Entrepreneurs often get caught up in the day to day leadership of developing their businesses. This is admirable in the creation stage of a new business, however at some point doing all aspects of the business solely by the entrepreneur takes its toll.
When they do hire managers and employees, their first need is to simply get stuff done. It's more like putting out fires for a while until systems are put into place to get things running smoothly and to allow the business to progress toward profitability.
5 Tips on hiring (or outsourcing) your team:
- Recruit those who have skills you are not strong in. Perhaps your talent is developing ideas, however time management, sorting out financial records, or returning phone calls in a timely manner isn't working. Hiring a virtual assistant, accountant, or receptionist would be in your best interest. Hiring diverse ideas and skills, not cloning yourself, is the best way to grow your business.
- Delegate everything you possibly can. Delegating isn't about ordering people around so you can sit and do nothing all day. The purpose is to take away the tasks that distract you from your talent: building your business. Delegating is a skill. If you have difficulty with this, hire a manager who can.
- Hire the most talented people you can find. Don't confuse education with talent. Intangible qualities such as integrity, attitude, willingness to learn, etc. matter more than the degree.
- Let them do their job. Once you define their position, let them contribute that talent you saw in them. You can hold them accountable; just give them the freedom to get there.
- Trust and develop your team; lead them toward your company vision.
Most importantly, the higher you go the more you must serve.
In order to grow your organization, you must first be a servant to those you lead. The concept is called servant leadership. This doesn't mean you cannot direct your employees, it simply means that to support their work, and thereby move your business forward, you develop an attitude of serving. The outdated hierarchical method of leadership leads to uninspired workers, high turnover and no real loyalty to their jobs or to you.
What is the 1 question to ask if you want to be an exceptional leader? It is: What gift am I giving each and every day to those I lead?
Find more detail in this article:
Today's thought can be summed up in this quote:
"The measure of a leader is not the number of people who serve him but the number of people he serves."John C. Maxwell
To your abundance with love, Suzanne
P.S Need a little inspiration? Try my little book HERE for uplifting quotes and thoughts.
