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Being a leader requires work every single day if you want to be great at it. Here are some things the best leaders do in order to inspire and empower those around them.
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Heather R. Huhman
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Tag: Leadership Skills
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The Secret Sauce to a Successful Company? Delighting Customers | Entrepreneur
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In today’s competitive business landscape, customer satisfaction is paramount — it’s the difference between a thriving business and one that’s struggling. But what if you could take customer satisfaction a step further? What if you could actually delight your customers? This concept, often termed ‘Delighting Customers’, refers to exceeding customer expectations so that they’re not just satisfied — they’re delighted.
Understanding the “Delight” factor
Before we delve further, it’s essential to understand what separates customer delight from customer satisfaction. While the latter refers to meeting customers’ needs and expectations, delighting customers means exceeding these expectations to create memorable, positive experiences that foster loyalty and promote brand advocacy. It’s about going above and beyond to surprise your customers and make them feel special.
This could involve anything from delivering products or services faster than promised to provide unexpected perks or exceptional customer service. The psychology behind customer delight is simple – when customers are delighted, they feel a deeper emotional connection to the brand, which often leads to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals.
Related: 5 Shocking Customer Service Mistakes You’re Making Every Day (And How to Fix Them Right Now)
Strategies for delighting customers
Managers looking to instill a culture of customer delight in their organizations should consider a few key strategies. Firstly, they must lead by example and demonstrate their commitment to prioritizing the customer in every decision. This can range from advocating for customer-centric design principles in product development to personally ensuring customer issues are resolved quickly and effectively.
Secondly, they must empower their teams to go the extra mile for customers. This might mean giving employees the authority to make decisions that benefit the customer or encouraging them to suggest improvements to existing processes. Starbucks, for example, empowers its baristas to remake a drink or offer a complimentary one if a customer is not satisfied, contributing significantly to their high customer loyalty.
Lastly, they must use customer feedback as an essential tool for improvement. This includes actively seeking out feedback, responding to it and incorporating it into future strategies. Tools like surveys, focus groups and social media listening can provide valuable insights into what delights your customers.
Measuring customer delight
Delighting customers should not just be an abstract concept; it should be a measurable goal. There are several metrics managers can use to gauge their success in this area, including customer satisfaction scores (CSAT), Net Promoter Scores (NPS) and Customer Effort Score (CES). Each provides a different perspective on how effectively an organization is delighting its customers. A high NPS, for instance, indicates that customers are satisfied and likely to recommend your brand to others. However, managers should remember that these metrics only provide part of the picture. They should also pay close attention to customer feedback and anecdotal evidence.
The challenges in achieving customer delight
In a customer-centric business world, achieving customer delight is an ambition that many companies strive for. However, the path to delivering delightful experiences is fraught with challenges.
- Raising Expectations: One of the paradoxes of customer delight is that successful moments of delight can raise customer expectations, making it increasingly difficult to sustain that level of service. If customers come to expect exceptional experiences as the norm, then merely meeting these expectations may no longer result in delight but instead be viewed as standard service.
- Understanding Customer’s True Needs: Understanding what customers value and desire is critical for achieving customer delight.
- Scaling Personalization: While personalization is a key factor in delivering delightful experiences, scaling personalized services can be incredibly difficult, particularly for larger organizations with vast customer bases.
- Balancing Costs and Benefits: Exceeding customer expectations often involves additional costs in terms of resources, time and effort. Not every attempt to delight customers leads to increased loyalty or profitability, making it essential to identify when and where efforts to delight customers are most likely to provide a return on investment.
- Consistency Across Touchpoints: Achieving this level of consistency requires significant coordination and integration of processes across different parts of the business, which can be challenging.
Despite these challenges, striving for customer delight is essential in today’s competitive business environment. Understanding and mitigating these obstacles is crucial to a successful customer delight strategy.
Related: 5 Ways to Build Killer Relationships With Customers
The role of innovation in customer delight
Innovation plays a crucial role in achieving customer delight. In today’s fast-paced world, customers expect businesses to adapt and evolve constantly. Innovative products, services and processes can offer value that exceeds expectations and surprises customers, leading to delight.
Innovation can also manifest in company culture. An innovative, customer-centric culture encourages employees to seek new ways to delight customers, creating a virtuous cycle of delight and loyalty.
In conclusion
The paradigm shift in business management is clear: companies prioritizing customer delight increasingly outperform those that don’t. As we’ve explored in this article, customer delight goes beyond mere satisfaction and involves exceeding customer expectations meaningfully. This pursuit of customer delight fundamentally reshapes how we approach management, emphasizing the value of empowered employees, technological innovation and attentive service.
Delighted customers can become your brand’s ambassadors, driving organic growth through word-of-mouth marketing and repeat business. Therefore, investing in strategies to delight your customers isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s an integral element of successful modern management.
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Dionne Van Zyl
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Why Good Leaders Must Embrace Strong Personalities | Entrepreneur
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Years ago, I had a strong disagreement with a staff member. He was a long-time employee who sat several steps below me in the org chart. He was prone to strong opinions and passionate feelings, but he was also an extremely high performer in the organization and someone I was personally very fond of.
While he was usually correct in his opinions, he sometimes lacked a strategic view of the issues and did not always accept when he was wrong. This “spirited discussion” resulted from one of those “nonacceptances” which happened in a public place and was overheard by many other staff members. The conversation was confrontational, and it clearly made some of those around us a little uncomfortable.
Afterward, several staff members approached me and wondered if this moment of public insubordination meant I would fire him. When I told them that there would be no disciplinary action but that he and I would discuss it later to find common ground, they looked confused. Why would I, as the CEO, let a staff member argue with me and not immediately fire them? The answer is simple: It is easier to temper passion than to inspire it. If you want excellence, you need people with strong personalities!
Related: 6 Steps for Hiring the Right People to Build Effective Teams
Organizations are just a grouping of people and things. Organizational success is the collective sum of individual successes. As a leader, it is our job to harness 100% of every team member’s possible talent. We must focus on building each team member individually into the best they can be, which requires that they feel safe to express their views, are comfortable speaking truth to power, and are supported to exceed the limits of their skills from time to time. This does not happen when we stifle people’s opinions or break their spirits by forcing compliance. Instead, it comes from individual responsibility, commitment to the shared mission and taking risks.
Simply put, in a business context, passion is an essential ingredient for greatness. It may be the essential ingredient. Yet, passion is almost impossible to inspire; it needs to rise organically from deep inside people who are committed to their mission. Passionate people often obsess over little details; they are constantly looking for a better way; they are frequently frustrated by others and are usually a pain in their leaders’ butts. They are also the star performers of the business and the centers of creation and excellence for the organization.
Unfortunately, many leaders see these traits as signs of a difficult personality and become frustrated. They find these people difficult to control, argumentative and sometimes even disrespectful or insubordinate. Sadly, in many business environments, these people are marginalized, disciplined or even fired. Passion is quashed in favor of obedience. Leadership encourages conformity through words and deeds with an eye on producing an obedient, homogeneous “team” where everyone plays nice and does what they are told. This is a bit like throwing away all the sharp knives in your kitchen to avoid hurting yourself or others. While you will be safer, you will also end up with a drawer full of spoons!
Exceptional people are creative, inventive and bright. They are different from the norm. They are extraordinary. Often, they are exceptional because of their passion for what they do and their willingness to challenge authority. As a result, they usually stick out in a sea of mediocrity and are sometimes unwilling to follow the herd. This obviously can make them a bit of a handful. It is important to realize, however, that this reluctance to do what everyone else does makes them great. They have no allegiance to tradition or authority for their own sake. They will make you and your team better!
Related: How To Keep Employees Feeling Passionate About Their Work
This does not mean it is okay to be rude, insubordinate or destructive to the organization’s morale. On the contrary, a good work environment and discipline matter greatly. It is great to argue your points and to challenge the thinking of others. But, that said, it is not okay to be mean, rude or disrespectful in the process.
This is a very fine line to walk and can be challenging to interpret. As a result, leaders must give their team the benefit of the doubt and adopt a “teach, don’t beat” mindset. We need to encourage our passionate people. But, at the same time, we need to help them express their ideas and make their challenges in a way that will provoke thought, not anger.
Exceptional organizations are the result of extraordinary people. It is essential as leaders, we spend time nurturing the passion people have for their work. We must encourage them to think outside the box, not to become discouraged by failure, and encourage them to take risks.
We need to pick them up and dust them off when they fall. Most of all, we need to understand that the fire that drives them will sometimes make them a challenge to lead, and they will occasionally cross the line and need to be corrected. But we need to make sure that we don’t break their spirit. Their strong personality will make them, and the organization, excellent!
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Jon Becker
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Don’t Fall Behind: Adaptive Leadership Tips and Strategies | Entrepreneur
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In today’s ever-changing business landscape, adaptability has become a crucial skill for business leaders. The digital era brings constant innovation and disruption, rendering traditional leadership models inadequate.
To succeed in this dynamic environment, leaders must embrace adaptive leadership — a transformative approach that enables them to navigate change, foster resilience and drive organizational success. In this article, we’ll explore the concept of adaptive leadership and provide actionable insights supported by research and case studies — all while emphasizing the importance of a people-centered approach.
Understanding adaptive leadership
Adaptive leadership is a forward-thinking approach that embraces flexibility, learning and mobilizing people toward a shared purpose. It acknowledges the inherent uncertainty and complexity of the digital era, requiring leaders to develop a deep understanding of the changing landscape and empower their teams to adapt, innovate, and respond effectively to change.
According to a study conducted by Deloitte, adaptive leadership is essential for managing the challenges posed by rapid technological advancements, shifting market dynamics and evolving consumer preferences. The study emphasizes the need for leaders to develop a flexible mindset and cultivate a culture of resilience in their organizations.
One popular example of adaptive leadership is the transformation of Airbnb amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. As global travel came to a standstill in 2020, under CEO Brian Chesky’s leadership, Airbnb swiftly modified its business model to meet the changing landscape. The company embraced remote work, prioritized health and safety, and leaned into local experiences.
This agile response enabled Airbnb to navigate the crisis successfully and identify new growth opportunities. By staying connected with their community, actively listening to customer needs, and quickly adapting their offerings, Airbnb showcased the power of adaptive leadership in overcoming adversity and thriving in a rapidly evolving environment.
Related: Why an Adaptive Mindset Matters for Entrepreneurs
Developing leadership agility
Adaptive leaders must continually develop their own agility as leaders. This involves cultivating a growth mindset and actively seeking opportunities for personal and professional development. Engaging in ongoing learning, attending leadership development programs, and seeking mentorship or coaching are valuable ways to enhance leadership agility. Leaders can effectively navigate complex challenges and inspire their teams to embrace change by continually expanding their knowledge and honing their skills.
