Welcome to Stage 30 in this year’s Tour de Profit! Developing a Winning Team is absolutely essential to your success as a business owner if you ever hope to have the business working for you, rather than you working for the business!
This is such an important topic area that we are going to jump right in!
Your Profit Tip of the Day
The first key to creating a Winning Team is for you, the business owner, to demonstrate Strong Leadership.
Here are the six characteristics you need to adopt:
● Share a Compelling Vision – Strong leaders know where they are leading the team. Strong Leaders are excellent communicators. They paint the picture time and time again so that everyone on their team sees it as clearly as they do. Their team members are highly motivated to help them achieve this crystal clear vision.
● Surround Yourself with Talent – Strong leaders know they don’t have all the answers. A great indicator of a strong leader is one who surrounds him or herself with people who are even more capable than they are. They are not threatened by others, but rather are energized by what they can accomplish working with them.
● Listen First – You can tell a strong leader by how much they talk vs. how much they listen to others. When they do talk, they tend to ask questions rather than give direction or orders. Strong leaders know that they are the commander of the ship but they like others to get engaged and think. Asking questions is their way of allowing others on their team to share their thoughts and opinions.
● Set High Standards – Strong Leaders set their expectations high – both for themselves and for the members of their team. Everyone around them knows that they have their sights set high and will do what it takes to achieve outstanding results. While setting the bar high is critical, it is also critical to hold people accountable to their expectations. Their team knows exactly what is expected and they also know that there will be consequences for lack of effort.
● Praise Others – Strong Leaders are constantly on the lookout for people doing things right. They don’t waste their time finding things that are going wrong or poorly. They are confident in their ability to get everyone in the business focused on doing the right thing by recognizing and rewarding those who step up and do more than is expected. I call this finding the “Moments of Truth” and celebrating them with the team.
● Enjoy the Business – A sure sign of a strong leader is one who can find the time and opportunities to create enjoyment in the workplace. They are efficient at their work and use their free time to boost other’s fun factor. They are pleasant, friendly, engaging and interested. They care more about their people than they do themselves – and it shows day in and day out. Somehow, they never seem to have a bad day. They put that aside for the sake of the team. They are confident that with the right people, the right attitude and the right focus, they can solve any problem or climb any hill.
So there you are – six very specific behaviors that you can adapt to begin showing Strong Leadership. If you were to think about those you know who you respect as strong leaders, I would bet that they lived out many if not all of these behaviors. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to tackle all six at the same time.
Stage 30 is all about making a change within yourself. It is not about anyone else on your team – it is about YOU! Begin with the person that matters most – the leader – YOU. Be honest with yourself on where you need to improve and begin changing your behaviors. You will be like yourself more, your team will respect you more and your business will benefit more.
If you’re looking for more success and freedom from your business, join my FREE, private Facebook Group called The Peloton. It’s where business owners like you are learning, sharing and working together to get better every day! Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jointhepeloton/
Come on – join us! And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!
