Having run a small business with almost 50 employees, sometimes I was conscious of the question, “Am I a good boss? What makes a good boss?”
I felt we had a great environment with energetic, committed “team” members. We were one individual part of a national company that I was a partner with, but in our local branch we were responsible for our own profit center.
The partners in the company visited each office/showroom from across the nation each month to review financials and to be hands on. We were always told, when partners visited, that we had a very good working environment. A great team of people that seem to be all focused on the “better good, big picture.” I called it building a “Culture for Success.”
As a owner/manager I always thought it was essential to empower your employees to think on their own, be creative and take accountability for our financial statement. Another key aspect, was to be involved and have information fed to you, the “man in the middle.”
Without good information, you can’t make good decisions, so hold meetings that are pre-scheduled and have an itinerary that you stick to. Have the meetings on time, be organized and interactive with employees. Request input and acknowledge good input by using and implementing. Another key component, is be organized. Organization creates flow, flow creates a purpose and a purpose creates productivity.
1. empower your employees
2. be the “man in the middle”
3. team meetings that are interactive
4. be organized
and last but not least
5. hold everyone accountable.
Follow these steps and you’ll create an environment for a “culture of success” that not only you, but your employees will be responsible for. They will thank you for it.
