Often times when it comes to how many of us run our online businesses, we tend to think that we have all the answers and if we just had a bit more time, money and/or cooperative partners/clients, we’d be able to more easily achieve our biggest business goals/dreams.
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If only we knew how far from the truth this frame of thinking really is.
You see, when you look around and take a look at how some of the most successful business owners run their businesses, you’ll notice that instead of operating with a me-me-me mindset, they are more we-driven. But speaking about it wont be enough for some of us to change, now will it?
Let’s first dissect what this philosophy or way of running business really is…
Servant leadership, where the leader or person in change of organizing and allocating responsibilities across departments has one main focus; to serve their people. This is where you operate from a place of abundance and understand that they are of service to their team(s). This may mean becoming more conscious of your own limiting beliefs so they don't interfere with business needs, listening more effectively by focusing more so on what you hear vs, what you wanna say and mindfully take into account the needs of your team members. This also includes have a sense of empathy for your team mates and still being able to persuade them into the right direction(with your morals in mind of course).
Contrary to traditional ways of leading others, it's really important that the best interest of your people come before the business.
Why you may ask?
Well think about it, without people who are committed to the company mission, how else can any business evolve and grow? Thats right, behind every successful and highly profiting business are a list of very successful and caring human beings who know how to take care of their team members, therefore creating a meaningful operation= eventually attracting more long lasting clients their way. Remember regardless of what industry we’re in, we are all in the people business. Take care of your people; they’ll happily take care of you and your business in return.
How can you begin implementing a more servant approach to your current leadership style?
Great question. Keep on reading my friend. In this blog we will dive deep on what it takes to do just that.
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Deeper into a conscious business we go
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Ok so now that we all know what servant leadership really is, let's answer a few of the most asked questions I get.
Q: Why should I want to consider servant leadership?
A: You’ll help build a more meaningful experience for the people that work for you. You see, when your team members feel they are taken cared of and their needs are truly met, they will more than likely work harder for you. They will want to produce great results for the team, mainly because they know they are valued by you. This will therefore create a never ending circle of good energy, commitment and ongoing business growth. Key point to remember here, when the people of any company are taken cared of, that business will only know to succeed.
Q: How can I make sure my employees/clients don’t take advantage of this?
A: So before I give you any actionable steps here, we first need to make sure that you’re operating from a place of abundance and not lack. Please remember that the frequency you put out there is what you’ll attract back into your business. So let's take this a bit further. When you give from a place of genuine care for your people, you’ll start to attract that same in return(do yourselves a favor and believe that). By nature, we humans attract back to us what and who we truly are. So with that, continue to put good vibes out there because the law of the universe is always working my friend-even when we’re not paying attention to it.
In terms of actionable steps you can take, I’d recommend starting out with a structure in place that enforces the rules in a clear and succinct manner. These expectations should be shared with your team as well to ensure everyone is on the same page. The goal is to create rules that make the jobs and lives of your teammates easy to cope with. You want them to absolutely LOVE what they do and to know that everything they accomplish for the company is going towards a bigger cause, this will give them more satisfaction and fulfillment in their work. Thats when you subconsciously help them convert their perception of just having a job at your company into a fulfilling career where their needs are consistently met…..talk about building some hard core retention numbers right there! ;)
Q: How can I seamlessly integrate this into my day to day operations?
A: Once you’ve come up with the rules that serve the overall mission of your company. Schedule an all hands meeting where you bring everyone together to deliver the same message. Also, make sure that you present yourself as super approachable and easy for your people to communicate and speak to you; this skill you will be glad you have under your belt. You want to make sure that you explain very clearly the purpose behind these expectations and how you will schedule regular check-ins with each and every one of them to make sure their individual needs are being met as well. I’d recommend setting up either weekly or bi-weekly 1:1 meetings with each team member; the two of you can determine how frequently you’d like to set that up.
Q: How can I improve my leadership style even further and make sure I’m consistently portraying this image of being a servant leader to my team?
A: I absolutely LOVE this question. It's really important to understand that no matter what stage in your business you are in, there is always room for improvement. Here are a few areas of leadership building you may wanna consider getting a course or hiring a business coach in.
effective listening
decisiveness
dependability
empathy
humility; leave that ego at the door ;)
relationship building
persuasion/body language/tonality
situational awarenes
conflict resolution
growth mindset
time management
…. just to name a few
Another key skill to maintain here would be the ability to put together and stand by the core values of your business. You see just like individuals themselves, we all have internal rules that we live by. These rules are a set of values that we feel serve as the guide within our lives, because let's face it- without a strong value system, how else can we expect to evolve and grow within our lives and do so with our morals top of mind?
The same rings true for the core values within our businesses as well. List out on a piece of paper your top 5-10 core values in which you’d want your team members to operate from. These will be a attributes you looked for when you hired them, as well as attributes you’d expect from them on a consistent basis. When we turn these into team rules, we are more than likely to create an atmosphere that operates with equality and a good of character in mind.
Need a place to start?
I’ve listed out a few of my top core values, which you are more than welcome to share within your company as well. Also, I’d highly recommend having your team help you come up with a few to make it more of a team effort.Feel free to adjust as you will.
Maintain integrity
Show compassion & respect
Stand by your morals/values
Keep an optimistic mindset
Work with purpose
Ask questions, fearlessly
Take care of one another
Nourish all areas of your health
Now keep in mind, just like anything else these core values can also be updated from time to time depending on the teammate/business need. That is more than ok, just make sure you convey that message to the your team, that way they know their needs are being met and you’re doing everything in your power to showcase just that.
Just like any other skill, you can take all the courses in the world and hire all the best business coaches out there, but don’t expect to see instant results without putting much effort into it. Remember, we are asking you to improve the way you lead the people in your business. There are a number of skills to consider improving on when deciding to take this step. But boy is it worth it. Not only will you see more fulfillment in your line of work, but you’ll notice that same fulfillment in your teammates-which only adds to the clients’ satisfaction in the service(s)/product(s) your business provides.
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Until next time my friends, keep your head up and know that whatever “obstacle” that comes your way throughout your business journey, its really just a blessing in disguise.
XO
-Bauer
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