As the year comes to a close, we wanted to share key strategies that business owners utilize to foster effective leadership.
This was something that Adi Klevit and Brent Pohlman, CEO of Midwest Laboratories, recently discussed on the Systems Simplified podcast. During their talk, Adi and Brent shared how prioritizing people and building processes has supported exponential growth.
People, Processes, Technology
Something that Brent learned as a CEO was that leaders prioritize in the following order:
#1. People
#2. Processes
#3. Technology
A leader puts their people first always. The next step is to build processes that support those people and provide them with a foundation from which they can produce consistent results. Finally, implement technology and automation that your team can use to help your business grow. By operating in this order, your team feels respected, and you are providing them with the training, processes, and tools they need to do a great job.
Use These Five Strategies to Foster Effective Leadership
1. Put your people first
Effective leadership starts with having the right people in the right roles and treating them with respect. In Brent’s business, this principle inspired the development of a renewed vision, mission, and core values. Prioritizing your team sets the tone for a thriving company culture.
2. Document successful processes
Consistency is the key to retaining customers and achieving sustainable growth. Documenting every aspect of operations ensures repeatable success and gives the team the support they need to do the best job possible. Utilizing processes is a significant morale boost as they get implemented, and staff jobs get easier and more rewarding, even as the business grows.
3. Build processes
Not all areas will have processes in place, and that’s where chaos can creep in. Identify weak points where tasks frequently fall through the cracks and create structured processes to address them. Refine these workflows over time until they seamlessly support your team’s efforts.
4. Institute automation and other supportive technology
Technology can solve a lot of problems, but only when applied effectively. Before diving into automation or SaaS platforms, ensure you have solid processes in place. This clarity allows you to choose the right tools to enhance productivity and scale your operations, saving time and resources.
5. Always bring it back to the people
Many business owners get excited about new technology or new systems and forget to bring it back to their employees. Employees must use those new systems and implement and operate the latest tech. So, before getting stuck on step four, bring your employees to the table and give them the training and information they need to succeed. Your business is built on people, so ensure they know they are valued and respected by providing the tools they need to do their best at work.
Creating support for your team will go a long way in ensuring they have the tools and training they need to do a great job every time. This is what most employees want: to clock in and do a job they can be proud of and then head home at the end of the day.
If you are ready to create these supports and prioritize employee efficiency and training, then it’s time to talk to the process experts at Business Success Consulting Group. Click here to schedule a free initial consultation.