Implementing adaptive leadership
To implement adaptive leadership effectively, entrepreneurs must lead by example and inspire their teams to embrace innovation and resilience. Strategies such as encouraging a culture of innovation, promoting experimentation and resilience, and leveraging data-driven insights are crucial.
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Encouraging a Culture of Innovation: Entrepreneurs should foster an environment that encourages and rewards innovation. By providing space for creative thinking, supporting risk-taking, and fostering a sense of psychological safety, entrepreneurs can empower their teams to generate new ideas, explore uncharted territories, and adapt to changing circumstances. Celebrating and learning from both successes and failures creates a culture where innovation thrives.
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Promoting Agility and Experimentation: Adaptive leaders understand the importance of agility and experimentation in the face of rapid change. Encourage your teams to embrace an experimental mindset, where learning from iterative processes and embracing uncertainty is valued. By promoting agility, entrepreneurs can respond swiftly to emerging trends, adjust strategies, and seize new opportunities. This mindset allows organizations to stay ahead of the curve and adapt proactively.
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Leveraging Technology and Data-Driven Insights: In the digital era, leveraging technology is crucial for adaptive leadership. Embrace emerging technologies and invest in digital capabilities that enhance business processes, enable better decision-making, and deliver personalized customer experiences. Furthermore, entrepreneurs can harness the power of data analytics to gain insights into customer behavior, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions that ultimately drive growth.
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Building Resilient Teams: Adaptive leadership goes beyond individual leaders; it involves building resilient teams that can thrive in dynamic environments. Leaders should create a supportive and inclusive work culture where team members feel empowered and encouraged to take ownership of their work. Promoting open communication, fostering collaboration, and recognizing the contributions of team members are key to building resilient teams. By investing in the growth and well-being of their teams, leaders can create a foundation for adaptability and high performance.
Related: 20 Ways to Achieve Street Smart Wisdom for Leaders and Entrepreneurs
Adaptive leadership is essential for entrepreneurs and business leaders in a world of constant change and disruption. By embracing innovation as a driving force, implementing strategies that promote adaptability, and leveraging technology and data-driven insights, entrepreneurs can position their organizations for success in the digital age. Airbnb’s transformation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies the power of adaptive leadership in navigating challenges, identifying new opportunities, and fostering resilience. By embodying adaptive leadership principles and cultivating a people-centered approach, entrepreneurs can thrive in uncertainty and lead their organizations to new heights.
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Ryan McGrath
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How Leaders Can Create a Strong Cybersecurity Culture | Entrepreneur
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In today’s interconnected digital landscape, cybersecurity has become a paramount concern for organizations of all sizes and industries. The increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber attacks highlight the critical need for robust security measures. However, effective cybersecurity goes beyond implementing technical solutions; it requires the establishment of a strong cybersecurity culture within the organization.
This article delves into the role of leadership in creating a cybersecurity culture and how it fosters awareness and accountability across the organization.
Related: The Importance of Training: Cybersecurity Awareness like a Human Firewall
Understanding the elements of a cybersecurity culture
A cybersecurity culture refers to the collective beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviors within an organization that prioritize and promote the protection of digital assets and information. It encompasses several key components that work together to create a secure environment:
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Awareness and education: A cybersecurity culture starts with educating employees about the risks and threats associated with cyber attacks. By raising awareness about the potential consequences of security breaches, leaders can empower employees to make informed decisions and take proactive measures to protect organizational assets.
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Accountability and responsibility: Leaders play a pivotal role in instilling a sense of accountability and responsibility among employees regarding cybersecurity. By setting clear expectations, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing policies and procedures, leaders can ensure that everyone understands their role in safeguarding the organization’s digital assets.
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Continuous improvement and learning: Cybersecurity is an ever-evolving field, and organizations must foster a culture of continuous improvement and learning. Leaders should encourage employees to stay updated on the latest security practices, share knowledge and experiences related to cybersecurity incidents and provide opportunities for professional development to enhance their skills.
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Integration into organizational processes and practices: A strong cybersecurity culture integrates security considerations into all aspects of the organization. By incorporating cybersecurity into decision-making processes, performance evaluations and rewards systems, leaders can reinforce the importance of security as a core element of the organization’s operations.
The role of leadership in fostering awareness
Leadership plays a crucial role in fostering awareness of cybersecurity risks and promoting a proactive approach to mitigating those risks. Here are some key strategies that leaders can employ:
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Leading by example: Executives and senior leaders should serve as cybersecurity advocates by demonstrating their commitment to security measures. This includes adhering to best practices, following security protocols and actively engaging in cybersecurity initiatives.
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Implementing regular training programs and workshops: Leaders should establish comprehensive training programs and workshops to educate employees about cybersecurity threats, best practices and the organization’s policies and procedures. These initiatives should be ongoing to ensure that employees stay updated on emerging threats and security measures.
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Communicating the importance of cybersecurity: Leaders should effectively communicate the significance of cybersecurity to all employees, emphasizing the potential risks and consequences of security breaches. Regular communication through various channels such as meetings, newsletters and intranet updates can reinforce the importance of cybersecurity as a shared responsibility.
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Encouraging a proactive approach: Leaders should encourage employees to be vigilant and proactive in identifying and reporting potential security threats. Creating a culture where employees feel empowered to report suspicious activities or vulnerabilities fosters a sense of collective responsibility toward cybersecurity.
Related: 3 Ways to Make Employees Your Best Cybercrime Fighters
The role of leadership in fostering accountability and responsibility
Leadership plays a critical role in instilling accountability and responsibility for cybersecurity practices throughout the organization. Here are some effective strategies:
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Setting clear expectations and standards: Leaders should establish clear expectations and standards regarding cybersecurity practices. This includes defining acceptable use policies, password protocols and guidelines for handling sensitive information. Clear communication and documentation of these standards ensure that employees understand their responsibilities.
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Establishing policies and procedures: Leaders should work with IT and security teams to develop comprehensive policies and procedures that outline the organization’s approach to cybersecurity. These documents should cover areas such as data protection, incident response, access control and employee training. Regularly reviewing and updating these policies ensures that they remain aligned with evolving threats and industry best practices.
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Assigning roles and responsibilities: Leaders should assign specific roles and responsibilities to individuals or teams responsible for managing and overseeing cybersecurity initiatives. This ensures accountability and provides a clear framework for addressing security issues, incident response and continuous improvement.
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Implementing monitoring and reporting mechanisms: Leaders should establish mechanisms to monitor and track compliance with cybersecurity policies and procedures. This can include implementing security controls, conducting regular audits and assessments and utilizing technologies for threat detection and prevention. Transparent reporting mechanisms enable leaders to identify vulnerabilities and take proactive measures to address them.
Continuous improvement and learning
A key aspect of a cybersecurity culture is a commitment to continuous improvement and learning. Leaders can foster this culture by implementing the following strategies:
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Promoting ongoing learning: Leaders should encourage employees to stay updated on the latest trends, threats and best practices in cybersecurity. This can be achieved through providing access to relevant resources, organizing training sessions and webinars, and encouraging participation in industry conferences and events.
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Sharing knowledge and experiences: Creating opportunities for employees to share their knowledge and experiences related to cybersecurity incidents fosters a collective learning environment. This can be done through regular team meetings, knowledge-sharing platforms or dedicated forums where employees can discuss and learn from real-life security incidents.
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Conducting regular assessments and audits: Leaders should conduct regular assessments and audits to identify areas for improvement in the organization’s cybersecurity practices. This includes vulnerability assessments, penetration testing and audits of security controls. The findings from these assessments should be used to drive enhancements and strengthen the organization’s security posture.
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Investing in professional development: Leaders should invest in the professional development of employees to enhance their cybersecurity skills and knowledge. This can be achieved through certifications, specialized training programs and opportunities for cross-functional collaboration. By equipping employees with the necessary skills, leaders empower them to contribute to the organization’s cybersecurity efforts.
Related: 50 Things You Need To Know To Optimize Your Company’s Approach to Data Privacy and Cybersecurity
Integrating cybersecurity into organizational processes and practices
To create a robust cybersecurity culture, leaders must integrate security considerations into all organizational processes and practices. Here are some effective approaches:
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Incorporating cybersecurity into decision-making: Leaders should ensure that cybersecurity is considered in all strategic and operational decision-making processes. This includes evaluating the security implications of adopting new technologies, selecting vendors and defining the organization’s risk tolerance. By making security a core element of decision-making, leaders ensure that it becomes ingrained in the organization’s DNA.
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Including cybersecurity in performance evaluations and rewards: Leaders should incorporate cybersecurity performance metrics into employee evaluations and rewards systems. Recognizing and rewarding individuals and teams who demonstrate exemplary security practices and contribute to the organization’s security goals reinforces the importance of cybersecurity and motivates employees to prioritize it.
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Collaborating with IT and security teams: Effective leadership requires collaboration between leaders and IT/security teams. By working closely with these teams, leaders can ensure that security measures align with business objectives, provide the necessary resources and support, and establish effective communication channels to address security-related concerns.
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Developing incident response plans: Leaders should work with IT and security teams to develop robust incident response plans that outline procedures for detecting, containing and recovering from cybersecurity incidents. Conducting regular drills and simulations helps identify gaps and ensures that the organization is prepared to respond effectively to security breaches.
Creating a cybersecurity culture is a shared responsibility that requires effective leadership. By fostering awareness and accountability across the organization, leaders play a crucial role in protecting the organization’s digital assets and maintaining trust. Through strategies such as promoting awareness, instilling accountability, encouraging continuous learning, and integrating cybersecurity into organizational processes, leaders can build a strong cybersecurity culture that permeates every level of the organization.
Leaders must lead by example, demonstrating their commitment to cybersecurity through their actions and behaviors. By implementing regular training programs and workshops, leaders ensure that employees are equipped with the knowledge and skills to mitigate cyber threats. Effective communication about the importance of cybersecurity helps create a shared understanding of its significance and encourages employees to be proactive in identifying and reporting potential risks.
Accountability and responsibility are key elements of a strong cybersecurity culture. Leaders should set clear expectations and standards for cybersecurity practices, establish policies and procedures, and assign roles and responsibilities to ensure that everyone understands their part in protecting the organization’s digital assets. Regular monitoring and reporting mechanisms help track compliance and identify areas for improvement.
Continuous improvement and learning are vital to staying ahead of evolving cyber threats. Leaders should promote a culture of ongoing learning, providing employees with opportunities to stay updated on the latest security practices and encouraging knowledge sharing. Regular assessments and audits help identify vulnerabilities and drive enhancements, while investing in professional development empowers employees to contribute to the organization’s cybersecurity efforts.
Integrating cybersecurity into organizational processes and practices is essential for embedding it into the organization’s DNA. By considering security implications in decision-making processes, including it in performance evaluations and rewards systems, collaborating with IT and security teams, and developing robust incident response plans, leaders ensure that cybersecurity becomes an integral part of the organization’s operations.
In conclusion, the role of leadership in creating a cybersecurity culture cannot be overstated. By fostering awareness and accountability, leaders set the foundation for a secure environment. Through continuous improvement, learning and integration into organizational processes, leaders establish a culture where cybersecurity is prioritized at every level. With effective leadership, organizations can build resilience, protect their digital assets and maintain the trust of customers, employees and stakeholders in an increasingly interconnected world.
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Jim Koohyar Biniyaz
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Stop Lying and Start Being Radically Honest With Your Team | Entrepreneur
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
How often do you tell a lie? Chances are it’s not very often — at least not a lie that could harm someone. But how often do you fail to be honest with your spouse, employees, clients and perhaps most importantly, yourself? This is probably a little harder to quantify, because we do it all the time, whether it’s pasting on a smile to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, telling a client about only the best parts of your service or lying to yourself that you’ll do something later when you have no genuine intention of doing it.
In my journey of leadership growth, I’ve discovered that although these little white lies might seem helpful at the moment, they sometimes do more harm than good. Once I was honest with myself about it, I realized I needed an alternative to telling little white lies. So what’s the solution? Radical honesty. It is a practice that challenges you to be honest in everything you do, with yourself and with others.
Related: Authentic Leadership: What Is It and Why is it Important?
When I first read about radical honesty in Brad Blanton’s book, I struggled with it. But I learned that being radically honest doesn’t mean that you’re brutally honest. You can tell the truth without being hurtful to others.
Approaching every situation with radical honesty can help you become a better leader who’s known for your integrity and transform your business. Here are five ways to practice radical honesty in your leadership strategy.
1. Make clearer judgments by separating observations from thoughts
Honesty begins with observation. A simple exercise is to observe your physical sensations, your surroundings and your thoughts, then state what you’re observing aloud. Don’t make judgments about what you notice — allow these observations to be neutral.
This exercise aims to help you learn to differentiate what you notice from what you think or feel about it. This helps you recognize your own biases and helps you view your experiences with a more objective lens. As you begin to understand yourself better by learning more about how you react to various situations, thoughts and feelings, you can use this information to think more clearly and make better judgments as a leader based on the truth rather than on your feelings in the moment.
Related: Why You Should Care About Psychological Safety in the Workplace
2. Own your truth to learn and grow
Be honest with yourself first. Where are you lying to yourself? Learning to separate what you notice from your thoughts is critical to discovering your truth. For example, when you look in the mirror, you might tell yourself several lies based on your reaction to what you see. Maybe you’re lying to yourself that you’ll go to the gym tomorrow, or maybe you think that everyone will notice that one flaw you’re particularly insecure about. Internally, maybe you’re pretending to be someone different. What aspects of yourself have you suppressed, and are those areas where you can grow? We use lies to construct all sorts of narratives around ourselves, and regardless of if those lies make us feel better or worse, they allow us to deny the truth of who we are.
When you discover a lie you’ve been telling yourself, confront it and learn from it. Owning your truth will allow you to see areas where you need to grow and also help you recognize your strengths as a person and a business leader. This leads to living with more authenticity. To be the happiest, best versions of ourselves, we must be authentic to who we are.
3. Encourage honesty among your team
Radical honesty is more than just being honest with yourself — you must also be honest with others. The best place to start is to share your truth: Admit to your mistakes. Be honest about what you’re proud of. Be more authentic in who you are in a variety of situations. Don’t keep secrets, especially from important people like your family and your key team members.
Being open and honest within your business will set an example through leadership that will encourage others to also practice honesty. Creating an environment where people can be honest and authentic without fear of judgment is valuable for solid teamwork, problem-solving, conflict resolution and building trust. We’ve created a no-blame environment at our company. Building that culture begins with you — the leader.
Practice honesty in every part of your leadership. Be open with your team about your management decisions and business performance, and take their feedback and ideas openly. When you have a conflict with someone, tell them in a kind and honest way what’s causing the problem. Focus on the problem and not the person. Find a resolution through clarity and kindness.
Related: This Body-Language Expert’s ‘Triangle’ Method Will Help You Catch a Liar in the Act
4. Find solutions more quickly
Radical honesty is a powerful tool in the workplace for solving problems and resolving conflict. Of course, honesty must also be approached tactfully to avoid hurting the feelings of the individuals involved, but you can avoid a significant amount of miscommunication through radical honesty. It allows you to give kind and constructive feedback to others and directly address problems.
Honesty during interpersonal conflicts can be particularly helpful — it ensures clear communication and keeps everyone involved from misinterpreting others’ feelings, thoughts or intentions. When you have a culture of honesty and authenticity where team members are unafraid of judgment, you allow room for better communication and conflict resolution.
5. Establish trust with others
Radical honesty goes a long way to establishing trust with your team, friends, family, clients and shareholders. Nobody wants to be deceived, and demonstrating that you’re willing to share even when you mess up will make people more willing to work with you in the future because they know that you have integrity.
Being honest about both positives and negatives lets people know you are trustworthy and helps build rapport. For example, if you know you’re not the best fit for a client’s needs, referring them to a better fit will ensure they remember you as a trustworthy businessperson, and they might send their friends your way in the future.
When radical honesty might not be beneficial as a leader
Radical honesty can be a powerful tool for both personal and leadership growth, but it’s important to carefully consider when it is and isn’t appropriate to be radically honest. You want to foster a positive environment where you and your team can be authentic and open. Being honest doesn’t require you to share your every thought or opinion. Sometimes it’s best not to share what you’re thinking if it isn’t productive, could be hurtful or is fueled by your negative emotions in the moment.
Related: How to Give Feedback Without Hurting Anyone’s Feelings
As a business leader, your responsibility goes beyond achieving financial success. Creating a culture of radical honesty can lead to a more cohesive team, better communication and improved decision-making. Start by being honest with yourself and encouraging honesty among your team. Learn to separate your thoughts from observations and confront the lies you tell yourself. Practice honesty in every aspect of your leadership, including feedback and conflict resolution. Establishing trust with others is a key benefit of radical honesty, which can lead to more opportunities for growth and success. Be the best version of yourself: Take the first step today and commit to being radically honest in all your interactions.
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Jason Hennessey
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5 Signs Your Startup Could Benefit from Outside Leadership | Entrepreneur
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Running a startup isn’t easy. With a smaller workforce, you may be responsible for growing sales, sustaining your operations, keeping in compliance and many other tasks. And when something goes wrong, you’re often the one that clients and employees turn to for help. So while company ownership is rewarding, being the leader and wearing so many hats can be tough at times.
Thankfully, outside assistance can lift a significant burden from your shoulders. A new leader could identify potential opportunities you’re passing up or areas where you could improve your business operations. Above all else, it allows you to step back from the day-to-day operations and focus on big-picture ideas that will grow your business.
Here are a few signs that it’s time to bring outside leadership to your organization.
1. You’re planning to expand the business
Most businesses will have varying growth goals. Perhaps you want to open a new office in another city or introduce a new product or service line to benefit your customers.
With growth comes the potential for higher revenue, but it also means more risk. You’ll likely need to invest some money up front to support the expansion, which may require taking on debt or digging into your savings. Your workload will also increase, so you may need to work longer hours to make your endeavor a success.
To smooth the path forward, it’s often best to bring on a qualified leader who can support your business expansion. New leadership can take the helm of your existing operations while you focus on your growth — or vice versa. You’ll have someone you can turn to for help instead of stretching yourself too thin.
Related: 5 Must-Haves for Entrepreneurs and Their Startups to be Successful
2. You’re tapping into a new market
Are you planning to market your products or services to a new customer demographic? If so, you might benefit from the expertise of a marketing executive familiar with your target audience.
Opening your company to a new market is similar to a business expansion; there’s a potential for revenue growth and opportunities. However, you’ll likely need to switch up your marketing techniques. After all, your current advertising strategies aren’t likely to work with an audience with different buying behaviors and demographics.
A new marketing leader can help you fine-tune and tailor your advertising strategies for your audience. They can also provide strategic insights into your current marketing plan and revitalize it.
Related: 8 Practical Tips for Successfully Launching Your Startup
3. Your existing employees are handling multiple roles
Startups often have a few key employees that have been with the company since its infancy. As a result, founders value and trust these workers, turning to them whenever they need assistance — even if the responsibility falls outside their routine tasks.
While having an employee you rely on is something to be proud of, you may be giving them work that someone else could perform better. For instance, you may have an office manager with versatile finance, marketing and operations skills. While these qualities may have supported your initial growth, continuing to spread your team too thin may lead to burnout.
Furthermore, it’s unlikely that an office manager has specialized training in finance or marketing, and continuing to rely on them in these areas will only hinder your growth. You may find that you get better results by hiring someone who is an expert in a specific area — especially if you’re planning on significant changes for your company in the future.
Related: Up Your Game As a Business Leader By Looking Outside Yourself
4. Company growth is stagnating
After a certain point, you may find that you’re not seeing the same significant results you did in your first few years of business. This is a sign that your organization has entered into its maturity phase.
The maturity phase is something startup owners strive for. However, once the maturity phase hits, revenue growth can often slow to a crawl.
The good news is that you’ve built a solid platform for future growth, but you may need some strategic insight to attain it. Hiring a new executive who can partner with you and formulate a vision for pushing your company past its current milestones can be a step in the right direction.
5. A valued team member is leaving
Has your current COO decided it’s time to retire? Is a trusted Head of Sales starting their own business? If so, you’ll need to hire someone to replace them — and quickly.
While leadership turnover can be problematic for startups, it’s a natural part of growth. Nothing is permanent, and your experienced team members will leave at some point — just as you will if you decide to exit.
It’s not easy when a key team member leaves, but it can be the preface of a new beginning. Bringing on a new leader means you’ll have fresh eyes in areas that likely haven’t been seen by anyone but you and your prior employee in years. Their unique perspective can breathe new life into your brand and workflow in ways you didn’t even realize you needed.
If your prior team member had significant responsibilities in your organization, you’d want to replace them with someone equally qualified who brings new talents to your company. Use the opportunity to find someone with an up-to-date skill set that can revitalize your organization.
New leadership can be scary, but it’s also good for your organization
It can be tough to hand over the reins of essential responsibilities to someone you’re unfamiliar with. After all, your company probably means as much to you as your family — you’ve seen it through multiple milestones and accomplished more than you could ever hope for. It’s only natural to want to ensure it’s in good hands.
However, if you keep a positive attitude and seek a qualified leader who can add value to your company, you’ll reap significant benefits. Bringing on new leadership can be all you need to spur future growth in your organization.
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Shawn Cole
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What Is Personal Brand Leadership and How Can It Benefit You? | Entrepreneur
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Personal brand leadership is the new standard for leaders who want to be authentic, connect with their clients/constituents and differentiate themselves from the competition. Everyone is talking about personal branding — and with good reason. Personal branding has emerged, not only to be a trending topic but to be one of the quickest routes to gaining mindshare and customer/client buy-in.
