leadership tips

Best leadership tips for startup founders

What exactly do great leaders do that sets them above the rest? Here’s a compilation of the best leadership tips for any startup founder that will help you along your journey.

Founding your own company is a brave and exciting choice. As the founder, it’s your responsibility to be a great leader. If you want to see your start-up not only survive but also thrive you need to be at the helm striving to be your very best. Your actions will have a serious trickle-down effect, especially if your company takes off. How do you know you’re leading to your fullest extent? What exactly do great leaders do that sets them above the rest? Here’s a compilation of the best leadership tips for any startup founder that will help you along your journey.

Promote your company in a way that makes you look polished

Even if you’re just starting out and operating from the inside of someone’s garage, the way you market your company to potential clients and on social media can make all the difference. You may already be in fierce competition with another start-up that has a similar vision. Before you’ve built client relationships-resulting in positive word-of-mouth and referrals-you need to be able to attract potential client’s attention away from your competitors. One way you can do this is with a professional introductory video.

When your start-up is new, it might not be clear what exactly you do. Clients like to go with a known variable. By making a video that introduces your company by explaining what kind of services you’re offering and interviewing some of your staff, your company is no longer shrouded in mystery. The unfamiliar is now familiar and potential clients feel like they’re taking much less of a risk hiring your team.

Guide/Checklist from Due Diligence Questions

You’ve already got a lot on your plate trying to run your business. Don’t feel like you need to take care of this video yourself. Consider hiring a videography company in Los Angeles to make you an incredible introductory video. By outsourcing this project, you’ll get quality media and never have to lift a finger.

Look to the future

If you can’t see the forest for the trees, you’re going to find yourself visionless. How do you lead your company without a vision? Although, it’s important to have a pulse on the climate of your start-up from day to day, being able to see past the first few months of operation will ensure your company’s longevity.

This is particularly true when it comes to your financial situation. What’s your long-term plan? Are you investing in places that will give your company the numbers it needs? If you’re looking for financial advice like this, look to the long-standing professionals for your advice.

Mark Wiseman is a global investment manager and business executive who has been navigating the economy for well over a decade. He understands your potential hesitancy over investing right now due to the declining global economy from the pandemic.

However, Wiseman feels it’s actually a great time to get in on the ground floor of investment while buy-in is so low. He cites how “if you stand close, you can see the violent downward swings brought on by the Great Depression, 9/11 and the global financial crisis. Take two or three steps back, those moments are no longer noticeable. All [you] can see is an upward curve.” In other words, your investments will ultimately grow—no matter how hard they’re hit—over a long period of time. If you can, look to the future now and invest.

Engage as much as you feel necessary

When starting a business, you want to throw everything you have into it. According to Forbes, it might not be best to listen to the people encouraging you to find work-life balance while you’re trying to get your company off of the ground, because fast “developing business areas…require constant engagement with the industry.” Follow your gut. You’ll know when you can finally take your foot off the gas.

How to become a better leader: 8 Great tips to know

Are you trying to learn how to become a better leader? If yes, you should check out some of our best tips by clicking right here.

More than 53 percent of the American workforce is currently unhappy at their jobs.

While the reasons run the gambit, that unhappiness often comes down to dissatisfaction with their managers and leadership team.

Becoming a better leader for your employees is essential for your company’s growth. Unfortunately, finding ways to improve isn’t always easy.

If you’re wondering how to become a better leader, don’t despair. Check out these great tips and start implementing them immediately.

Be Involved Every Day

Great leaders are good at what they do because they understand the why behind every action and decision. You need to understand your business’s mission, values, and needs every step of the way.

When you know what your company’s goals are, you’re better prepared to outline the necessary steps to reach those goals.

For most leaders, this means working alongside their teams, identifying challenges and strengths every day, and finding ways to implement changes quickly. If you distance yourself from the day-to-day operations, you won’t be able to keep up with your company’s changing needs.

Lead By Example

Bosses can give orders, but employees aren’t always inclined to follow them if they don’t see how those orders will impact the company. This is especially true of the boss doesn’t get out of their office and show them why it’s important to take care of those tasks.

Great leaders lead by example. When you show your team what you want them to do and actively encourage them every day, your team will find it easier to maintain productivity and complete things on time.

Even better, they’ll see you as someone they can depend on rather than just someone who bosses them around.

Encourage Creativity and Innovation

The most innovative ideas often come from the people working the front lines, not the management team. Use this to your advantage and actively encourage your employees to be creative.

When they feel that you value and ask for their input, they’ll be more willing to share their ideas which only helps your company grow.

