Optimism in Business

The role of the business owner can be very demanding. Especially when you are working alone at the top. Here are a few tips for things to focus on no matter what is happening in your business.

Strengths

We all have particular strengths. Trying to be all things to all people is going to stretch most people very thinly. What are your strengths? What strengths do you need to look for in others to complement yours? Remember that the beauty of a team approach is that it brings synergy to an organisation – in other words the power and effectiveness of the total team is greater than the sum of the parts of that team.

Do you know the strengths of your individual staff? Are they being given the chance to use their strengths in carrying out their job. Are they being asked to carry out tasks which simply are not suited to their personalities or skillsets? Is it better to make the person fit your job description or the job description fit the person? Check out my Profiling page to see a number of profiling tools which can help you identify strengths in yourself and your team.

Acknowledgement

Did you know that a large majority of staff leave their jobs because they feel undervalued? When did you last tell a staff member that they did a good job? When did you last acknowledge yourself for something you have been successful at? If you find it difficult to celebrate your own success then you might be challenged about celebrating the success of others too. It is important that we recognise what we are good at and what we have achieved. It is important that we recognise this in others too. Donald Clifton talks about exactly this in his book “Fill Your Bucket”. When we fill other people’s buckets, we make them feel valued and in the process fill our own bucket! If you need to reprimand a staff member for something they are not doing well, make sure you first tell them what they are doing well. And don’t use that word “but” – it cancels out everything that comes before it in the sentence. The rule of thumb, according to Clifton, is to give 5 positive messages to 1 negative. Don’t overdo it or be insincere though – that is just as counterproductive as being critical all the time.

Purpose and Vision

Do you have a vision for your business that your staff can buy in to? If it just about increasing the size of your bank balance, they might not connect with that! Do you have a vision which they can embrace? Perhaps about being the best in the business in your specific field. About social enterprise – what if for every sale you make you make a donation to a good cause? Imagine if your organisation can really make a difference to the lives of others. Go to http://www.buy1-give1free.com/ to be part of a social enterprise which is really making a difference.