Personal brand leadership pushes the envelope further to forge personal brand as an actual leadership style (i.e., leading teams through the personal brand leadership style).
Related: 5 Surefire Ways to Become a Better, More Effective Leader
How does one develop their personal brand leadership style?
Personal brand leadership begins with a story. We call it the origin brand story. Between the ages of 0-7, 7-14 and from 14-21, core experiences were formed. From these experiences, lessons and wisdom were drawn, and operating principles were formulated. These operating principles became guidelines, or what the scholarly body refers to as “worldview.” This worldview is our perspective and how we see the world, and we deal with the world based on our MVPs or morals, values and principles. In order to do this, you must go back into your past and detail your origin brand story. It is not easy for a lot of people, and it works better when someone facilitates or coaches you through that process as it can be painful and challenging — and many get stuck.
However, once someone has gathered that data central to who they are and how and why they conduct themselves as they do, the job becomes to relate this data to the world. You can see the power in this as you think of those you formed strong bonds with and leadership figures who changed the world or had a strong positive and enduring impact. They always told their story. When you tell your story, you open yourself up to the world, which takes courage. You lay yourself bare, to be judged and held accountable, and you become vulnerable.
You tell of your mistakes and shortcomings, regrets, losses, etc. In other words, you become human. Humans want to do business with humans. Humans want to be in relationships with humans. That’s just how the world works. So, the more human and the more imperfect you make yourself, the more relatable you become and the more people begin to respond to you. They have these epiphanies, me-too and ah-hah moments as you tell your story, and when you don’t stay or dwell in your mistakes but make the appropriate adjustments and overcome challenges, they see themselves as being able to overcome challenges, too — and until they do, they get to live vicariously through your ability to overcome their mistakes.
Thus, they become inspired, motivated and inclined to grow, develop and progress. This is how the world becomes a better place and why personal brand leadership is a futuristic form of leadership looking forward and not back into the past, except as a way to realize strengths to power us up for the next quantum leap.
Related: 5 Steps to Becoming an Authentic Leader
Who does personal brand leadership work for?
Personal brand leadership works for anyone who is tired of faking it and truly interested in making it. It works for anyone trying to live an authentic, genuine life and be of authentic and genuine value to their clients and shareholders; be they employees, family members and/or investors. Personal brand leadership is being able to be comfortable in your skin and never having to remember your lines because you live unscripted, reliant upon the lessons you have learned, and the (what we call 3 Es) education, experience and expertise gained delivers up to you next.
This is also relatable to living in flow, where you tap into the eternal reservoir of trust and belief in one’s self. When you do that, anxiety declines, and appreciation, gratitude and good feelings take over — and instinct abounds. Depression may subside because you’re no longer trying to be what you’re not and you’re comfortable not trying to be all things for all people.
Why now?
With the advent of all things artificial and automated in the name of advance and further removing the human element from business, communications and relationships, it is absolutely imperative and more desirable that a person be authentic. How many times have you gotten a phone call and instead of it being a person, it was some “bot” on the other end? How many times have you received an email that you knew was artificially created? People are starving for the human touch and authentic expression, especially in business, and the knowledge is all out here.
I tell my clients all the time: Knowledge is easily accessible. Humanity, on the other hand, not so much. In the job market, once you pass a certain pay grade, the tech skills no longer differentiate. Everyone has them. Everyone has the degrees, the letters, the social group memberships, etc.
So, what’s missing, and how can you differentiate yourself? The only differentiators now are behavioral, social, interactive and experience. Customer experience and end-user experience are the things that most business owners erroneously seek to automate, ever searching for the key to sustainable scalability. However, the last thing you want to do is scale to fail, and that happens when you remove yourself from the equation, try to grow too fast, automate and outsource everything, and your business loses its personal touch.
Related: The Power of Personal Touch Leadership
In summary, the future is personal. There will always be those who want less experience — those who desire to outsource and de-personalize everything, but what this does for the people who have established strong personal brand leadership is it positions them as the OVO, or the only viable option. The only viable option for people who want to remain human in every growing artificial simulation of the new world. This is as true in business as in every other sector.
The CEO who can be transparent and vulnerable and interweave their morals, values, vision and principles into the underlying fabric of the organization, products, services, employee’s mindsets and marketing campaigns will yield an undeniable competitive advantage over the ChatGPT-generated slogans and computer-generated social media posts, blogs, email and customer service templates. We are coming to the precipice of a fork in the road where we will be forced to choose … choose wisely … choose personal brand leadership.
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Shaan Rais
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How to Manage a Startup Through Recessions and Downturns | Entrepreneur
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A hesitant market and retraction in funding has directly impacted startups at every stage of growth. So how can founders steer their companies through a difficult period and come out stronger on the other end? I’ve led businesses through two economic downturns, in 2008 and 2020, and I’ve found that while no two downturns are the same, key learnings can help founders effectively manage through these headwinds.
Here are some critical tips I’ve learned when times were at their most dire.
Focus on what you can control
Negative headlines have risen steadily over the last two decades alongside the rise of cable news and social media. Despite study after study showing the poor effects on mental health as a result of negative headlines, the trend has continued. Why? It’s simple: negative news sells.
Downturns are distracting and stressful, especially for business leaders who are trying to focus on decisions. According to a 2021 Harvard Business School survey of global CEOs, the most recent crisis left them feeling just as “scrambled and unsure as their employees.”
To effectively manage through negativity, it’s important to focus on what you can control: reducing waste and expenses, increasing efficiency and building your product or service to serve customers better. Tuning out the noise will help you maintain focus and stay grounded.
The reality is that downturns impact everyone, and if you’re affected, your competitors are too. Focusing on your business and what you can control will leave you in a far stronger position once the market stabilizes.
Related: How to Recession-Proof Your Business
Keep cash on hand
If you wait until a downturn to think about generating cash, it’s already too late. That’s why companies must reach a profitable state on a timeline that makes sense for that business. Even in growth mode, founders can focus on a clear line of sight to profitability while simultaneously planning when to limit overgrowth.
The main benefit of having cash on hand during a downturn is that it lets you continue investing with a focus on the long term while everyone else is waiting it out on the sidelines. It also means you won’t need to raise funds during a time when purse strings are tight, and you’ll inevitably get less favorable terms. According to our research, the most common reason startups fail is, unsurprisingly, running out of money (37%). By having cash on hand or cash coming in, you can avoid the worst possible scenarios.
Another important way to conserve cash is to build a culture of reducing waste. Our portfolio companies perform a monthly bottom-up expense review to help cut waste continuously. When there is a downturn, this eliminates the need to review prior month’s (or year’s) worth of expenses. Leadership can instead focus on running the business and making continuous improvements.
If you have money on hand, what can you do with it during a downturn? You can negotiate better terms on long-term contracts like real estate and advertising or focus on hiring for key positions with more available talent on the market. Cash can solve many of your problems, but maybe more importantly, cash can always be put to use for longer-term investments.
Related: 4 Ways to Adopt and Maintain a Growth Mindset Even During a Recession
Look to the future
In 2010, Harvard Business Review analyzed 4,700 public companies that weathered the recessions of 1980, 1990, and 2000. The researchers found that 17% of the companies fared particularly poorly — they went bankrupt or were acquired — and 9% flourished coming out of these difficult times, outperforming competitors by at least 10% in sales and profit growth.
What did the businesses that thrive have in common? The authors shared that the successful companies focused both on operational efficiency and continuing to invest “comprehensively in the future by spending on marketing, R&D and new assets.”
Downturns can be a great time to focus on building so that your company is ready for the eventual upturn — which will happen. During economic slumps, many companies pull back and wait on the sidelines. That’s a reactionary, short-term mindset and creates opportunities for other businesses that have their eye on the long term. If you have enough cash to sustain the company during a quiet period, you can more aggressively invest in growth at a time when others aren’t. This can mean targeting new consumer segments, working on a new product or hiring a new team of developers.
Related: 4 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Achieve Massive Growth in a Recession
Conclusion
Scarcity drives creativity and innovation; entrepreneurs can flourish with the right mindset and strategy. Remain focused on building your business, think long-term and sketch out opportunities for growth. If you have managed your capital and been prudent about your growth strategy, then you will be well-positioned to take advantage of a slowdown and enjoy a head start when others still have their business in first gear.
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Phil Santoro
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How to Navigate Conflict While Building Trust | Entrepreneur
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When a prospective client contacts my law office about representation in a legal action, one of the first things my staff does is conduct a “conflicts check.” As an attorney, I am ethically bound to provide my clients with the best advocacy. This won’t be possible if I have a real or perceived conflict with them or their case.
For business people, the possibility of a conflict is no less critical. Whether hiring staff, negotiating agreements or seeking counsel, entrepreneurs should feel confident that the person on the other side of the table will have their best interests at heart.
As professionals, our primary mission should be to face conflicts with integrity, ensuring we honor our commitments to our clients and ourselves.
What is a conflict?
For lawyers, the most prominent kind of conflict is representing both sides in a dispute. Imagine a divorce attorney agreeing to represent both the husband and wife in their divorce: It simply wouldn’t happen unless there was a full written disclosure of the conflict and a knowing waiver by both sides. The legal code of ethics says that if I have a relationship with or have worked for a party on the other side in a dispute, I cannot possibly provide my prospective client with unbiased representation. I should refer them to another attorney.
Not all conflicts are so apparent, however. Even when there isn’t an obvious overlap, there could still be bias or some personal agenda that colors how the lawyer — or any other professional — views or will handle the matter before them. Judges, for example, are expected to recuse themselves (step away from a case) if they have any type of interest in a party or matter before them. They may have invested money in a company, played golf with the company’s president or sat on the church board with one of the parties, and this could cause them to favor that party over the other for reasons other than the facts or the law.
For business people, some conflicts are clear-cut. You would probably not want to work with a consultant who provided the same services to one of your direct competitors. You might also have good reasons not to hire someone married or related to a key person at a competitor.
But what about a potential investor? A C-Suite candidate? At what point could an interest, relationship, or connection with that other party become hazardous to your business?
Related: 6 Strategies to Resolve Conflict at Work
Why are conflicts bad?
In my legal role, if I have had any kind of relationship with the other party, I probably know too much about them – their strategies, finances and other internal matters – to be able to offer unbiased insights to a new client. I might even put my first client at risk by inadvertently disclosing trade secrets or other confidential information. Even if I strongly believe that I can distance myself from the prior engagement, the very appearance of conflict should be enough to stop me from agreeing to take on the new case.
The same holds true in business transactions. A clear conflict of interest threatens to expose confidential information such as processes, formulas and customer lists, but bias or personal interest can also taint the information and advice we receive from others. Despite the best intentions of the consultant or contractor, the risk is high that they could compromise your business or otherwise not act in your best interest.
Any time an individual has a personal interest in a matter, whether it’s a financial investment, a friendship, or even a religious or political belief, it can affect how they view it. Although the person may truly believe he can set his interests aside, it is the rare individual who can actually remove the tinted glasses from his eyes.
