Leadership Not To Do's

The best gift you can give your employee is your choice to lead. You are the leader by default because you started the business; but when you choose to actually lead, you hold accountability for your choices and do the things that come with being a leader. Holding your employees accountable is an act of love; it's noticing/observing what they've done and offering praise.

Things leaders shouldn't do:

IN RELATION TO SELF

1. Ignore or avoid that they're the leader- Failing to give employees directions and making clear the goals and vision of the project and business. The business begins and ends with you.

2. Let others control their time or money- Don't allow others to dictate how you run your business, especially when the advice of others is against your business vision or goals. If you hear a suggestion multiple times, consider it; but one-off suggestions shouldn't control your business moves.

3. Only work in their business and not on their business- Spend time looking at your business from the outside, with a wide angle and determining where you want it to go and how you want it to grow instead of getting bogged down by the day-to-day of what's going on in your business.

4. Fail to market and fail to manage their cash flow- If you're not making a positive bottom line, or losing money year after year, your business will close. If people don't know your business exists because you don't market, your business will close. Financially sound businesses stay open. 

5. Avoid being accountable to self and employees- Managing your time allows you to hold yourself accountable for holding your employees accountable. 

IN RELATION TO OTHERS

6. Resent employees for not saving you- You hired people to help make your business successful and when they don't save you from the work you resent them. That resentment is felt by your employees and lowers morale.

7. Be a victim to self of employees- "They did it to me." "I feel like I'm running my business alone." "No one's helping me." The victim mentality doesn't move the company forward because while it identifies problems, it doesn't identify solutions.

8. Be a friend and not just friendly to employees- Failing to set the boundaries and using the currency of friendship with employees instead of the currency of employment. People will take advantage of you and start being too casual and doing things like leaving early or coming in late. Be friendly, kind, understanding, and giving, but not a friend.

9. Be the overwhelmed boss-"I don't have time." Leaders should never transfer their stress and overwhelm onto employees.

10. Yell at your employees- This speaks for themselves. You are an adult and so are your employees. Yelling is not a productive or edifying means of communication and will not result in positive results.