All entrepreneurs are smart and quick, and love taking risks. Otherwise you would be working for a company where you would have a paycheck safely in your hands every week or two. Sometimes the pace is so fast you have to be reminded to exhale.
So here are some ideas to help you take your leadership skills to the next level in a smart and quick way that will benefit you both at work and at home. That’s a “two-for” – good since as an entrepreneur you love to get the best deal you can.
- It’s all in your head: that means you, as well as everyone else, are hardwired with many of the fears and patterns that run your life. The triggers that say “fight, flight or freeze” are in the limbic system, the older parts of the brain, and are there to keep us safe from danger. However, the tiger or python that could have killed you eons ago may now be seen as an investor, or even an in-law. So, we need to learn to distinguish the real fear and realize that most of what makes us worried or nervous really won’t kill us.
- Emotions rule: the first organization we all joined, the family, is based on the emotions that boil down to the basic three of glad, sad, and mad. These are the same emotions that stalk us in our present organization, the workplace. Knowing how to use these three and not be held captive to them is the sign of an able leader. Research shows we have “.5 of a second” to decide if we will let the emotion rule us or we will rule it.
- Empathy works: all employees and customers want the same things – to be heard and appreciated. When you take a moment and place yourself in another person’s shoes you have a better chance of gaining their attention and, ultimately, their trust. Saying something as simple as “I hear you” after someone gives a point of view is a door opener. You do not necessarily have to agree with them, just hear them. And, we all love acknowledgment. Saying thanks, whether you plan to use their ideas and suggestions or not is less the issue than letting them know they matter.
These are the tips that have helped many a busy and creative entrepreneur keep valued employees happy and loyal, as well as customers telling their friends and colleagues how great it is to do business with you.
The newest research in brain psychology is helping business men and women find a better way of responding that ultimately impacts a positive bottom line, regardless of the ups and downs of any economy.
Sylvia Lafair
Sylvia Lafair, PhD, is President of CEO – Creative Energy Options, Inc., a global consulting company focused on optimizing workplace relationships through her exclusive PatternAware™ Leadership Model. Dr. Lafair is the author of Don’t Bring It to Work: Breaking the Family Patterns That Limit Success published by Jossey-Bass. As an executive coach and leadership educator, she has more than 30 years of experience with all levels of management from leading corporate officers of global companies to executives of non-profits and owners of leading family-owned businesses. She is now offering GUTSY Women Weekends, giving women the opportunity to dialogue and clarify next steps.
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