You may even see an increase in retention and employee satisfaction. Remember, when employees feel that the leadership team cares about them and values their opinions, they’ll be more likely to stay with the company.

Invest in Their Needs

Your team needs the right resources to be able to get their jobs done well. Instead of asking them to provide their own equipment or office accessories, take the time to invest in those items for them.

Invest in products that make their jobs easier and improve the quality of their life at work. This means buying ergonomic office furniture, providing them with break rooms that help them relax, and paying attention to their requests.

Keep in mind that those needs will change over time. As long as you do your best to accommodate those needs, you’ll show that you’re a leader who cares.

Don’t Over-Supervise

No one likes to work in an environment where they feel that every move they make is under scrutiny. The best way to be a better leader is to show your employees that you trust them by not supervising everything they do.

Have faith that they know what they’re doing and will complete tasks to company standards without someone standing over their shoulder.

Just make sure to communicate to them that you’re always available for guidance or advice. If you have a private office, keep the door open whenever possible so your team can talk to you as needed.

Recognize Great Work

According to the team at slonepartners.com, recognizing your employees’ effort and quality work is essential. That recognition can be something as simple as saying “good job” or thanking them for taking care of certain tasks quickly.

Great leaders always express appreciation for their team’s work. After all, without them, you wouldn’t have the company you do.

It’s also a good idea to consider formal recognition of outstanding work at least once a year. Again, this can be something simple, but offering bonuses and awards can encourage your team to continue their great work.

Don’t Stop Improving

When things are going well and you feel secure in your leadership style, it’s easy to get complacent. When you do, the business stagnates and employees won’t feel the need to come up with new ideas and ways to improve the operation.

Instead of accepting things as they are, constantly look for ways to improve. This ties right back into leading by example. When you’re actively looking for ways to improve, your team will follow suit.

Be Positive Whenever Possible

As a leader, you can set the tone for the company. When you’re feeling down or discouraged, your team will pick up on those emotions.

Often, this negatively impacts their productivity and can halt progress before it ever has a chance to get started.

Try to be mindful of the mood you’re showing around your team. If you feel down, look for ways to stay positive while you’re at work.

That doesn’t mean you have to be happy all the time. Instead, try to focus on the things that are going right and don’t take your emotions out on your team. The key to being a good leader is being able to separate your personal life from your work life.

Understanding How to Become a Better Leader Takes Time

Wondering how to become a better leader is the first step on the journey. It shows that you care about your team, your company, and your professional reputation.

These tips should help you hone your leadership skills and become the mentor your team can look up to.

Looking for more insight on becoming a more effective leader and communicator? Check out our latest posts.

9 Powerful Tips To Help You Become A Better Leader In Just 30 Days

Being a leader is not easy.

Being a leader is not easy. Leaders have to take care of people, treating them respectfully as they help them work towards goals. Leaders also have to represent their organizations without being offensive. Leaders also need to be able to communicate clearly. They need to set guidelines and follow guidelines. Leaders also need to be able to work with the media in all forms – print, digital, and social.

With all of these responsibilities and more, it is no surprise that leaders are often overwhelmed, especially new leaders. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources that can help you become a better leader in 30 days.

1. Leave your office

Leaders work with people, so leaders need to know their people. All too often, leaders stay holed up in their offices and let their administrative assistants do the communicating for them. If you never leave your office, it is time to start. The best way to do this is to set your schedule with activities out of the office.

2. Get to know your people

As you build your schedule to leave your office, include getting to know people on that schedule. Pick one or two people each day to talk to – really talk to face-to-face in a comfortable space. You are not interviewing these people – that’s how they got into your organization. You are talking to them about their work and their lives. You can start by asking questions about work, then let them talk, which leads to the next step.

3. Listen to your people

The best way to get to know your people is to listen to your people. Let them talk. Don’t judge what they are saying, just actively listen. When it is time to ask a new question, ask. When your people ask you questions, answer them.

The best leaders listen. By doing this, they know what their people need and they can work on providing their necessities. By listening to people on the front line, leaders can learn about what is actually going on in the organization rather than just assuming they know. Principals should listen to teachers. CEOs should listen to their salespeople. Office managers should listen to their front-desk employees.

4. Attend a leadership conference

Even if you have attended one in the past, there is nothing wrong with finding one to attend in the present. The roles of leaders are constantly evolving and so are the topics at leadership conferences. Go with an open mind as you never know what tidbits of information you can bring back to your organization. There are plenty of websites to visit for more information about events near you.

