2 Leadership Myths (That Need to Go)

Once upon a time, there was a small business owner named, oh, say, Mike. Mike was caught in the common trap of thinking that to be an effective leader, he had to accomplish more (and more, and more!) to get more done. If Mike just taught more, created more, worked more to illustrate incredible work ethic, his business would be, well, more.

Not so much. I learned a huge lesson from my early leadership style experience and am going to share it with you. If you follow this, you will get off the hamster wheel and become an exceptionally effective leader in your business.

Here’s the deal: More is not more. Less is more.

I know you’ve been hearing this message from thought leaders. It sounds like a fairy tale. You may think they’re in a different position than you that affords them the luxury of doing less. But I’m here to tell you, it’s tangible for everyone. You just need to transform your leadership.

The most impactful leadership style is not what you think. Reflecting back to my first “real” job, leadership was old school (and not in that cool, old school way). Leadership tactics were intimidating, and instilled fear. The result? Sure, we took our jobs seriously and completed a ton of work (most of which I’m still unsure was effective). Analysts catching a couple hours of sleep under desks was common. I mean, what says commitment more than not leaving the building and working 24/7, am I right?

Did we get our jobs done? Sure. Because we felt our livelihoods were hanging in a very precarious balance based on what we produced, and the mood leadership was in when they received it.

That’s a harsh example. But even now, I know two types of small business leaders. One is the micromanager and uses a bit of intimidation to rule the roost. The other is the leader I have grown to become. A leader who not only does less, but just as importantly leads humans, as a human.

Myth 1: I used to think to be an effective leader I had to speak more, teach more, and give more input. I’ve discovered that what’s truly best for my company is if I speak less, and listen more. As I reflect on my own leadership style, it’s matured and evolved over the years (decades, cough, couch) since I started my own business. I used to think I had to be involved in every aspect of my business to ensure that everything ran the way I envisioned it. I thought if I produced more for my business, faster, I could find time to be with family and do the things that fed my soul.

You see where this is going. I started feeling that small businesses burn out and my employees felt like they were working under a microscope. My business just felt kind of “eh”. I talked, and taught, and was the one everyone came to with questions and looking for solutions. It was intense.

Something clicked along the way. I’m not sure where exactly. I began to listen more to what my employees were saying about their tasks and experience. The more I listened, the more I realized they may have the best solutions to any problems small businesses face because they were the ones in their roles. I decided to become less available and insert myself less in the business. The result? My team became more empowered to help me lead the business.

I invite you to listen more and do less. You can provide faster and more effective guidance when you fully understand what your team needs. Then you can focus on what feeds your mind and soul without getting pulled in several directions. For instance, I’m writing more these days, because I know my team’s got the rest covered.

Myth 2: More time spent in the business equals more money. This one. Ugh. Listen up: A good business is more effective if you do more with less time. Quit hustling. There is a season to hustle. The hustle shouldn’t be your leadership style or method to getting things done. If it is, there are likely inefficiencies in the way you’re running your business.

I’ve found that a good business is more effective in the utilization of time if you do more with less time. The mentality of “time for money” – that if you work more and more, you’ll make more and more money, is simply not true.

I used to think that to demonstrate the behavior and work ethic that you expect of others, you had to hustle. I thought that if I worked extraordinary hours, I could expect the same of others. In reality, that wasn’t necessary at all.

Here’s a tip on how to do more with less time (and we just did this in my company, so I’m speaking from experience): Have everyone track their time. You too! We used Toggl. Then, run an audit of that time to weed out inefficiencies. I guarantee you will find opportunities to have your colleagues do less, but bring greater results with the less they do. Another tip: Align roles so they are matched to your team’s talents. When people are aligned with what makes them tick, the work will flow more naturally, and take less time.

Remember, your leadership of your small business is mandatory for its success.

You’ve got this!

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