Owning your own business means that you are the boss. The tough question is when you take a long look at your performance would you fire you?
It is very easy for new business owners to be comfortable with the control of being the boss. The hard part is evaluating yourself in the position. As human beings it is much easier to see the fault in others and not in ourselves. This is why great leaders understand that self evaluation is a key element of success. The almost comical part is upon evaluating self, how many bosses would fire themselves! Managers for companies have an advantage of the guidelines set by the company to keep their performance in check. As a business owner it is crucial that you set a firm structure not just for employees, but so that you can also check how well you are performing leading your company.
Many business owners get so caught up in the stress of being an owner such as paying bills that they forget they set the tone for leadership in the business. I often tell small business owners that them being physically present at their business is a "Catch 22" situation. When the owner fails to understand that staff knows that they own the business and the staff sets their work performance on the actions of the owner, the owner must keep in mind he must be a strong leader. The owner can not let ownership issues get in the way of setting the tone of leadership in front of employees. If the owner doesn't clean up, or greet guest, make cold calls, etc., in front employees than their presence does more to hurt the team than to help. A lot of times less physical presence makes for more effective response when the owner does come around. The staff knows something serious is going on. However this takes having the right management team in place. Another important issue for owners is not to get so comfortable with not having a boss. The business is your boss!!!!! Owners need to wake up in the morning like they are going to a job. Owners need to meet deadlines and be punctual like they are reporting to someone else. So much of good leadership is based around communication that business owners must remember to keep a good communication chain. Owners need to make sure they are sending down all needed communication to managers and employees and that the proper information is coming back to owners. Owners just can not delegate, they must follow up with delegated task. It is a lot more to being an owner than just the title the boss and paying bills.
It is great to be a business owner and make your dreams a reality. In the process owners must remember to keep a structure around their day to day operation. Regular self evaluation is a great start. Owners must not just pat themselves on the back for their accomplishments, but ask the tough questions like: would you fire YOU?
It is very easy for new business owners to be comfortable with the control of being the boss. The hard part is evaluating yourself in the position. As human beings it is much easier to see the fault in others and not in ourselves. This is why great leaders understand that self evaluation is a key element of success. The almost comical part is upon evaluating self, how many bosses would fire themselves! Managers for companies have an advantage of the guidelines set by the company to keep their performance in check. As a business owner it is crucial that you set a firm structure not just for employees, but so that you can also check how well you are performing leading your company.
Many business owners get so caught up in the stress of being an owner such as paying bills that they forget they set the tone for leadership in the business. I often tell small business owners that them being physically present at their business is a "Catch 22" situation. When the owner fails to understand that staff knows that they own the business and the staff sets their work performance on the actions of the owner, the owner must keep in mind he must be a strong leader. The owner can not let ownership issues get in the way of setting the tone of leadership in front of employees. If the owner doesn't clean up, or greet guest, make cold calls, etc., in front employees than their presence does more to hurt the team than to help. A lot of times less physical presence makes for more effective response when the owner does come around. The staff knows something serious is going on. However this takes having the right management team in place. Another important issue for owners is not to get so comfortable with not having a boss. The business is your boss!!!!! Owners need to wake up in the morning like they are going to a job. Owners need to meet deadlines and be punctual like they are reporting to someone else. So much of good leadership is based around communication that business owners must remember to keep a good communication chain. Owners need to make sure they are sending down all needed communication to managers and employees and that the proper information is coming back to owners. Owners just can not delegate, they must follow up with delegated task. It is a lot more to being an owner than just the title the boss and paying bills.
It is great to be a business owner and make your dreams a reality. In the process owners must remember to keep a structure around their day to day operation. Regular self evaluation is a great start. Owners must not just pat themselves on the back for their accomplishments, but ask the tough questions like: would you fire YOU?