?

When the economic environment is not favourable good leadership is vital to ensure that the company keeps on track. Indeed it is one of the secrets to a company’s success. If job losses have to be made and the workforce condensed it is fundamental that those who remain know where they fit into the new scheme of things and what their new role is. If your managers are positive, optimistic and enthusiastic this will create an atmosphere of respect and steadfastness which will relay your workforce through even the most difficult of times. Consequently it will also persuade staff to work at their maximum levels for everyone’s benefit.

When your managers and team leaders have been instructed in good leadership skills they will have the knowledge to inspire staff but they will also feel appreciated themselves and will therefore lead their teams forward. Allocation of tasks and prompting staff to take responsibility within their abilities is one of the most important leadership skills your managers can learn. Good communication between them and their teams and sincere and candid dialogue will provide knowledge and understanding and give the workers satisfaction in their work and in themselves. As a result your whole business can grow and mature and become something you are proud to own.

If times become tough and challenging decisions have to be made, a company which has managers and supervisors who are already trained to lead is far more attractive to a buyer and discussions will be more straightforward and less painful.

In an optimistic financial world good leadership is equally vital. If your senior managers are highly trained your business will grow in leaps and bounds. Staff will be secure and encouraged and everyone will be keen to move on to the next target and corporate objective. Spirits will be high and the whole workforce will feel that they have played a part in the success of the company throughout every level. Everyone will support each other and work to their maximum productivity. If your managers take the time to get to know their employees and can operate with compassion and sustain their staff, they will find that production and output will increase enormously.

Therefore good leadership training for your managers and supervisors is one of the shrewdest resolutions you, as a company owner can make. Investing time and money in this subject will increase the efficiency, productivity and the morale of your workforce immensely and it will ensure that your company takes off and reaches for the sky!

If you want to make enemies, try to change something

Woodrow Wilson was quoted as saying “If you want to make enemies, try to change something”. All companies have to adjust as inevitably the market changes or the company itself grows. Managing change effectively is crucial to the effects that the changes have on the company. The changes may well make good economic sense and on the face of it create a vast improvement in the company’s ambitions and productivity, but if you do not take your work force with you those changes could have disastrous consequences.
After the Berlin Wall came down in November 1989 it sparked a series of changes to the British Armed Forces as a result of the “so called Peace Dividend”. Various reports were generated from “Options for Change” to “Front-line First” and numerous others all with the aim, if I am being cynical, of saving government money and not necessarily with the aim of improving military life or our Armed Forces. Two big problems came about from these changes. Firstly, each one was never given time to take effect before the next change was being implemented leaving many in the military unsure of the affects that the first had achieved, or even if anything had been achieved. The second problem was that those at the “coal face” were left confused and deeply uncertain of their future. Squadrons were being disbanded, Regiments amalgamated and redundancies on the cards for some with the aim of effectively halving our armed services over the ten year period of the 1990s.
It is essential when you make changes, especially if they are on a large scale, that you ensure that you evaluate each small part before progressing to the next and keep your work force completely informed throughout the process. A work force which feels that they are ‘in the loop’ will be much more amenable to alterations in protocols and procedures than one which feels it is being railroaded and coerced. However, Arnold Bennett the English novelist is quoted as saying “Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts”. Do not expect change always to be completely smooth and beware that you will not necessarily take everyone along with you.
Good diplomacy skills are essential and taking the time to get to know your team so that there is a respect and loyalty running both ways will reap dividends in the long term. Team members who feel that their opinion is valued and are confident in their working atmosphere will take on board new challenges and working practices with a positive attitude. An open and honest environment means that any difficulties can be ironed out in an uncomplicated manner, thus leading to greater productivity and both the team and the corporate goals can be achieved with ease.

Leadership – Empowering You and Your Team

Warner Burke (Executive Power, Jossey-Bass 1986) suggests that “leaders tend to be those who have sufficient presence and self belief to be able to recognise the many ways of controlling and directing situations, from a position of clear understanding of themselves”.
A good leader needs many and diverse skills to enable employees to perform to high standards to ensure organisational goals and corporate objectives are achieved.
It is important for a good leader to be able to motivate team members. The ability to think positively and practically is essential. If the leader is negative and unreasonable members of staff will be dragged down and not achieve the productivity required. Forward looking and a good internal ‘SAT NAV’ will stand the whole team in good stead for the road forward and reaching the ultimate ‘destination’ will be guaranteed.
During the ‘journey’, a good leader needs to be observant. Recognising the strengths and talents of individual team members is necessary so that they can be used to make the task more effective and easier. The ability to listen and be open-minded is also an essential attribute. If employees are confident and comfortable putting their ideas and thoughts forward problems can be dealt with and solutions found without difficulty. It is vital to use the experience within the team to accomplish the task at hand. Respect and loyalty are fundamental qualities and the first rate leader remembers that this runs up and down. Encouraging each person to develop their own particular skills will make them feel valued. It will also mean that the leader can delegate tasks in the full knowledge that they will be expertly executed. A good leader needs the vision to see the plan through and express it in such a way that the rest of the team knows what they have to do as individuals.
A leader has to have confidence, knowledge and understanding of what is expected. Up-to date information on trends and jargon will allow the team to be guided from a position of strength. However a talented leader will remember that knowledge is not always about having all the answers but also knowing who to ask or where to look for a solution.
Stress at work is on the increase and a high calibre leader will monitor team members to ensure that stress does not become detrimental either to the individual or the group. In many cases a sympathetic ear or a piece of advice can sort the problem immediately but sometimes it takes a little longer. Empathy and compassion are vital attributes, however the ability to recognise when an individual may be better off in a different role or perhaps a new post is crucial for the benefit of all concerned. It is imperative to discover the cause of stress and find an amicable and practical solution for all parties.
In conclusion the role of a good leader is to have the vision to plan and execute strategic organisational goals and corporate objectives using the skills and competencies of those within the company. To recognise and nurture talent to equip employees to take on responsibilities whilst monitoring levels of stress and to encourage honest and open discussion within teams to enable successful completion of the task.