Key Takeaways
- Building a strong team and mastering delegation is crucial for preventing burnout and enabling business owners to focus on growth.
- Developing leadership skills is a key to business success, requiring a clear vision, effective communication and continuous personal development.
- Making personal connections with clients through face-to-face interactions can lead to stronger relationships and business opportunities.
The traditional wisdom says that to be successful and grow, you need to stay up with the latest technology, harness the power of AI and constantly innovate. Maybe, but even more important than all of that are the “soft skills” that set you and your company apart. In fact, to take your business to the next level, you need to focus on three key things.
1. Build a supportive team
One of the biggest issues in the workplace is burnout. And it is not just employees; owners are struggling. At the beginning, you do everything because you simply don’t have the money to hire or the time to train. You are in “Superman” mode. There is value to taking on every task and being involved on the front lines. It helps you understand what operational systems are needed and shows you the areas that need attention or may cause bottlenecks. It provides firsthand knowledge that helps you better serve your customers. But as time goes on, you need to build a bigger team and delegate.
Many business owners have not figured out what they should and shouldn’t be doing, but this is a key step toward knowing who to hire and what skills are critical to the operation. Without that, an owner cannot concentrate on building a thriving business.
Even when a business owner puts a team in place, they often find it difficult to delegate. I admit it is hard for me as well. Why? We believe that we can do whatever the task is better and faster than anyone else. Sometimes we are right. Sometimes we are wrong. But the point is, you cannot do it all, especially as your business grows. People who build a team and have figured out how to delegate are ahead of the curve.
One additional note: That team does not necessarily need to be on staff. There are a variety of companies that provide fractional workers who are very skilled in specific areas such as marketing, HR or finance.
Related: How to Build A Team That Can Execute Your Vision
2. Develop leadership skills
Strong and thriving businesses have strong leaders. Don’t take that to mean extroverted or demanding. Effective leaders can and do have quite different and unique ways of moving their vision forward. Some lead from behind by encouraging others. Some lead from the front by modeling the behavior they want to see. Some are collaborative leaders. One thing is certain. Great leaders all have a vision and can articulate it clearly.
You do not become a leader overnight. In a book I coauthored titled, Stop Wishing. Stop Whining. Start Leading., we outlined our three leadership levels: “Level One is The Foundation. Level Two is A Work in Progress. Level Three is the Executive Level. Great leaders progress through all the levels, although some may do it more quickly than others. If you try to skip ahead without building the foundation, you may not succeed in the long term.”
So how do you move up to the Executive Level? You are doing it right now. Reading an article on Entrepreneur. Being curious. Observing others. I have seen leaders spend money on training employees but ignore their own development. I still go to workshops and seminars. I participate in peer-to-peer groups. It is not about networking. It is about learning.
Rarely do companies succeed at growth without a committed leader who is willing to do whatever it takes to make the organization successful. If you need help, consider a leadership coach with excellent certifications.
It goes without saying that being a great leader is largely based on being an effective communicator. That takes practice. Unfortunately, communication is often inconsistent and “muddy.” When leaders make sound decisions about growth, that plan needs to be communicated well. That means delivering clear messages so the organization knows why the plan is important, what role each person will play and the expected results. Want people to follow you? Develop your leadership skills and communicate.
Related: Good Writing is Dead. Your Voice is Now Your Most Valuable Leadership Skill
3. Connect, communicate, educate
We all know that people do business with people, and when you are trying to grow, the owner needs to be out front. Customers love to see and work with owners. Why? It makes them feel special. Gives them a sense of confidence because the owner has a lot of historical knowledge, which brings credibility to new products and services. Owners also have a passion for work that is contagious.
I believe we have gotten lazy and lulled into thinking that a virtual meeting is good enough. However, being “the face” is especially effective when you do it in person.
Several years ago, I was trying to get a new customer, Wiley Publishing. I submitted the proposal and got shortlisted. Instead of having a virtual meeting, I asked to meet in person. It was a five-hour drive. They politely told me, “We know what you are doing and there really is no need to show up.” I convinced them to let me come anyway. I walked away with the account, and it led to a significant number of future projects as well. On another occasion, I flew across the country to present an educational session. It was not about selling. It was an opportunity to help them understand how to better create content and communicate. I also offered suggestions for how to streamline projects to save money. Before I even got home, I had several calls for potential projects.
Making a bold gesture to show up can be risky and does require an investment of time and money, but choosing the right opportunity to do so can make a difference. In today’s digital world, even a small effort to connect personally can make a big impact. And if you are helping solve a problem and educating, you open the door to better dialogue and increased opportunities to do business.
Don’t get me wrong — technology and tools are vital to business efficiency and productivity. But using your “people skills” and interaction is a key to long-term success and is just as important to growth.
