Business
Even Parties of One Need a Leader
Written by Susan Ward
Are you a leader just because you run a
small business? No. But you need to be. Without leadership, the ship
that is your small business will aimlessly circle and eventually run
out of power or run aground.
It’s not having followers that
defines leadership. Cool-headed, farseeing, visionary, courageous –
whichever adjectives you choose, leadership is a winning combination
of personal traits and the ability to think and act as a leader, a
person who directs the activities of others for the good of all.
Anyone can be a leader, even if the only person they’re leading is
themselves.
But you can’t become a leader just by
saying you are. Leadership needs to be worked at. Transform yourself
into a leader with these five keys of leadership.
1. A leader plans.
The core of leadership is being
proactive rather than reactive. Sure, leaders are good in crises –
but that doesn’t mean they sit around letting crises develop.
Leadership involves identifying potential problems and solving them
before they reach crisis proportions – and the ability to identify
and reap potential windfalls. So good leaders analyze and plan and
adapt their plans to new circumstances and opportunities.
2. A leader has a vision.
Vision is essential to good leadership.
Vision provides direction and without direction, there’s not much
point to all that planning; your small business will still flail
about. So if you don’t have one already, take your first step
towards leadership by creating a Vision Statement for your business.
Because it embodies your dreams and your passions, a vision statement
will also serve as a leadership vision.
3. A leader shares her vision.
Sharing your leadership vision helps
your vision grow and your leadership develop. As you tell your
leadership vision to others, you will strengthen your own belief in
your vision and strengthen your determination to make your leadership
vision become reality. And other people will start to see you as a
person who’s "going places”. Your leadership skills will grow
as you and other people recognize you as a person with leadership
potential.
4. A leader takes charge.
At this stage of leadership, you put
together your planning and your leadership vision and take action.
Whether it’s implementing a specific plan to improve your
business’s bottom line or responding to a crisis, you, as the
leader, are the one who makes the decisions and sees that the
appropriate actions are carried out. You can’t just "talk a good
game” to be a leader; you need to act and to be seen as taking
effective action for the good of your small business.
5. A leader inspires through example.
If I asked you, you could easily name
three people whose leadership qualities inspire you. If I asked you
why, you’d tell me about the things these inspiring people did or
are doing. Leadership is defined through action. Therefore, in
developing your own leadership skills, you have to act in ways that
are fitting to your leadership vision and your self – all the time.
We can all name many actions of other people whom we admire, but what
inspires us is the integrity that gives these actions meaning.
Becoming a leader isn’t easy because
it takes a conscious commitment and consistent effort to develop
one’s leadership skills. But on the positive side, anyone who is
willing to make the effort can become a good leader.
And as good leadership is critical to
business success, your efforts to improve your leadership skills will
be amply rewarded. By working on these five keys of leadership, you
can become the leader your small business needs.
Starting a business in Canada may seem
overwhelming at first. There are just so many things to do! This
guide to the starting a business resources on the Small Business
Canada site is designed to help you make your dream of starting a
business a reality.
Each step of this starting a business
in Canada guide links to detailed information that will show you how
to complete that step. The steps are roughly in order but you don't
need to follow the order slavishly when you’re starting a business.
It really doesn't matter if you complete step 3 of starting a
business in Canada, for instance, before you complete step 2.
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий