Business performance is a product of many moving parts. As a business owner, you face a myriad of decisions daily, including procurement (ensuring the right price and timely delivery), marketing (keeping up with business social media updates), expansion (opening new outlets, expanding territory or introducing new product lines), cash-flow (assessing sufficient cash or credit limits), delivery schedules (ensuring timely product or service delivery) and customer complaints or inquiries.
This list is extensive and can be overwhelming, distracting from your vision of being the best in your chosen market.
As Sunny Bindra states in his book UP & AHEAD, “Be the Mostest … of something in your industry.” He writes, “Some are the most of employee experience, which simply causes their people to give more.”
This statement prompted me to ask as a leader and owner manager how you can leverage this resource to create a distinct advantage for your enterprise.
Coaching as a leadership competency, when used consistently, can elevate team performance and create sustainable growth and profitability.
In today’s ever-changing business landscape, where we must keep pace with technological changes, product innovation, politics and competition, human capital is the most sustainable advantage.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of Kenya’s economy, employing nine out of every ten young people entering the workforce. However, many entrepreneurs still rely on themselves, failing to delegate due to fear of failure or a lack of trust. This hinders team capacity building and limits their potential.
While there are challenges with some young people entering the workplace, such as a lack of stress management skills, emotional maturity and social intelligence, which can manifest as unprofessionalism, it is crucial for leaders to inspire their teams to consistently deliver winning results. The success of this is directly linked to the leader’s leadership style.
To achieve this, leaders must create habits that inspire their teams to perform at their best for customers. These habits, when consistently applied, can be the difference between growth and stagnation.
Clarifying expectations is the first step. As the leader, setting standards, targets and strategy is essential. Communicating these clearly to team members ensures each person understands their role and the expectations for their daily, weekly, monthly and annual performance. This creates alignment within the team, the leadership and ultimately how they serve customers.
Leaders face significant pressure for results, which can lead to a focus on what needs to be done. However, asking questions and practising active listening are effective ways to connect with the team. Instead of providing answers, leaders should ask leading questions such as:
* How did the meeting with the client go?
* How could you have approached this differently?
* What are your options?
* What steps could you take to implement this?
This approach requires patience and results in greater team engagement. It also provides a basis for managing sales, stock and expenses, which can enhance productivity, access to finance and growth.
Co-create with your team to foster ownership. Allow an environment where the team can freely share ideas on what’s working well , what can be improved or changed , this should be scheduled periodically, in so doing you enhance collaboration and teamwork.
Perfomance Metric’s – The old adage principle that what is measured is done remains applicable.
Recognition and reward should be used to acknowledge good performance and address poor outcomes. Rewards and punishments should be given in equal measure to instill team commitment.
The key to realizing the impact of these practices is to integrate them into daily routines. The choices made each day are the difference between growth and stagnation.
As Carol S Dweck in her book Mindset asserts, our self-perception is a major factor in our ultimate achievements. “Your people will rise to the level of your expectations.”therefore, as a leader, it is important to consider how you can improve your personal leadership.
Happy selling.
By Francisca Korir.