Related: Have a Business Idea? Here’s How To Put It into Action.
How do you identify conflicts?
It starts with asking questions. Unlike law offices, businesses aren’t legally or ethically required to check for conflicts whenever a client or vendor walks in. But this doesn’t mean that checks shouldn’t be performed.
Before hiring a worker or engaging a contractor, take the time to learn about where they have worked and what they have done. Not only will this protect you against negligently exposing your information, but it may prevent your company from unknowingly learning another company’s trade secrets.
Nondisclosure agreements are important tools for ensuring that your confidential information is respected and protected. Still, the bottom line is that once a trade secret has been shared, the barn door can never be closed. It is far better to keep the door shut first than seek damages after the horse has escaped.
In the best-case scenario, the contractor, consultant, or job candidate will be candid and up-front during your introductory meeting, putting their cards on the table so you can make an informed decision. But they may not always recognize potential conflicts, so the onus is on you to ask questions until you feel satisfied that you know what you need to know.
Related: Online Legal Tools Save Time and Money. But They Aren’t Lawyers.
The bottom line
Although you cannot ask your workers to share legally protected information — medical or family history, politics or religion, gender identity — the more you know about their prior work, priorities and values, the better informed your decision will be.
If, at any time during their tenure with your company, you identify a real or potential conflict, address it immediately. Share your concerns with the other party and ask for information to confirm or rule out any conflict. Contractors or consultants with real or perceived conflicts can be phased out and replaced if necessary. For conflicted employees, document your decision and conduct an exit interview to remind them of their obligation to maintain trade secrets and other protected information.
Remember, the journey of business is fraught with competition and conflict. The truly successful entrepreneur will navigate these issues proactively, ensuring that any real conflicts are outside rather than within their own walls.
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Arash Homampour
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The Most Respected and Admired Leaders Have These 2 Qualities | Entrepreneur
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Being a leader comes with a lot of challenges, but ultimately, one of the most important assets that a leader can have is the ability to be bold and authentic at the same time. Being a bold leader means having the confidence to take action and make tough decisions, while being an authentic leader means staying true to your values and beliefs. In today’s highly competitive business world, leaders who blend these two qualities are the ones most respected and admired.
As a leader, it can be challenging to navigate the balance between being true to yourself and being effective in your role. Being authentic allows you to connect with your team on a deeper level, but being bold is necessary to make tough decisions and inspire change. The truth is, being bold and being authentic go hand in hand, and embracing both of these qualities can make you a more effective leader.
Related: The Benefits of Bold Leadership and How Leaders Can Develop a Bold Mindset
Authenticity requires boldness
Being authentic in the workplace means being honest about your strengths and weaknesses as well as your values and priorities. However, it also means being willing to communicate these things effectively and stand behind them. This requires boldness, especially if your views differ from those around you, or if you’re in a leadership position where your decisions will affect others. Boldness can help you maintain your integrity and stay true to your values, even when things get tough.
Being bold requires a leader to take risks, think outside the box and stand out from the crowd. Being bold means being willing to make decisions that others may not agree with, but still believing in your vision and having the courage to push forward. A bold leader does not simply follow the status quo, but rather challenges it and seeks to make a difference.
Boldness requires authenticity
On the flip side, being bold requires a certain level of authenticity. Being a bold leader means taking risks and making decisions that may not always be popular. But to be effective, you need to believe in these decisions and be willing to stand behind them. This requires authenticity because you can’t inspire others to take risks and believe in your vision if you don’t believe it yourself.
Authenticity requires a leader to be genuine, transparent and relatable. An authentic leader does not hide behind a façade or put on a show. Rather, they are transparent about their thoughts, feelings and intentions, giving their team a clear and honest picture of what is happening and why. By being relatable, authentic leaders create trust and a sense of camaraderie with their teams, allowing for a stronger bond and greater productivity.
The benefits of being bold and authentic
Boldness and authenticity together create the ultimate leadership style. When you combine authenticity and boldness, you become a leader who is trusted by your team, respected by your peers and effective in your role. Authenticity allows you to build deeper connections with your team and inspire them to follow you. Boldness, on the other hand, allows you to take risks and make decisions that can lead to growth and success. Together, these qualities can help you achieve your goals and create a culture of trust and innovation.
If you’re not naturally a bold or authentic leader, it can be hard to know where to start. But by focusing on your values, strengths and priorities, you can begin to build a foundation of authenticity. From there, you can start to take small risks and make decisions that align with your values. As you see the benefits of this approach, you can continue to build on it and become bolder as a leader.
A leader who has found the balance between these two traits is a leader who is able to inspire and motivate their team towards common goals. The boldness to take risks and stand out must be paired with the authenticity to communicate and lead with transparency and honesty.
Related: How to Create a Thriving Workplace by Leading With Authenticity
Balancing boldness and authenticity
Of course, there are times when being too bold or too authentic can get you into trouble. It’s important to strike a balance between these qualities. Being too bold can lead to reckless decision-making, while being too authentic can make it difficult to keep certain things private or maintain a professional demeanor. Being mindful of this balance can help you be effective as a leader while staying true to yourself.
Being a successful leader requires both boldness and authenticity. The two qualities go hand in hand and can help you build trust, inspire innovation and achieve your goals. By focusing on your values and building a foundation of authenticity, you can become a more effective leader who is willing to take risks and make bold decisions. Remember to strike a balance between these qualities, and you’ll be well on your way to success as a leader.
When blended, boldness and authenticity create an unbeatable combination. A leader who is bold and authentic is someone who takes risks, stands up for what they believe in and inspires their team to follow their lead. They are not afraid to admit their failures, and yet they remain confident in their direction. This type of leader is also genuine, real and personable, which makes them relatable and approachable to their employees. Leaders who embody these traits are able to build strong teams that are not afraid to take risks, try new things or make mistakes along the way.
But how can leaders cultivate both boldness and authenticity? One way is to take the time to truly reflect on their values and to make sure that their actions align with those values. It’s also important to create an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their opinions and ideas so that boldness and creativity can flourish. Additionally, it’s important to practice vulnerability and transparency by sharing stories of successes and failures and emphasizing the importance of learning from mistakes.
Boldness and authenticity are the keys to successful leadership in today’s business world. These traits help leaders stand out from the crowd and cultivate strong teams that are willing to take risks, try new things and grow together. It’s not always easy to be bold and authentic, but the rewards are immeasurable. By continuing to practice these traits, leaders can create a better future for themselves and for their organizations.
Related: 4 Must-Have Leadership Qualities
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Leigh Burgess
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What CEOs Can Learn from Sports Coaches | Entrepreneur
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Regardless of the size or industry of your business, the responsibility of creating success falls on the shoulders of the CEO. Although most CEOs have teams that work as a united front to achieve their company goals, everyone looks to the person in charge to lead the way.
While there are many strategies you can use to drive success for your team as a CEO, one of the most effective approaches might be to learn from sports coaches. Yes, you heard that right.
Sports coaches know a thing or two about team building, goal setting and strategic execution that can be applied in the corporate world.
So, take a page from the age-old book of sports and start implementing some of the following rules and lessons into your business strategy.
Related: 5 Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Pro Sports Teams
1. Never start a game without a game plan
Whether you’re talking business or sports, effective execution must start with a clearly defined strategy. Key business decisions, both long and short-term, are based on a strategic plan that guides your organization forward. But regardless of how strong your strategic plan is, it can only serve its purpose if all involved parties know and understand the plan.
As a leader, your responsibility is to properly communicate the strategic plan from the top down to ensure all team members are on the same page. Everyone must understand what the end goal is and which steps they need to take to get closer to achieving it.
2. A good game plan is flexible
Like any nail-biting sports game, the market can change quickly and unexpectedly, as we’ve seen time and time again over the past few years. The businesses that survived the global pandemic of 2020 did not do so because of luck.
Rather, they were able to quickly adapt to the changing circumstances and pivot during a time of crisis, the same way that sports teams must be able to assess the changing circumstances of the game and adjust their strategy as necessary.
While it’s critical for all team members to know the primary plan, it’s equally important to be prepared to change it up. Plan B and C are just as important as Plan A.
3. A team is greater as a whole than as individual players
In every team, each member has a role that contributes to reaching the overall goal, but it’s the team’s ability to work together that drives real impact and creates value. A great team captain will give credit to the other team members when it comes to their success, as a cohesive team is better than a single great player on their own.
Good business leaders know how to play to the individual strengths of team members and work out the best ways to help them utilize their strong suits to complement each other and perform as an aligned whole.
4. Winners and losers are determined by score
In sports, the score is the ultimate measure of success or failure. Similarly, in business, subjective opinions just aren’t enough to accurately gauge performance.
Smart business decisions are driven by data, not emotions; therefore, it’s essential to collect and utilize data as much as you possibly can. Tracking progress on business goals with OKRs and KPIs (Objectives and Key Results and Key Performance Indicators) helps you know whether your team is on track or not. Regularly measuring progress toward your goals will help you make informed decisions and optimize your strategic execution.
5. Check the scoreboard frequently
Because the score determines the ultimate result of a game, the scoreboard is largely broadcasted and continuously relayed to players, coaches and fans so that everyone knows who is winning and by how much.
In business, it’s equally important to provide visibility of progress to all team members so they can see how they are performing, which targets are on track and which may be falling behind. Lagging indicators help provide insight into why a team member might be behind on a goal, and catching these flags early will give them time to work with their manager to reassess the goal and tasks at hand, and course-correct as needed.
Several businesses use software tools to create this kind of visibility. Align, for example, provides KPI dashboards that display all your data in one view, including historical data for each target visible to any and all team members.
Related: 25 Ways to Lead, Inspire and Motivate Your Team to Greatness
6. All team members must know their role (and each other’s)
In sports, each player has a specific role and responsibility — the offense looks to score, the defense defends the goal and so on. Furthermore, all players understand how their specific role contributes to reaching the overall team goal.
Clearly defining roles and responsibilities in a business helps ensure that all team members do their part and are aware of what each other is working on. Every task or priority should be covered by a designated team member, even though other team members might jump in to help. This clear assignment of roles helps eliminate the need to micromanage and lessens the likelihood of miscommunication about who is responsible for what.
7. Trust your team, and teach them to trust each other
Whether you are talking about sports, business or life in general, trust is the foundation of strong relationships. In sports, coaches must be able to trust that their teams understand the game plan and will do their best to execute it properly, while players must be able to trust one another as well.
As a CEO, you must be confident that your managers are well-equipped to lead their teams, and that their teams are able to function as unified fronts. This involves providing your team members with the tools and resources they need to be effective and trusting that they are capable of functioning properly without micromanagement. Trust enables CEOs to foster a culture of collaboration, creativity and open communication, and it also helps build morale that drives strong performance.
