LEADERSHIP
I
’ ve always seen it as a necessity to grow as a leader . Why wouldn ’ t I ? No one is the same from one year to the next – neither is the economy .
Translation : You can ’ t meet your client ’ s needs if you don ’ t grow with the changes in the evolving market that they are dealing with .
A WAKE UP CALL TO SMALL BUSINESS LEADERS
I used to follow the old blueprint for managing my team . Well , if I had a blueprint . Let ’ s face it , most entrepreneurs start alone and then slowly build a team of employees afterward . So I didn ’ t exactly have a blueprint . What I did know about employee management was what I learned from my first job in a corporate atmosphere , and I ’ ll be blunt : It was Hell .
Traditional leadership includes leading with fear , intimidation , and / or stoicism . The result ? Lots of insecure – and therefore ineffective employees . Employees who are , for all accounts , running your business . Your team is the face of the business , they produce your offering , and they communicate with your clients and customers . They are the foundation of your business . I know , shocker , your business doesn ’ t revolve around you . It revolves around the people working to drive your revenue and are working toward your mission and goals .
It ’ s never been harder building successful teams . With challenges of work-fromanywhere , flex schedules , and generational divides , business leaders bend over backward searching for solutions that work . From food perks and ping pong tables to endless team-building exercises and training – nothing sticks .
I think small business owners focus on the wrong things when it comes to their employees . So much so that I wrote a book about it . We ’ ve made some major upgrades in my business , and I want to share them with you as a resource that you can implement – and get the success I have seen come from it .
To start , I want to introduce you to the FASO model . I know , another acronym . Remember the DAD method ? Someday I ’ ll figure out an UNCLE method . But I digress . The FASO model is what I want you to apply to your business so you can build the unstoppable team that I found I now have .
• Recruit in the right way the right talent
• Transform struggling employees into superstars
• Match individual abilities to client and company needs
• Promote a culture of caring where employees and leadership are equally invested
You want a thriving workforce that shines and sticks around . One that takes full responsibility for their work and outcomes . I ’ m building a community of employees who love our organization and are
invested in its growth through the FASO model .
• Fit – Adapt roles . Don ’ t look for a person who can do it all . Look for the person who can do best at what you need most .
• Ability – Unleash potential . People who want to do a job always outperform people who need to do a job . Seek the want . The desire . The thirst .
• Safety – Cultivate security . People do their best when they ’ re not worried about the rest . Protect your team and set up conditions in which they feel safe , enabling them to lean into contribution .
• Ownership – Empower ownership . When team members are designated ownership over aspects of their job , the natural tendency is for them to put everything they have into it .
Build a world-class team . One that you love to work with . One that your customers and clients love to work with . ( And let ’ s face it , one that your accounts love too ). +
Coming In January
Mike Michalowicz is the entrepreneur behind three multimillion dollar companies and is the author of Profit First . He is globally recognized as the guy who “ challenges out dated business beliefs ” and teaches us what to do about it .
To learn more about Mike and get access to a treasure trove of entrepreneurial tips , visit MikeMichalowicz . com .
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