要点总结
- 建立一支强大的团队并掌握授权技巧对于防止员工倦怠、使企业主能够专注于业务增长至关重要。
- 培养领导能力是企业成功的关键，这需要清晰的愿景、有效的沟通和持续的个人发展。
- 通过面对面的交流与客户建立个人联系，可以建立更牢固的关系并带来商机。
传统观点认为，要想成功发展，就必须紧跟最新科技，驾驭人工智能的力量，并不断创新。或许如此，但比这一切都更重要的是那些能让你和你的公司脱颖而出的“软技能”。事实上，要想让你的企业更上一层楼，你需要专注于三个关键方面。
1. 建立一个互助团队
职场中最大的问题之一就是员工倦怠。而且不仅仅是员工，老板们也深受其害。创业初期，你事事亲力亲为，因为你既没有足够的资金招聘员工，也没有时间进行培训。你就像“超人”一样，什么都亲力亲为。亲力亲为、身处一线固然有其价值。这能帮助你了解所需的运营系统，发现需要关注或可能造成瓶颈的领域。它还能提供第一手信息，帮助你更好地服务客户。但随着时间的推移，你需要组建更大的团队并学会授权。
许多企业主还没弄清楚自己应该做什么和不应该做什么，但这是了解应该雇佣哪些员工以及哪些技能对企业运营至关重要的关键一步。没有这些，企业主就无法专注于打造蓬勃发展的企业。
即使企业主组建了团队，他们也常常发现授权很难。我承认，这对我来说也很难。为什么呢？我们总觉得自己能比任何人都做得更好更快。有时我们是对的，有时我们错了。但关键在于，你不可能事事亲力亲为，尤其是在企业发展壮大之后。那些组建团队并懂得如何授权的人，已经走在了时代的前沿。
补充一点：这个团队不一定需要是正式员工。有很多公司提供兼职人员，他们在市场营销、人力资源或财务等特定领域拥有非常高的技能。
相关阅读：如何打造一支能够执行你愿景的团队
2. 培养领导能力
强大而蓬勃发展的企业都拥有强大的领导者。但这并不意味着他们必须外向或强势。高效的领导者可以而且确实会以各种各样独特的方式推进他们的愿景。有些领导者通过激励他人来发挥幕后作用；有些领导者以身作则，树立榜样；还有一些领导者是协作型领导者。但有一点是肯定的：所有优秀的领导者都拥有愿景，并且能够清晰地阐述它。
领导力并非一朝一夕就能成为。在我与人合著的《停止空想，停止抱怨，开始领导》一书中，我们概述了领导力的三个层次：“第一层是基础层；第二层是进阶层；第三层是执行层。优秀的领导者会经历所有层次，尽管有些人进步更快。如果你试图跳过基础层直接进入下一阶段，从长远来看，你可能无法成功。”
那么，如何才能晋升到高管层呢？你现在就在这么做。阅读《创业者》杂志上的文章，保持好奇心，观察他人。我见过一些领导者花钱培训员工，却忽略了自身的成长。我仍然会参加研讨会和讲座，也会参与同行交流小组。这并非为了建立人脉，而是为了学习。
如果没有一位全心投入、愿意竭尽全力带领组织走向成功的领导者，公司很难实现增长。如果您需要帮助，不妨考虑聘请一位拥有卓越资质认证的领导力教练。
毋庸置疑，优秀的领导者很大程度上依赖于有效的沟通能力。这需要练习。然而，沟通往往不够顺畅，甚至有些“含糊不清”。当领导者做出关于发展的明智决策时，必须将计划有效地传达出去。这意味着要传递清晰的信息，让组织成员明白计划的重要性、每个人的角色以及预期成果。想要赢得他人的追随吗？那就提升你的领导能力，并加强沟通。
3. 联系、沟通、教育
我们都知道，生意往来都是人与人之间的较量。当企业发展壮大时，老板必须亲自出面。顾客喜欢见到老板，也乐于与老板打交道。为什么呢？因为这会让顾客感到自己很重要，让他们对老板充满信心，因为老板拥有丰富的历史知识，这能为新产品和服务增添可信度。此外，老板对工作的热情也极具感染力。
我认为我们已经变得懒惰，并天真地认为虚拟会议就足够了。然而，亲自出面“代表”发言的效果尤其显著。
几年前，我试图争取Wiley出版社这个新客户。我提交了提案并入围。我没有选择线上会议，而是要求与他们见面。开车过去要五个小时。他们礼貌地告诉我：“我们知道你在做什么，真的没必要亲自来。”但我还是说服了他们让我去。最终我拿下了这个客户，而且之后也由此带来了许多项目。还有一次，我飞越整个国家去给他们做一场培训讲座。这次讲座的目的不是为了推销产品，而是为了帮助他们更好地创作内容和进行沟通。我还提出了一些关于如何简化项目流程以节省成本的建议。还没到家，我就接到了好几个潜在项目的电话。
大胆露面固然有风险，也需要投入时间和金钱，但选择合适的时机却能带来显著的改变。在当今的数字时代，即使是微小的个人联系也能产生巨大的影响。如果你能帮助解决问题并进行教育，就能为更深入的对话和更多的商机打开大门。
别误会我的意思——技术和工具对于提高业务效率和生产力固然重要。但运用你的“人际交往能力”和互动技巧才是长期成功的关键，对业务增长也同样至关重要。