5. Give employees autonomy

Good leaders hire the best people, so they can also give those people autonomy at work. There is no reason to look over the shoulders of your employees. Simply by hiring them, you have already told them that you believe they can do the work. When you look over their shoulders and check on every little thing they do, you take away their beliefs in themselves and you make them feel as if they are not trusted. If you continue to look over the shoulders of your employees, you should not be surprised if they decide to look for work elsewhere. Give your people the autonomy they deserve, so they can do the work you hired them to do.

6. Stop micromanaging

No one likes to be micromanaged. It reduces trust and breaks up teams. Your employees will learn exactly the opposite of what you want them to learn. When you micromanage, your employees will not know what to do independently. They will come to you with every little problem and you will get tired of it.

Instead, when you stop micromanaging, your employees will have to the autonomy to solve problems on their own. They will be happier because they will like they are valued because you trust them. They will want to stay in your organization because they are not micromanaged.

7. Provide feedback

Employees appreciate feedback, especially when that feedback is useful rather than judgmental. Yes, people like to know when they are doing a good job, but saying “good job” to an employees doesn’t tell them what they are doing well. The more specific you can get, the more it will help your employees. It is also helpful to provide feedback privately, and face-to-face in a relaxed, neutral space. No matter what feedback you give, it is nice to let your employees know that you appreciate them, especially if you can say it to each one of them, personally.

8. Set goals

Leaders should set goals for their people. Those goals need to be realistic and attainable. For example, if you want every employee to cold call five people each day, that is realistic and attainable. If you want them to reach the goals, you will need to give them the resources that they need. You will also need to give them a place to record the steps they take to reach their goals.

The best leaders include their employees in creating the goals. They know what they can do and will help set realistic goals that they can achieve. In many cases, employees set bigger goals for themselves than you would set for them. So, be sure that they understand what you want from them and whether their goals are too big. Your employees will appreciate that you listen to them when you involve them in goal-setting.

9. Understand intentions

Employees will make mistakes and in most cases, those mistakes come with good intentions. Instead of reacting with anger and frustration, the best response is to talk to your employee and listen to the situation. Humans are not perfect and your employees will see you as a strong leader if you listen to them and respect their humanity rather than yelling and screaming when things do not go perfectly. When you treat your employees like people, they will deliver and your organization will benefit.

How to get better at leadership?

Leaders are not born, instead, they possess a set of qualities which sets them apart from the general crowd and makes them worthy of leading a team.

There is no institution or university in the world which imparts knowledge about leadership skills; management does comprise of some aspects of leadership but nothing can make you a good leader.

Every entrepreneur needs to be a great leader in order to motivate their team and get work done in an error-free way. Leaders are not born, instead, they possess a set of qualities which sets them apart from the general crowd and makes them worthy of leading a team.

Here are five ways to become a better leader:

1. Build a dedicated team

A leader is aware of the fact that he cannot function alone and accomplish all tasks. so, to be more successful in the future, it is essential to build a strong and dedicated team of individuals who are experts in their own fields. These individuals should be willing to grow and learn together and make a venture bigger than what it is.

2. Motivate your team

A leader should be motivational and inspire his team to be better than the previous day. A leader should have a vision which he believes in and must trust his team enough to share it with them as well.

If the entrepreneur is able to show his team how the daily tasks are going to enable them to achieve a bigger motive, the team will be more motivated to work. Also, when things are going well, the entrepreneur should inspire people to never stop working and put in their cent percent always.

3. It is necessary to support and trust the team

A good leader needs to be encouraging and supportive at all times. Because he believes in them, it is necessary that he stands by them during any kind of mishap. Also, if you believe an idea by your employee is good, take it ahead and give credit to the employee.

A true leader also trusts his team with his vision of the company and he believes they’ll make it bigger by contributing to his initial vision. The trust and support motivate you team to do better.

4. Ask for feedback

It is very necessary to keep learning and growing as a leader. If you don’t know what you are doing is wrong, you will never be able to be right. Hence, by just asking you team for a feedback, you can learn a lot about the things or methods that require alteration. Sometimes, people fear the leader and do not give correct feedback. Try and avoid that bias. Also, try and improve on the points that you think are valid because if you start pleasing everybody as a leader, you’ll have a tough time actually leading a company.

Also, try and do self assessments like a 360 assessment to understand your potential and flaws better. This will help you gain more success as a leader.

5. Don’t shy away from getting help

Leadership coaching has been gaining popularity worldwide because of amazing results being derived out of it. It helps in increasing productivity and ensures better outcome over a period of time.

The best part about leadership coaching is that people who are a lot more experienced than you impart knowledge about stuff you’re not very well-versed with. A lot of great leaders are going in for leadership coaching to become better leaders.