Business leadership

Leadership can have a direct impact on the success of a business. 

Your business’ greatest asset is you as the business owner. Taking the time to learn and grow as a leader has a positive impact on your business, and on your greatest resource, your team.

Good leadership has been proven to motivate employees and improve their performance. It involves creating an environment where workers challenge themselves and develop their skills. This is critical to the growth and success of any business.

Examples include:

• Sharing the business’ vision and goals
• Setting clear roles and responsibilities
• Providing clear feedback and other learning opportunities, in ways that work for each person
• Accepting early mistakes as people learn new skills or tasks
• Celebrating success.

Coaching tools like the Skill/Will Matrix can help you identify how best to develop your team and adapt your management style to suit each person. For details, watch our video on how to improve your business leadership.

It’s common for new business owners to work long hours and try to do everything. But if you’re running on empty, your business, your health and your team will suffer.

Before diving into doing or delegating mode, think about each task or project on the to-do list. 

Is it urgent? 

• Does it fit your business or personal goals, or someone else’s?
• If someone else thinks it’s urgent, it might be because they haven’t planned properly or simply want it asap.

Is it important? 

• Important tasks should contribute your goals (business or personal) or the overall vision for the business
• They involve initiative, planning, and good management.

Prioritise tasks that are genuinely urgent and important. 

If it’s not urgent and not important, you can either not do it at all, or keep it as small a task as possible – for you, or a member of your team.

When considering your business priorities, make sure to include your health and wellbeing.