INSIGHT
These focuses combined will help drive your revenue initiatives forward , as you will build a team that is engaged and delivering your corporate vision .
3 ) Remove the hierarchy and create a culture of innovation Instead of fostering a hierarchical team structure , working with relational authority is how bigger businesses cultivate innovative leadership styles . Having a relational approach will automatically earn leaders the trust and respect of their teams .
This type of leadership style is not imposed , rather it is given freely by the collective of people working around you . Making sure that your staff understand the value of collaborating in a peer setting is just as important as showing upper management what they achieve . Ultimately , you don ’ t get pushed forward for management roles unless you are supported by your peers and respected by them . A good leader sets the pace , nurtures the team around them and inspires individual thinking . In doing so , an effective manager knows how to achieve the best out of the individuals who make up the bigger team .
The people you employ as leaders in your organisation have to be vision drivers . They are your generals and are there to support you in driving your business vision forward and enforcing the ethos of your brand top down . Underestimating the importance of having a strong leadership team is one of the areas where small business owners fall down . People management is a real job . It ’ s critical that you have the right people doing the right jobs and that they are fully engaged for your vision to develop and grow .
4 ) There is a big difference being busy and being productive Understanding this difference and encouraging your team to delegate more and focus on core revenue objectives is vital for success . Delegation is one of the hardest management skills to learn , as we all have a natural desire to want to control how we deliver work or grow a revenue stream .
Knowing your own strengths and those of your employees is vital . Letting your people lead in the areas of expertise that you need them to focus on – delegation , is a key part of a business ’ s success . As a small business owner it ’ s probably one of the hardest things to do , to let go and trust the people you work with to deliver . Letting go means you will have more free time to focus on other business needs . Some special individuals can ignite the passion of everyone in a team , driving them to succeed just by their presence in the room . This quality is what inspires others to work as hard as you do .
It ’ s true you will find that some employees are motivated only by money , however , many more are driven by the need to collaborate as one team . As a small business owner , understanding the difference in these two mind-sets and valuing your collaborative team players will contribute to your overall success without necessarily incurring more resource costs .
5 ) If it ’ s good enough for Google … Much of what Google publishes as innovation evolves naturally from its corporate culture , which in turn shapes its business vision and growth . There are nine core innovation principles the search engine giant encourages which can be applied to any business to promote its success . a ) Innovation comes from anywhere – you just need the headspace and time to recognise it . If you are too focused on being busy working in your business , you will not have time to nurture it . b ) Focus on the end user – a strong customer experience drives growth and repeat business , so plan and accommodate your marketing efforts around where and how to engage them , 100 % of the time . c ) Aim to be 10 times better – look ahead of where you want to be and aim to do it 10 times better than your closest competitor . By looking ahead of the target and not at it , you will encourage stronger growth . d ) Bet on technological insights – always make time to look at what is happening around you then take a punt on how you can leverage it . Technology is advancing at a rapid rate and you need to look at how your business can harness technological development to save time and money or provide an even better user experience . e ) Launch and iterate – the best marketing advice I ’ ve ever had was “ Just do it !” Start , even if it ’ s only 90 % correct . You will never have a perfect product to start with , so launch and iterate as you go on using customers ’ feedback to help you improve your proposition . f ) Give employees 20 % of their own time – allowing your employees 20 % of personal time during their working day to learn , research and have the space to think innovatively will reap its own rewards . By giving them this freedom , you are only helping your own business to grow through their collaborative efforts . g ) Default to open processes – by encouraging open communication within your team , you will see a lot of natural idea generation . Interdepartmental collaboration drives productive development growth . When technical teams communicate with other departments in regular scrums they have a better understanding of how their development impacts the end user experience . h ) Understand that it ’ s ok to fail – and do it well . If you don ’ t fail , you don ’ t learn , so don ’ t beat yourself up about setbacks . Take stock , see failure for what it is and move forward . I believe business coaching has a positive impact on small business owners . At AffiliateFEST one affiliate radically changed his business proposition after a brief 30-minute one-to-one coaching session , simply because he was asked “ why ” he was doing what he did .
Have a mission that matters – here is where your managers come into their own . If they can encourage others in the team to follow your mission and to believe in it , that ’ s quite a powerful thing that naturally drives your business forward to success .
58 iGB Affiliate Issue 63 JUN / JUL 2017