Many small businesses are operated by a primary(generally the owner) who is then supported by a group of individuals. Group is the primary term used here due to many leaders refusing to acknowledge the inherent value provided by their staff. Many businesses plan their positions: technicians, bookkeepers, office managers, etc. Great businesses take those planned positions and focus their energies on the people that fill them. Empowering those individuals to provide unique, uplifting memories to each client that walks in the door. The odd thing is that both types of businesses have the same amount of money and time invested in their people. The difference is that businesses have employees; while, great businesses have team members.
When a team member feels empowered to provide memories on behalf of their company/employer, they seek out those opportunities at every available chance. Their motivation revolving around bettering the day of others simply for the enjoyment of it. Their enjoyment is read by the clients as being enjoyment purely in their job/role. When negative emotions threaten to overtake the mood of the business on a given day, these team members identify and address any misgivings before they can escalate.
Conversely, when an employee is conducting their job, they tend to mirror the current mood of the primary (owner). In many cases, the employees are seen as emotional dumping grounds by the primary; in that it is a very common correlation that when a primary’s other facets of life (marriage, school, church, etc.) become strained, that strain spills over into other facets of his/her life. When employees are greeted with stress by their employer, they simply respond by sharing that stress with the clients. In a best case scenario, an employee will be short when dealiing with a client/customer. In a worst case scenario, the employee will show a lack of concern over the client’s needs leaving the client/customer to feel like their service was uninspired, possibly even unnecessary; thus prompting the client to seek out a new service-provider.
There are many varied leadership styles, several work well, many simply languish without ever changing. In an effort to stoke the fires of this blog anew; this represents the beginning of a new effort to catalog various leadership styles, some good, some bad, some an absolute liability, all are in need of improvement.
Ultimately, the goal of any business is to grow. Yet, many businesses fail to capitalize on investments already made in their staff due to a failed understanding of the human spirit. Don’t let your misconceptions about your worth versus the worth of your staff prevent you from gaining every advantage available from your staff. Turn your employees into Team Members!