Business
Tips For Better Communication And Management Skills For Business Leadership



Great leaders, entrepreneurs and business owners believe that their success or failure is dependent on their abilities to inspire, guide and foster relationships with both their internal team members and outside their enterprises, i.e. with clients, suppliers and target market. 


In this article, we explore key methods which entrepreneurs can use to up their communication, leadership and management skills, including, team motivation, increasing efficiency to foster trust, engagement and reducing staff turnover. We explore the following:


  • How to improve your team leadership.

  • Getting the best out of your workforce.

  • Understanding the importance of hard and soft skills.

  • Finding healthy and diplomatic ways of dealing with disagreements. 


The bottom line. 

Proper and effective management and leadership skills include a combination of efficient planning, leadership, organisation and control. However, none of these skills are possible without effective communication. 


Ensuring that your employees know what to do through proper planning, motivating them to implement through leadership and by constant checking in as to progress, problem-solving and providing sound feedback means that you’ll be able to effectively delegate and create a sturdy workforce with clear deliverables, which will ultimately translate in satisfied customers. 


Non-negotiable leadership skills. 


Entrepreneurs and small business owners have to ensure that they take time to do some introspection and build both their soft and hard skills. Soft skills refer to developing and fostering relationships, having a motivated team with robust leadership. Hard skills refer to any technical skills which are required to run your business. 


It’s essential to have a healthy combination of soft and hard skills to make informed decisions, implement, manage and grow your business. Growing business equals increased capacity, and thus you need to understand how to get the best from your team. 


For a business owner to effectively lead by example, he or she needs to have a deep emotional intelligence and self-awareness. First-time employees will learn from your example and adapt to your style and way of doing things as they commonly lack experience and have limited resources.


Dealing with workplace disagreements. 


It’s of vital importance to conduct proper discussions when disagreements happen before they are blown out of proportion. We advise talking through the situation and focusing on the behaviour or event and not the personalities involved. Always strive to resolve any conflict to move forward as opposed to ignoring it and hoping that it settles. 


Perhaps most important, is having a basic code of conduct/disciplinary and grievance code in place. We recommend setting aside the time to discuss crucial guidelines and expectations with any new hires to bring light to any grey areas and ultimately foster a healthy feedback loop. It’s vital to consider that disagreements commonly start when your guidelines or objectives are unclear to your employees.


Common communication and management blunders faced by first-time employers. 


Failing to provide feedback and being unavailable to your new employees are common pitfalls faced by new employers. A key factor in retaining your great employees is ensuring that you provide regular and constructive feedback.


It’s no secret that being the boss of an SME is hard work. Being too friendly can lead to blurred boundaries and can foster confusion. It’s vital to ensure that you find the correct balance between a leader and a colleague/friend. Ensure that you’ve clearly defined your goals for your team members. When employees lack clear goals, they’re prone to muddling through their day-to-day tasks and often can’t be productive or properly prioritise their workload. 


Healthy employee/employer relationships.


As a business owner, your goal should be to create a sense of loyalty and advocacy from your workforce. Put yourself in the shoes of your employees, ensure open and honest communication and provide continuous feedback. A healthy relationship between employee and employer refers to a workspace where employees can work productively and when required, ask for help. 


Fostering loyalty with your first employees is notably advantageous as it means you’ll be able to embark on a business journey together, providing a healthy path of growth for them as well as growing your business and achieving your goals. 


  • Business
  • communication
  • entrepreneurship
  • leadership
  • business management
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