8. Motivation matters
Imagine a sports game with no fans. No cheerleaders, no cheering, no noise. Seems awkward, doesn’t it?
Cheering fans show support and appreciation to players, encouraging them and making them feel valued. People are motivated by this kind of peer encouragement and are more likely to perform well when they have a supportive and acknowledging fan base.
The same goes for business — team members need moral support and recognition for the work they do. As a company leader, recognizing and rewarding your team members for their achievements is a great way to show appreciation and encourage strong performance. Celebrating wins as part of company culture motivates team members to reach higher goals and drives morale.
9. Communicate constantly
As mentioned in the first point, a strategic plan has no value unless it is properly communicated to all team members. But communication does not stop after the initial plan is relayed.
Coaches often coach from the sidelines, giving their players feedback and advice as the game goes on. Players must also be in constant communication with one another on the field. It’s their responsibility to call out for help when they need it and offer help when they are open.
Most errors in business are caused by miscommunication or a lack of communication altogether. An easy way to improve communication and make a habit out of doing it constantly is to hold frequent, well-structured check-in meetings. Whether it’s a team meeting or a 1:1, having a time on the calendar creates a recurring opportunity to provide feedback and engage in an open dialogue to help ensure team members are in sync and on track.
Encourage your team members to ask for help when they need it and to help one another when they have the time and capacity to do so.
Related: 15 Quotes on Success From America’s Top CEOs
10. Always be improving
Win or lose, sports coaches close every game with a debrief and a pep talk. They discuss what worked, what didn’t work and what needs improvement for next time.
Similarly, in business, regular debriefs and retrospectives can help you identify areas for improvement and set new goals for the team. This involves reviewing progress on goals at least once per quarter, addressing lagging performers and adjusting your strategic plan as needed to ensure you hit your targets.
Continuously striving for improvement and growth is essential for long-term success.
No team can win without a good coach. As a CEO, you are responsible for setting up your team for success by capitalizing on their strengths, improving their weaknesses and creating alignment and motivation around a common goal.
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Doug Walner
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How to Effectively Manage Your Remote Software Team | Entrepreneur
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So, now you’re a manager.
Chances are high that as a newly promoted manager of software engineers, you were recently in the trenches with your fellow coders. Management requires quite a different skill set than coding, but fear not, because you will still rely on things you learned as a developer. It can be tempting to fall back on coding and to want to fix problems yourself, but your job is no longer to fix the code. Your job is to create a self-sufficient team of coders who can problem-solve for themselves. One of the tools you will use is delegation.
To delegate effectively, you should communicate expectations about responsibilities and give your team the support they need to succeed. Part of your job is to assess where your team needs to grow, who could benefit from being a mentor, where the team can expand technically and who has the bandwidth to take on new tasks. Check-in and give feedback without taking over so your team can grow their skills. Give a clear picture of how success looks, and celebrate when your team hits its goals.
Related: How to Delegate Better and Become a Great Leader
Leverage the skills you built as a developer
New managers can succumb to the siren song of trying to do everything themselves. Unfortunately, this sets up your team to rely on you whenever there is a problem and doesn’t give them the experience they need to function autonomously. Taking the extra time to teach a solution instead of coding it yourself pays off in the long run by saving you from having to write that same code again. An added benefit is that you now have another developer to mentor others and spread knowledge across your team. Your job is to ensure the success of your team, not become a bottleneck that developers have to pass through to make a decision.
Should you continue to code? In his book Managing Humans, Michael Lopp advises managers to stay in touch with their roots as developers. You should be familiar with the language and tools that your team is using and understand the detailed architecture of a project. The point is to stay connected as you delegate the day-to-day work of your team. Your years as a developer have taught you how projects succeed and how they fail. As a manager, you can leverage this valuable experience to guide your team. Listen to your gut, and look at the bigger picture. When you encounter a situation that you’ve seen before as a developer, ask the right questions to dig deep into how milestones can be met realistically.
Build trust through preventive maintenance
Preventive maintenance is key to fostering the trust needed for successful delegation. The time you spend upfront coaching your team is an investment. Foster a sense of safety, and reinforce the idea that mistakes are learning opportunities. Developers should be thanked, not punished, for being honest about not meeting a deadline or when a solution isn’t working.
A great way to develop trust is to hold one-on-one meetings with every team member. Tips for one-on-one meetings:
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Schedule at least 30 minutes
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Don’t show up late or reschedule
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Listen for more than a status report
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Develop rapport
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Ask about career goals
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Coach team members on how to coach others
Related: Why Entrepreneurs Struggle Delegating to Remote Teams
All of this sounds great. But how do you do it remotely?
Remote work is the new normal for many software engineers. Patrick Thibodeau recently reported that “nearly 40% of software engineers will only work remotely.” Developers report higher productivity and less stress when they work from home. Employers have the advantage of accessing a global talent pool and can cut down on the costs of renting and furnishing an office. Managing a software team is challenging enough. How do you build a team that spans across time zones and physical spaces?
Rely on a common process
Stand-up meetings, planning, backlog refinement and code reviews can be a challenge to run remotely. Find a range of hours across time zones when people will be available to work together to schedule meetings and record meetings for those unable to attend. A robust asynchronous onboarding process can help new team members understand the standard policies and expectations of a remote team.
Delays in communication can be costly across time zones. For communication that happens asynchronously, take care to explain concepts clearly when you might not be immediately available to answer questions. Make sure that any resources your recipient will need have been attached or shared with appropriate permissions. Outline what constitutes an urgent message and when you expect a reply. Successful delegation relies on your team having the proper support to do their job.
Use tools to connect
The choices for remote communication have exploded over the past few years. Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams can be used for video conferencing and messaging. Slack is popular for its specific channels and direct messaging capabilities. Tools for version control and IDEs are crucial for software development. Common places for online calendars and document storage like Google give companies a place to organize shared knowledge. Using story cards or tasks in a project management software like Jira, Trello or Basecamp will give your team a place to see which tasks they’ve been delegated. Developers can ask questions, create checklists to document their process and understand the acceptance criteria for a task. Management software also helps the team to plan resources and meet deadlines.
Related: The Step-By-Step Guide to Managing Remote Employees Effectively
Create a community
Remote workers can still be connected to one another. Ways to build community remotely could include:
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Icebreakers or social time for the first few minutes of meetings
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Virtual coffee meets or book clubs
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Lunch and learn presentations
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Dedicated channels on a messaging app for social topics, photos or fun facts about the team
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Online game events
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Completing a certification or taking a class together
When managing people from different cultures, ensure that policies are inclusive. Take the time to learn about differences in communication styles that might affect how to elicit feedback or criticism. Making sure that every voice on your team can be heard builds trust and engagement and ensures that delegated tasks are understood by all members of the team.
Delegation is challenging for software managers but especially for those managing a remote team. Every team benefits from building trust and clear expectations around delegated work. If you are managing a remote team, you can rely on processes and tools to collaborate and communicate effectively. Even if your team is spread across time zones or continents, you can lead successful software projects through thoughtful management and delegation.
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Amandeep Singh
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Leadership Skills for Entry-Level Employees | Entrepreneur
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Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.
Leadership skills are important for all employees, regardless of their organizational level or position. When making yourself visible on popular job search sites like ZipRecruiter, job seekers that highlight their leadership potential can set them apart from others and demonstrate their ability to excel in a fast-paced and competitive work environment.
Discover the leadership skills that entry-level employees should develop to enhance their career prospects.
Communication: Strong communication skills are essential for any leader. This includes effectively listening and speaking with others and clearly articulating ideas and thoughts.
Problem-solving: Thinking critically and developing creative solutions are crucial to problem-solving in business. Leaders know how to collaborate to resolve issues and implement process improvements to avoid the same mistakes.
Emotional intelligence: When it comes to leadership skills, having emotional intelligence is crucial. It means being able to recognize and manage your own emotions and the emotions of your team members. This skill allows you to effectively navigate complex interpersonal dynamics within your team, leading to a positive work environment and improved team performance.
Initiative: Leaders are proactive and take the initiative to get things done. Step out of your comfort zone and seek new tasks and responsibilities. You’ll learn from the experiences, and it demonstrates your dedication to your organization.
Adaptability: Adapting to change is essential for any leader. It means you are open to new ideas and approaches, which encourages a more collaborative working environment with others.
Leadership skills cannot be developed overnight, but with time and practice, you can cultivate the skills and attributes needed to be an effective leader.
If you’re looking for a job that values leadership potential, consider ZipRecruiter. This popular job search site is an innovative job board that connects job seekers with employers looking for top talent. With its user-friendly interface and advanced matching technology, ZipRecruiter can help you find your dream job and showcase your leadership potential to potential employers.
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Entrepreneur Deals
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Free Webinar | May 11: The Modern Leader’s Guide to Timeless Wisdom | Entrepreneur
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Looking to transform your leadership? Then join our upcoming live webinar to learn the key principles to help you become a more effective leader.
Hosted by Susan S. Freeman, author of the new book, Inner Switch: 7 Timeless Principles to Transform Modern Leadership, you will walk away with the skills needed to create positive change in yourself and in your organization, including how to:
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Apply ancient wisdom principles from yoga to lead with self-awareness and effective communication
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Cultivate qualities like openness, letting go of reactive patterns, and integration of body, mind, and heart
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Implement examples and exercises for leadership moments, even without yoga experience
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Create a safe and trusting environment for collaboration and co-creativity
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Increase productivity, healthy relationships, and joy in the workplace
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And more!
Register now to secure your seat!
About the Speaker:
Susan S. Freeman, MBA, PCC, NCC, is an executive coach, team coach, author, and speaker, dedicated to helping leaders expand their influence and change the world by making the “inner switch.” Her groundbreaking approach to coaching creates leadership transformation through the integration of Eastern wisdom derived from more than 25 years of studying yoga and yogic philosophy. Through Susan’s unique Inner Switch™ method, leaders learn how to shift from simply “doing” in the world to first “being” within themselves so they can then authentically influence others.
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Entrepreneur Staff
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How to Free Up More Space in Your Business for Creativity | Entrepreneur
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Like most business owners, you probably wish there was more time in the day. Finding the balance between meeting necessary deadlines and keeping space to be creative can be tough. But creativity in business is essential, and losing it means losing out on innovation, efficiency and (ultimately) revenue.
So, it’s vital to free up some space in your business for creative endeavors — especially considering three-quarters of small business owners said that inflation affected their bottom line between July 2021 and July 2022, and 56% expect to feel the pinch through at least the summer of 2023. Creative solutions can mean the difference between financial success and failure.
From a survey of more than a thousand executives, Deloitte found that so-called “high-growth brands” are more likely to value creative ideas as part of long-term success. These brands — in contrast to brands with less measured growth — also are more likely to intentionally create an environment that fosters creative thinking and cross-collaboration. Creativity is a key factor in innovation, which ultimately determines a company’s growth over time.
