You are a busy business owner or manager. You day is filled with customers, invoices, expenses, collection
s, inventory, marketing, more customers, the books, sales, proposals, taxes…..so your people feel like a distraction. You hired them to do a job. Why can’t they think for themselves? Why does it seem they always need your attention? Or worse, where are they and what are they doing? Why did that ball get dropped? She called off sick again? Employees. Can’t live with them…can’t do without them.
You think things like “You just can’t find good people these days” or “How can I keep the people I have. I provide a paycheck and we have better than average benefits. I feel like I’m held hostage, and the demands are only increasing!”
Here is the shocking truth. You attract the people and business team you deserve. You have created what you currently have. You, my friend, are the leader, and the buck stops with you. I am challenging you, right now, to take full responsibility for the team you have.
But I’m NOT the leader, you may retort. I am just the supervisor, or department manager. Though you may not have full authority, you can always BE a better leader. You have amazing potential to influence and improve your team…if you will first work hard on yourself. You can blame the boss, or take responsibility and fill the gap for leadership.
People want to be heard, appreciated, and treated with respect. They are looking for a leader…someone to believe in them and see their potential; someone to help them grow and change and be a contribution to the team; someone that will listen and understand and care; someone who believes in the mission, and has a vision, and is ready to serve the team so they can serve the customer. They want direction and someone to help them be their best.
Here’s my point. Work FIRST on being a great leader, and then make your team the top priority in your business…more important than the customer, more important than the profit, ….then…..the team will take care of the customer, and the customer will take care of the profit, and that will take care of the business. Great businesses are created by great leaders serving great teams that create great customers.
If you don’t have time for people, you don’t have time for success.
