It's not about what you know, it's about who you know...
In today's global economy it takes both.
One must be able to navigate through chaos of personal challenges and market changes to achieve their dreams.
Below are some 'lessons learned' I picked up from 'tailgate sessions' with my team from stumbling as a business owner.
1- Acknowledge your own limitations to achieve your dream a.
Admitting your own limitations actually frees your mind to pursue the remedy and motivate others to assist you.
2- Make a checklist of Others' Specific Responsibilities.
a.
Avoid verbal instructions.
Provide a written list of tasks to be accomplished.
3- Setting Clear Expectations of your team a.
Confusion paralyzes.
It neutralizes the flow of energy.
4- Provide Information and Authority Necessary to Complete Those Tasks a.
Inform others regarding the Chain of Authority.
Identify openly who is authorized to instruct and who is expected to obey.
5- Establish Agreeable Deadlines to Complete the Tasks and Projects a.
Written plans unlock confidence in time lines and projected dates of completion 6- Invest Time in Collaborative Conversation a.
This will bring team into harmony towards achieving a common goal 7- Remind Others of Their Rewards for their Efforts.
a.
Always reward those who solve problems for you.
Make the time to motivate and educate them as to your exact expectations.
8- Join Professional Associations that will help you achieve your dreams a.
The successful person associates with those who support his dream.
Life is a collection of relationships and those relationships compensate for what you do not have.
Never underestimate the importance of people.
Winners are people who have discovered their special talents, abilities, and their gifts to the world.
9- Pursue Mentoring opportunities for development and training a.
Who has done what you want to do? Schedule appointments with them.
Ask them to tell you what important questions you should be asking yourself, actions to take to achieve your dreams.
10- How you dress and conduct yourself (protocol matters) a.
Every environment requires a code of conduct for entering and remaining in it.
How you dress and conduct yourself determines if you get future invitations.
In the Bible, Solomon, the wisest king, knew he could never achieve a significant project without the involvement of people.
There's a story about GOD asking Solomon what do you want from me, Solomon answered being a wise king, WISDOM to lead and discernment to place people in the right position to work in his kingdom.
As a business owner, do you love your business enough to help employees identify their 'natural talent', then place them in the right position to help you, have you found ways to reward them that they feel valued by the organization, and have you as a manager spent time with them to understand the unique circumstances and challenges they are facing (don't fix the problem, guide them to a website or agency that can help).
Remember, you can undermine your leadership by gossiping or betraying 1 employees trust.
If there is a golden rule in business success it would have to be linked to a happy workforce works harder to keep the customer satisfied and coming back for future purchases.
A good owner knows that his leadership skills and networking ability is key to his company success.