One common reason business owners struggle to find creative time for themselves is that they’re hiring people but not delegating effectively. As an owner, you can’t handle everything on your own. Though it’s important to ensure quality, you must find a way to delegate tasks if you want to maintain balance, stability and creativity. Research from the Annual Review of Psychology shows that we need time for our brains to wander between tasks to fully realize our creative potential. However, it’s hard to find that time when you’re trying to do it all yourself.
The simple truth is that a business can’t grow when its owner is consumed with micro-managing every facet of the organization. Instead of spreading yourself thin, focus on the part of your role that adds the most value, prioritize it and let it grow. Delegate tasks and share authority where you’re able. The goal? A company that can function without your constant supervision, leaving you space to bring in new passion and creative ideas.
The qualities that make up an efficient system and leave room for creativity
As a leader, you must endeavor to build systems that help you find more creative space instead of more tasks for your list. Here’s where you should focus your efforts:
1. Processes
Regular processes enable you to oversee different aspects of the business and maintain quality without micro-managing every detail. Not only can poor or inefficient systems or strategies lead to chaos and capital loss, but having efficient processes also means spending more time doing what you’re good at, being creative and making better strategic decisions.
A great start would be to improve the day-to-day routines that keep your company running. Successful processes are clear, can be replicated and documented, have supporting tools and are easy to access.
Well-designed and well-implemented systems (including financial, technology, marketing, people and operations systems) create consistent experiences for customers and employees and make your business run more smoothly. Concrete processes, outline how things should be done and provide a way to improve them, saving you time and energy you can spend elsewhere.
Related: How to Take Marie Kondo’s Approach for Workflows and Processes
2. Roles
A big challenge in creating more space for creativity is having well-defined tasks for everyone on the team. You must have a clear job description for every role in your organization. As your company grows, you’ll delegate tasks to many employees and having defined roles helps you manage payroll more effectively, set performance expectations and outline innovation opportunities.
Perfectly assigned roles are crucial for business because, according to LinkedIn, ineffective management can lead to low morale and budget overruns. This can manifest in poor planning or role definition or more personal things like failure to coach or innovate within roles. Buck this trend by clearly defining your team’s scope of work.
Related: What If a Boss and an Employee Swapped Roles? We Tried It.
3. Skills
After you have determined your company’s roles, you can assign specific, necessary skills to each one. By clarifying which skills are valued and required in each role, you empower your employees to focus their time and efforts on the skills that will most help them grow in their role. By narrowing their focus, you free up more time and headspace for innovation and creativity.
Skill assignment also ensures you hire the best-qualified candidates and place them in the most productive roles for your organization. Skill testing should be an important part of hiring, too. McKinsey says that 87% of employers see current or potential skill gaps at their companies. Skill testing and clarification can help close those gaps.
Related: How to Acquire Soft Skills and Measure Them Successfully
4. Structure
The best way to create an effective organizational structure is to design it before you need it. As with systems optimization and role definition, providing organizational structure means employees spend less time confused and more time doing the important work you hired them for. Progress will stall if an employee has a question and doesn’t know where to ask for the answer. Provide structure and reduce confusion.
Toyota is a great example of how structure can impact time management. The Toyota Production System (TPS)
is a program that encompasses all of Toyota’s practices and philosophies, from sourcing materials to customer interactions. TPS was a key factor in the development of “lean manufacturing,” which focuses on efficiency in production. The right systems help you prioritize and manage your time so you have the freedom to work on developing your business with creative solutions rather than simply maintaining it.
One way to quickly simplify inefficiencies is to remove unnecessary steps in company procedures. An audit is one way to accomplish this, but automation is another modern solution. Automation can identify and solve company growth issues, reduce wasted resources in poorly designed systems and maximize profits.
As a business leader, your priorities should be achieving amazing customer outcomes, maintaining a healthy company culture and finding innovative opportunities for growth. By optimizing the systems, processes and roles in your company, you spend less time managing and more time doing what you do best.
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Drew McLellan
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3 Costly Mistakes CEOs Make When They Fail Their Company Culture | Entrepreneur
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The job of a CEO has never been more difficult. There is an unprecedented amount of pressure on CEOs to navigate their businesses through difficult and uncertain times. For many CEOs, they have reached a breaking point. They have failed to reinvent their companies, they face insurmountable reputation problems, or at worst, they are facing insolvency. Many CEOs succumb to this pressure — losing sight of the priorities that matter most. Company culture is one of those overlooked priorities.
We’ve all heard the saying, “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” For those who haven’t, the saying highlights the critical role of organizational culture in achieving business success. It implies that even the best-laid plans and strategies can fail if the organization’s culture is not aligned with its goals and values. For CEOs, this saying highlights the need to prioritize and invest in building a strong and positive culture that enables the organization to execute its strategy effectively.
So why do many CEOs not take company culture seriously? Too often, CEOs see culture as a set of initiatives that are overly “soft” and not a business priority next to other important issues such as growth, mergers and acquisition, product development or business performance.
Below, we explore three common ways CEOs fail their company culture and ways they need to overcome them.
Related: 7 Reasons Why Creating the Right Culture Should Be a Leader’s Top Priority
They become performative leaders rather than conscious leaders
It’s amazing how many CEOs lead their organizations for glory and status only. This type of performative leadership is what can hurt an organization’s culture. Performative leadership focuses on the appearance of leadership rather than people and results. It is characterized by a leader who prioritizes their own image and ego over the needs of the organization and its stakeholders. This style of leadership is often criticized for being superficial and lacking substance, and may ultimately be detrimental to the success of the organization.
On the contrary, conscious leadership is an approach to leadership that emphasizes self-awareness, empathy and a commitment to ethical and sustainable business practices. By being a conscious leader, it means the CEO is prioritizing people and values and is striving to create a positive work environment that fosters employee engagement, innovation and collaboration. To be a conscious leader, a CEO needs to be driven by a sense of purpose and seek to create long-term value for all stakeholders, including employees, customers and the broader community. By practicing conscious leadership, CEOs can build trust and loyalty among employees, drive business success and contribute to a more sustainable and just world.
Here are three top tips for being a more conscious leader:
- Practice self-reflection and awareness: Awareness is the cornerstone of great leadership. A conscious leader should regularly reflect on their own actions, biases and decision-making processes to identify areas for growth and improvement. This can involve seeking feedback from colleagues, engaging in mindfulness practices or even journalling.
- Empathy and emotional intelligence: Leaders can cultivate empathy and emotional intelligence by actively listening to their team members, considering different perspectives and prioritizing the wellbeing of their team. This can involve creating a culture of psychological safety where employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings.
- Know when to make decisions from the head, heart or gut: CEOs face multiple decisions every day, and too many of these decisions are often head-based, meaning they are analytic or rational. While making rational, head-based decisions is important in business, it is also important for CEOs to know when to make intuitive gut-based decisions, or emotional ‘heart-based decisions, even when the logic or rationale doesn’t stack up. Moving between the three types of decision-making will ensure a leader is not just making decisions based on results, but also on people and culture.
Related: How to Better Manage Corporate Culture During Times of Transition
2. They think great communication is enough
Some CEOs define great communication as continuously sharing the vision and purpose, being transparent with results and the direction of the company and turning up to town halls, hosting Q&A forums, writing in the monthly newsletter and presenting in panels. While this type of communication is important, as it is visible, great communication goes beyond appearances. It’s about being a good human connector.
A CEO must learn to be a good human connector, which means prioritizing building relationships at all levels of the organization. This involves being approachable, empathetic and actively seeking opportunities to connect with others on a human level. And it doesn’t stop there — a CEO must be genuine in their connection. They need to show kindness and show that they care. When you know a leader is committed to operating from a set of values based on kindness, they set the tone for the entire organization. In fact, one study demonstrates that leader kindness and generosity are strong predictors of team and organizational effectiveness.
Here are three top tips for being a great human connector:
1. Focus on being present: Too many CEO are transmitters when it comes to communication, constantly sharing information, facts, data or insights. Being present as a CEO means you will have more awareness of when to transmit, when to receive and when to hold space or silence for new possibilities to occur.
2. Complete a stakeholder matrix: CEOs impact 100s, 1000s and even millions of people. Whilst completing a stakeholder matrix is impossible for all these people, it is important for a CEO to understand their direct stakeholders and be able to assess the quality of the relationship and consequently assess the extent of their impact. Communication will fall on deaf ears if a CEO isn’t continuously assessing relationships and looking to improve them.
3. Make trust a new business currency: As a CEO, it’s important to recognize that performance, profits and focusing on the hard results is not your only form of currency. With a large number of employees currently disengaged in organizations globally, a CEO must now investigate how to use trust as a currency and be diligent about measuring it in their organizations. A leadership trust index is a good tool that many organizations currently use.
3. They prioritize commercial performance over team performance
Too often, CEOs overemphasize their leadership efforts on commercial results. While creating commercial success is the cornerstone of a CEO’s role, many CEOs become overly rational and left-brain oriented and often lack the skills or awareness to actually drive team performance. Too often, they think the answer is to hire A+ individuals who collectively, don’t actually work well as a team. This can create all sorts of problems, such as siloes, combativeness and team dysfunction.
A recent study from the Kellogg School of Management mentions how teams are not always successful with A+ players and that teams have a collective team intelligence that is separate from the individual intelligence of team members. Building a team’s collective intelligence is critical for a CEO to master. This involves being socially skilled and nuanced in understanding personal motives and drives. A CEO who invests in building a talented and diverse team sets the company up for success. The hiring process should be rigorous and focused on finding people who share the company’s values and vision. Diversity and inclusivity should also be a priority in hiring, as diverse teams are more innovative and better able to solve complex problems.
Related: How to Create a Culture of Gentle Accountability in 3 Steps
Here are three top tips for prioritizing team performance:
1. Ground out key realities: Too often, CEOs are disconnected from the realities of their team. While one team member may think the business is performing well, another team member may have a different view. It’s really important for a CEO to ground our current realities and establish a shared view when it comes to core business targets and metrics. This can be difficult on their own, so using a skilled coach or facilitator can help with this process.
2. Make time to set clear expectations and goals for the teams’ performance: A CEO should prioritize team performance by setting clear expectations and goals that prioritize clarity of strategy, execution, collaboration, communication, and interpersonal ways of working. This can involve creating metrics that measure team effectiveness, such as employee satisfaction and engagement, rather than just focusing on revenue or profit.
3. Hire the right team coach: While leaders may have individual coaches, it’s really important for a CEO to hire a team coach. Just like sports teams have coaches, so should leadership teams. A team coach should be focused on the team’s goals versus individual goals and continuously work with the team to move them toward reaching those goals.
Creating a positive work culture has never been more important for the role of CEO, and it starts from the top. They have a fundamental role in driving a positive culture that will ultimately drive strategy, engagement and performance. Taking accountability for one’s leadership is key, and recognizing where they are contributing to the problem. Taking steps towards being a conscious leader, a strong human connector and developing team performance is a good starting point for any CEO looking to turn their culture around.
