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How Are You Leading Your Employees?

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Senior Business Man Working On Office Table With Smiling Face HaWhat do you look at as being your assets leading a company?

Some business owners are natural-born leaders, having those impeccable qualities that it takes to oversee others.

Meantime, some business owners acquire those traits over years of working for others, seeing what works and what does not work in running a company.

No matter how you came about being a leader, passing those abilities on to others over the years is one of the best contributions you can make as a business owner.

With that being the case, how are you leading your employees?

How to Be a Great Leader

In your efforts to be the best leader you can be in running a business, remember these tips to help others along the way:

  • Be an example – First and foremost, leading by example is crucial if you want to have a strong business model. When your employees see how it is done, they’re more likely to give you their best. On the flip side, being a yeller and a screamer does you or your employees absolutely no good. Yes, there are times when you will become frustrated in the workplace, but cooler heads should always prevail. If you have a problem with one or more employees, settle those issues professionally and in a private;
  • Be calm – As mentioned a moment ago, being calm under fire is a great characteristic to have as a business leader. When times get tough (and you know they certainly do), work to find solutions. Part of those solutions may come from your days ascending to a leadership role. Whether you took college courses in business management and leadership areas or got first-hand experience in jobs over the years, the ability to design how you want to lead is critical;
  • Be confident – There will be times when your business undergoes some transformations and/or some rough spots. Employees will look to you as the calming force to get them and your brand through it all. Showing a side of confidence (not cockiness or arrogance) is crucial during those times. As you guide your business through some difficult stretches or even unchartered waters, many of your employees will see you as a business owner they will want to be tied to for years to come. In doing so, you accrue loyalty from many of those under you, assuring you that you have a formidable team to go to battle with each and every day;
  • Be open – Do you currently have an open-door policy for employees wanting to vent when necessary? If not, you should consider doing just that. While it is not the job of your employees to complain about this and that in the workplace, they will on occasion want to discuss matters with you, matters that could be impacting their ability to fully get the job done. It could be an issue with a customer or customers, perhaps a matter with another co-worker, or how the overall business model is or is not working. When employees feel relaxed and confident in talking with you, it is a win-win for them and of course for you;
  • Be a future thinker – Finally, while your business is living in the present times, you have to think about where you want your brand to be five years down the road, three years down the road, even a year from now. Having an eye on where things are trending in your industry and how those trends will impact your brand are both important. That thinking towards the future is also important for your employees. If they see you talking gloom and doom about your business and/or your industry, do you really expect lots of them want to stick around? When you talk about growing your business, seizing the opportunities that are out there, you paint a much more positive vision for all.

Being a leader can certainly be stressful at times, but would you want it any other way?

There are many people who end up fearing leadership; many others take the bull by the horns and run with it.

When all is said and done, which one are you?

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

4 Success Keys for Female Entrepreneurs

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Kate Endress

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Practical Advice for Female Entrepreneurs

American society seems to have finally reached the commendable tipping point where the number of women receiving advanced degrees and finding high-paying jobs is leveling out with men. And despite a scary statistic that women lead just 8% of venture-backed companies, I believe that the tide has also shifted in Silicon Valley.

It’s hard to ignore the wave of successful startups with strong female customer bases. Women make up 60% of Zynga’s customers, 77% of Groupon’s customers, 82% of Pinterest’s users and 70% of all ecommerce buyers. Those are numbers that even the old boys club of venture capital can’t ignore. I am a huge online shopper myself, and I was able to leverage that authenticity to attract venture backing for my ecommerce startup last August.

4 Success Keys for Female Entrepreneurs

While admittedly I’m pretty new the game, I’m often asked if I have any advice for aspiring, young entrepreneurs. What follows are 4 success keys for female entrepreneurs.

Seek out strong female role models.

I got some great advice early in my career by a female colleague who told me to find the women I want to emulate and get to know them by offering to buy them a cup of coffee. At first, I was a bit nervous to pick up the phone or write the email, because I knew they were busy women. But in the past seven years, I have reached out at least once a month to female bosses, leaders and entrepreneurs and only once to date has the recipient not been able to fit me in. I’m often touched at how openly and warmly they share experiences both professionally and personally. Ask about their management styles and their tactics for achieving the elusive work/life balance. It is through these meetings that I have honed in on my vision for the kind of female leader, mother and wife I hope to someday become.

Take advantage of a growing number of organizations and resources dedicated to promoting women in technology.

Women just one generation ahead often had to rise through the ranks without a support system. And yet these trailblazers have turned around and paved a path for the younger generations by creating organizations that open doors and facilitate connections for young females in tech. I subscribe to Women 2.0, a Kauffman-backed organization that offers content, community and conferences for women founders in tech. It’s inspiring to keep tabs on other female entrepreneurs, and I’ve attended several events in San Francisco where I got to connect with other female founders. I also applied and was recently accepted to Springboard’s program, which matches female entrepreneurs with coaches, industry contacts and investors. Take advantage of these incredible resources!

Be good at what you do.

Seek out opportunities that might give you a second look because you are female, but don’t depend on that to get the job done. I’ve had several female engineers apply to my company, and I was rooting for them. But at the end of the day they weren’t as good on merit, and they didn’t get the job. Be self aware about your weakness and take advantage of online and local courses to improve everything from your coding to your public speaking skills. Deep down, you know when you are really good at something, and this competence is the crux of the confidence that will make you successful.

Speak with conviction and work on your handshake.

I’ve noticed many women do themselves a huge disservice by raising the inflection of their voice at the end of sentences. It makes everything sound like a question and gives others the perception of a lack of confidence. Make sure your statements really pack a punch. Along the same lines, don’t start an introduction with a wimpy handshake. You don’t need to have an Arnold-grip but make eye contact and shake hands like you mean it. Let others know you are confident in yourself, your team and your idea.

Author’s Bio:
Kate Endress is a private equity investor turned entrepreneur and e-commerce pioneer. After graduating from Stanford Business School in 2011, Kate cofounded DITTO.com, an ecommerce site selling designer sunglasses and eyewear which features cutting edge new “try-on” technology

Thank you for adding to the conversation!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!