As an entrepreneur hungry for business success, it’s easy to take the solo route and claim every win as your own. But building a small team of the right people can be the best decision you make for your entire business – if you lead them successfully.
In this blog post, we’re going to share 5 ways to lead a small team to business success. So, you’ll be able to reach your goals much faster, grow your profits, and be well on your way to becoming a trusted industry leader.
Find out more below!
How Can an Entrepreneur Lead a Small Team to Business Success?
1. Be Clear About Your End Goal
You know your vision, but is your team on the same page?
Truthfully, there isn’t just one end goal in business. Behind every target is an ever-growing list of bigger and better goals. However, if you’re keeping your cards too close to your chest, you’ll likely find it impossible to execute your vision at all.
That’s why everybody in your team needs to be on board, working towards the same goal. Ideally, they should be as invested in your vision as you are. Not only does this create a sense of togetherness, but it promotes focus and productivity, helping you to reach your goal faster.
Use these simple steps when onboarding your team with a new goal:
- State your current goal – Be clear and concise so your team understands the task at hand.
- Create a roadmap – Break your goal down into smaller, more manageable tasks.
- Delegate tasks – Lean into the unique skills and abilities of your team members.
- Communicate your standards – Define exactly what you expect from your team.
2. Set Realistic Objectives for Your Team
Your team understands the collective goal, but do they know what role they play individually to achieve that?
Of course, before setting objectives for team members, it’s important to consider their current skills. In other words, do they have the means to complete the task expected of them? If not, the task may be a better fit for someone with more experience in that area. Striving to create a fair workplace not only enhances your team’s productivity levels, but develops trust and respect, building stronger relationships.
When setting realistic objectives, the SMART acronym is an incredible tool:
- Specific – Be clear about the task.
- Measurable – Communicate how they’ll be measured, i.e., quantity or quality.
- Achievable – Make sure you have the resources to complete the task.
- Relevant – Is the objective necessary to reach your team’s end goal?
- Time-bound – Set a realistic time-frame.
This helpful acronym not only ensures team members clearly understand their responsibilities, but gives them a sense of direction. When everyone understands the role they play and can organise their work accordingly, reaching the end goal is far more easily achievable in a shorter time frame.
3. Check In Regularly
Without checking in with your team, how can you be confident that they’re continuously leading your business to greater success?
Knowing when your team is on top-form and when they need more support is crucial to achieve overall business success. The advantage of having a small team is that regular communication is easily achievable. With only a handful of employees, it’s much simpler to keep tabs on your team and therefore much more straightforward if and when change needs to be implemented.
Here are some example questions to ask your team when checking in with them:
- Do you understand your individual objectives?
- Is there anything you’re struggling with? If so, how can I help?
- Are you confident you can manage your current workload?
- Which task consumes most of your time?
- In your opinion, how can the current project be improved?
4. Prioritise Effective Communication
Even if you think your current communication efforts are enough, they’re probably not.
You’ve communicated your end goal, delegated tasks to your team members and are checking in with them to understand their strong points, challenges, and setbacks. But that’s only the beginning of your communication efforts.
Regular communication between team members is imperative in a successful business to share budding ideas, solve problems as they occur, and develop relationships. However, this communication must be clear and transparent between all parties. When ideas get muddled or someone misinterprets your message, this is when mistakes and errors can be made. Not just that, but ineffective communication can spark tension within your team.
Wherever possible, it’s a good idea to encourage your team to communicate face-to-face, or at least via video call. This not only allows for greater discussion, enabling everyone to get involved, but is much more time effective than communicating via modern workplace platforms. So, clear and effective communication also contributes towards increased productivity.
5. Give Your Team a Little Space
Think about it — how well do you work under undue pressure?
It’s tempting to watch over your team, examining their every move and ensuring they’re doing exactly as you expect. However, if you become too controlling, this can create unnecessary stress and tension in the workplace.
When you’re confident that your team members can handle their individual responsibilities, it’s time to back off and give them some space. Letting them take the reins of their own work will empower them, sparking new ideas, greater creativity, and boosted productivity. Plus, this lets your team know that you really trust them to complete the job at hand. Trust forms the foundation of a fantastic working relationship, skyrocketing the potential for greater success.
Are you ready to lead your small team to business success? Keep this blog post by your side and use it as a handy guide as you navigate the journey.
