Following on from our last article that considered post-Covid Business Continuity Planning, here we turn our attention to business leadership and why it’s imperative for business owners to get back to working ON their business.
It’s a business saying everyone knows, and it serves to remind business owners of the importance of extracting themselves from their day to day business operation, take a step back and look at their business objectively, through fresh eyes and with purpose.
While many of the Covid-induced challenges have now abated, business owners are still wrestling supply issues, staffing shortages and a raft of other matters all of which can hold you firmly in the depth of your business operations.
While you have no control of external issues, you can take control of your business.
It’s now that business owners need to lead, set a clear direction especially if you were thrown off course by Covid and consciously go about implementing your plan for business success.
Vision Reinstated
You’ve heard me say this often enough ‘if you aim for nothing, you will hit it with amazing accuracy’.
Business owners need a vision, and they must set and complete goals to achieve it.
It’s very likely your vision has been shelved for the last couple of years, and now it’s time to dust it off and reinstate it.
If you’re starting from scratch the key to articulating your vision is to write it down and in doing so describe what you want your business to look and feel like in the future. Your vision should be a big-picture, simple and easy to visualise.
Importantly, your vision must answer ‘why’ your vision is worth achieving and that answer will be the motivation and driver you and your team need for achieving it.
Establish goals
Strong leaders know that goals underpin their business vision. They are a core planning tool necessary for organising what can be multiple and diverse tasks into manageable chunks. Achieving your long-term view involves efficiently allocating resources without sacrificing productivity.
Achieving goals is also good for morale.
Success breeds success and provides personal and professional satisfaction for business leaders as well as their staff while forging a greater understanding of the business as a whole and the value each achieved goal contributes towards reaching your vision.
Communicate clearly and often
Good leaders are good communicators and they’re curious.
They invite participation, ask questions (lots of them) and seek feedback. They don’t shy away from the negatives as they know fixing faults often paves the way for not just operational improvement but new and lucrative opportunities.
Lead your team with encouragement and fairness.
Now that most workers have returned to the workplace, be present. There’s value in face to face engagement that screen time just can’t emulate.
Teams will follow, or more’s the point in these times of staff shortages, stay with a leader they can relate to, who’s approachable, gives credit where its due, is admired and trusted.
Continually adapt
The Covid years taught business leaders the importance of being able to pivot and adapt quickly.
A willingness to respond quickly and entertain possibilities are the hallmarks of progressive leadership and necessary for ensuring your business continues to grow and prosper in all circumstances.
Core Business Accountants specialise in business advice for growing and mature family-owned and small and medium-sized businesses.