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Ana Reed
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How to Build Resilience by Learning the Art of the Reframe | Entrepreneur
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
There is one life-changing question at the center of reframing successfully.
Rapid change is an unavoidable variable in the equation of life. We often try to avoid change or even stop it, which typically ends up being more disruptive than the change itself. Just like with any equation, you cannot “solve for X” by ignoring it or removing it. That variable “X” is a paramount part of the equation, necessary to being able to find the solution.
Related: Reframe Negative Thinking to Ease Your Path to Success
How growth happens
Growth always begins with a decision to either change or accept change that is happening around us. At a time when many of us are in a state of anxiety about what the future holds, it’s important to understand how people and even organizations can “learn how to learn” by seeing situations as they are and asking one very important question. Much like the equation of life allegory above, the potential always exists in the ability to see the equation in its true form and open your mind to solutions.
Learning to reframe
When it comes to building resilience on an individual or organizational level, we’ve got to learn how to reframe. Reframing is a specific skill set of the mind where you are capable of taking a situation, seeing it realistically and then framing the situation with a simple, life-changing question: What is the creative opportunity now?
Reframing doesn’t mean that what happened yesterday isn’t important or relevant, but that no matter what happened yesterday, there is a creative opportunity we can seize.
To be able to seize it, we have to create space to see it.
This simple reframe, in the form of a question, allows us to take stock of the situation that currently exists — to really see it and to find meaning in it. My grandmother used to preach something similar when I was a child by always reminding me to, “Find the little gems.” What she meant by that, and what I teach with reframing, is that there is always growth and opportunity, but we often need to be reminded to look for those.
By human nature alone, we are predicting and protecting — at least we think we are. Our brain sees change and triggers fear, uncertainty and anxiety, yet it’s almost always unfounded. The better option is to use the question I shared above, which is the same question my wife has poured into me for 20 years and the same question I have watched change so many lives and corporate cultures.
Seek growth and opportunity over running from change and succumbing to fear.
Related: Flip the Switch on Fear-Based Thinking
Organizational application
If you’re looking to build more resilience into your corporate culture, ask this question and let your teams sit with it. Give them something to chew on, and give them buy-in and space to lean into this new mindset of reframing and resilience.
Simultaneously, what you will see happen with this pivot is that your teams will begin to seek better outcomes, regardless of the situation. You are now giving them permission to be critical thinkers and strategic problem solvers — all the while validating their perception of each situation and their ability to find opportunity.
Overjoyed vs. overlooked
There are so many moments we miss in life because we are not looking at the full picture or a clear version of that picture. Perception truly does alter reality, and so there are moments we might perceive as negative and then we miss out on experiencing that moment as a pivot point or moment of growth.
Choosing to see something as an opportunity allows you to grasp the full picture rather than just one small angle through a blurry lens. When your teams learn to reframe, you will see them begin to flourish in times of change. They are looking for positive outcomes, habitually, rather than waiting around or leaning into negative emotional responses.
This is the beginning of a wonderful path for your organization if you commit to the simple act of creating space and asking this simple question. By instilling reframing as a skill set amongst your teams, you are empowering them to lean into change, to use it, to find the value in the change and to use that value to accelerate forward.
Related: 8 Ways Successful People Master Resilience
Missing 7 out of 10
When an elite athlete speaks on reframing, it perks my ears because I know their mindset is a determining factor in how well they show up to perform each day. So, when Derek Jeter was asked about missing 7 out of 10 hits, his response was pretty epic. Jeter said, “I am due for a hit and if I can get a hit just 3 out of 10 times, I will be in the Hall of Fame.”
Not only was he thinking of the future rather than the here and now, but he was also reframing toward the positive and looking at the full equation — not just one variable.
“What is the creative opportunity now?” is the simplest, most powerful question to find meaning in the moment while creating a path to the future.
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Adam Markel
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3 Tips for Leading Teams Effectively Through Adversity | Entrepreneur
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
If there’s anything we’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that plans can be derailed at any moment without warning. Businesses that were fortunate enough to survive the pandemic know that it took a lot more than luck to make it through, and several are still facing the repercussions. From Covid — to the Great Resignation of 2021 — to a looming recession in 2023, several business leaders feel like they just can’t catch a break. Though we’ve learned to adapt and even advance in times of uncertainty, it doesn’t mean thriving during these times is easy.
I’ve spent the last 25 years leading businesses, but I’ve learned more as a CEO in the past few years than ever before in my life. The single most important thing a CEO can do during times of crisis is to lead by example and set a precedent for their team. Below I’ll outline some of the best ways I’ve found to do that effectively.
Related: How to Lead Effectively in Uncertain Times
What does uncertainty mean for CEOs?
93 percent of CEOs are preparing for a recession in the next 12-18 months. Historically, recessions occur on average every 9-10 years. As of now, the last recession was in 2008 — so it’s evident that we are long overdue.
While recession talk is nothing new, and it’s still unknown how drastic the economic correction will be, 51% of CEOs have been considering workplace reductions as part of their preparation since Q4 of 2022. This kind of uncertainty surrounding job security can disrupt an otherwise healthy company culture, with employees feeling like they are walking on eggshells and wondering if their jobs could be in jeopardy.
During times of crisis, teams look to their leader to show the way. A good CEO will take this responsibility seriously, setting the tone for the whole organization and establishing an environment where there’s trust and respect. We’ve seen some poor examples of leadership that have been widely publicized in recent years, and it reminds us that even leaders of top-performing businesses are flawed. While we can’t be perfect, we can choose to do the right thing and accept the responsibility of leading through adversity.
1. Practice transparency and effective communication
When it comes to communication, more is better than less. This is especially true during times of uncertainty. Keeping employees in the loop is key to building trust and showing that you care about their well-being. Let them know what’s happening in the industry, what your expectations are for how they will adjust in response and how you plan to move forward.
Several CEOs back off when it comes to transparency out of fear that they will share too much and it will have the opposite effect as to what is desired. There is a fine line to balance here, and it is ultimately up to the CEO to determine which information is best to share with employees and how it should be shared.
Transparency helps prevent miscommunication and rumors from spreading in the company, reinforcing team unity and alignment. While you don’t need to involve your employees in all company decisions, it’s important to give them an opportunity to share their opinions and concerns and acknowledge that their voices are valuable. I believe it’s best to take in employee feedback for consideration and to help guide your decision-making. Then, relay information once details have been established and discussed among company leaders and you have a clear idea for direction.
Related: 4 Steps for Building Your Team’s Resilience
2. Prioritize mental health and well-being
In recent years, stress levels among American workers have drastically increased due to the unpredictable nature of the economy. A survey by the American Psychological Association revealed that 75% of Americans report feeling more stress than they did five years ago. Furthermore, 83% of U.S. workers suffer from work-related stress, with 25% saying that their job is the main stressor in their life.
As a CEO, it’s important to make an effort to help reduce stress among employees by prioritizing their mental health and well-being. This can include offering flexible work hours, providing resources and access to therapy services, encouraging breaks throughout the day, allowing time for physical activities and implementing policies that promote employee autonomy and self-care.
Additionally, it’s important to create an open dialogue where employees feel comfortable expressing their feelings and concerns. Businesses that prioritize mental health are proven to have better employee retention.
At my company, Align, we have an Unlimited PTO policy. The policy is simple: Get your work done, and you’re free to take off whenever you want. We use this policy as a way to show employees that hard work is appreciated and rewarded — and that their mental and physical health matters. I encourage all my team members to take off when they need a day to recuperate to help maintain a healthy mindset and avoid burnout.
3. Base decisions on company core values
People tend to panic during times of crisis, which is why it’s the worst time to be making important decisions. Planning ahead is key, but like I mentioned, it’s not always easy to plan for the unknown. What you can do is plan where you will reduce costs if and when a recession hits. You may plan to cut people, salaries or departmental resources and spending. But whatever you decide, make sure it makes sense for your company.
If you get stuck, go back to your core values. Your company’s core values are what define your organization and should guide all decision-making, big and small. Use them as a compass to help steer you in the right direction, even during times of uncertainty.
Your core values must live in your company at all levels from the top down. If you act with regard to these values at all times, you are more likely to create a trusting culture and gain respect from your employees.
At Align, we stress the importance of core values at all times, starting from the beginning with the hiring process. We make sure every new hire knows our core values and understands what it means to uphold them in our day-to-day work and relationships. This alignment over common values is critical to maintaining a cohesive culture and being able to persevere as a team through hard times.
When it comes to teams, resilience is not a trait — it’s something that must be cultivated through careful planning, transparency and trust.
Leading a team through adversity is an immense responsibility. It can be difficult to manage during times of economic hardship or political instability, but by following these principles and inspiring your team to stay positive, you will come out strong.
Related: How to Stay Calm in a Crisis and Lead Your Team Through Anything
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Doug Walner
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Free Webinar | April 25: How to Lead a Company Through Multiple Times of Uncertainty | Entrepreneur
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Previously a trader and an investment banker, Glenn Fogel joined Booking (then known as Priceline.com) in Feb. 2000 as a young manager. Two weeks later, the stock market peaked and the dot-com bubble burst. Soon after, the Sept. 11 attacks happened, hampering people’s desire to travel. And the industry was shattered again when the 2020 pandemic hit. How did the world’s leading provider of online travel lead through these uncertain times?
Find out in the next episode of our Leadership Lessons series with the CEO & President of Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) – parent company of Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, KAYAK and OpenTable – chats with series host Jason Nazar about how he leads more than 20,000 employees across 300+ offices in 220 countries around the world and the greatest lessons learned in his 30+ year career. Topics include:
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About The Speakers
Glenn Fogel is CEO & President of Booking Holdings (Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, KAYAK, OpenTable), a position he has held since January 2017, and CEO of Booking.com since June 2019. He previously served as Head of Worldwide Strategy and Planning for six years. He was also EVP, Corporate Development for over seven years, responsible for worldwide mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances. Prior to Glenn joining Booking Holdings in Feb. 2000, he was a trader at a global asset management firm and an investment banker specializing in the air transportation industry. He is a member of the New York State Bar (retired). Glenn is a graduate of Harvard Law School and earned a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
Jason Nazar is a serial tech entrepreneur, advisor, and investor with two successful exits. He was most recently co-founder/CEO of workplace culture review platform Comparably (acquired by ZoomInfo), and previously co-founder/CEO of Docstoc (acquired by Intuit). Jason was named LA Times’ Top 5 CEOs of Midsize Companies (2020), LA Business Journal’s Most Admired CEOs (2016), and appointed inaugural Entrepreneur in Residence for the city of Los Angeles (2016-2018). He holds a B.A. from the University of California Santa Barbara and his JD and MBA from Pepperdine University. He currently teaches Entrepreneurship as an adjunct professor at UCLA.
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Jason Nazar
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