Daniela Hoffman (GYB Vaughn member) www.freedommedispa.com has been Nominated for an award in the HEALTH & WELLNESS category at the annual Vaughan Business Achievement Awards Gala! This is the 2nd year in a row to be nominated.
Liz Bandelin (GYB Abbotsford member) www.tegaorganictea.com won a National Nutrition gold medal for the best tasting Earl Grey Rooibos tea! Also stay tuned for her new “Canadian line of organic teas” in 2018 for more of her award-winning wellness teas.
Gina Ore (Phoenix, AZ member) Founder and CEO of Passion for Patients, www.passionforpatients.net was featured as a ‘Small Business Success Story’ in SBDC Arizona.
Read the PDF here: SBDC Article_Gina Ore-Passion for Patients_GYB AZ Member
By Beverlee Rasmussen, GroYourBiz Member Surrey/White Rock
Your greatest leadership asset is your ability to communicate. Do this well and everything else will fall into place.
Communications systems start with listening. Listen to employees, suppliers, shareholders and of highest value listen to your customers. Humans respond best when they feel seen, heard and understood and the only way to create that sense of trust is to actively listen.
A great listening strategy is to be curious and ask questions to fully understand what the other person is saying. A front line employee will provide you with amazing insight into your own business when you take the time to listen. It is ok when you don’t agree with or like what you hear, remember you are gathering information and making the other person feel valued.
One of the most powerful statements to remember when listening is “Acknowledgement is not Agreement”. You don’t have to agree with what you are hearing nor do you need to comment in the moment. Simple acknowledge what you hear with a nod and this will take the pressure off having to respond.
When company processes are documented it significantly improves communication. Team members then don’t have to constantly be asking questions on how you want things done. Ensure that there is a system for feedback of systems that are missing, broken or need improvement. This will reduce frustrations at all levels giving your team the ability to communicate to you and others on the team. A systems communication tool can be as simple as a whiteboard or notebook where everyone is encouraged to share their suggestions.
Getting things done through other people requires robust communication and the more that is documented the easier this is. Small business owners often become the bottle neck stopping or delaying projects due to their inability to fully communicate what they want and need.
As time consuming and annoying as the process of documentation can be, it has such a high return and will move a business forward so much faster it is worth every hour spend doing it.
Imagine not having to do everything yourself because you have clearly communicated the vision, values and goals of a project and together have documented the steps to achieving those goals. Powerful and profitable!
Consider scheduling communication meetings daily, weekly, and/or monthly with your team to ensure everyone is on the same page. Keep meetings positive, forward focused and make sure everyone has the opportunity to contribute to solutions.
Until next week, enjoy your Entrepreneurial Journey!
By Beverlee Rasmussen, Systems Business Coach A passion for small business and an entrepreneurial nature combined with an astute ability to assess needs and provide solutions has led to success as both a business owner and champion for business owners Worldwide.
By Beverlee Rasmussen, GroYourBiz Member Surrey/White Rock
“If people like you they will listen to you, if people trust you they will do business with you”- Zig Ziglar
Trust is both a feeling and a virtue in an organization. It is both given and received in relationships with your team, customers and stakeholders. Trust is primarily experienced and it is used to make decisions, build strong collaborative teams, and create great companies.
A lack of trust in a business can quickly turn to chaos, lost revenue, lost productivity and the ability to retain good people. Lack of trust shows up as competition, individuals just “doing their own thing” and poor communication.
Small business owners are especially vulnerable in relationships and need strong trust building skills. These skills include the ability to share a clear vision and strategy, the ability to articulate what they need and to listen carefully to understand the needs of others.
Trust is built or diminished by repeated behaviour. Documented procedures help build consistency which in turn builds trust with customers and teams. When employees know that they are doing their job in the way it was designed builds trust and confidence. It removes the fear of trying to figure it out on their own.
As trust builds, teams begin to better cooperate and coordinate efforts.
How does trust show up in your organization? Do you feel like you have each others back? Are you able to openly share challenges and opportunities? Does the work get done even when you the owner is not there?
A small business owner can strengthen trust by being honest and following through on promises.Taking the time to ask questions and to carefully listen also builds trust as well as being transparent about your own challenges and opportunities.
Transparency builds trust as does vulnerability. Admitting when you are wrong and making things right builds trust. Keeping commitments and being respectful of others also helps.
Consider that clients are counting on our companies to provide the product or service they are looking for; when we deliver that well we are building trust. In turn, trust leads to referrals and the positive cycle of new business relationships continues.
Trust begins with us. Our actions, inactions, words and intentions. If things are not going as planned, if your team is not getting along or doing what you expect of them consider reflecting on your own behaviour to see where trust may have been broken.
Strengthening trust can start happening immediately with small consistent actions led with good intentions.
Until next week, enjoy your Entrepreneurial Journey!
By Beverlee Rasmussen, Systems Business Coach A passion for small business and an entrepreneurial nature combined with an astute ability to assess needs and provide solutions has led to success as both a business owner and champion for business owners Worldwide.