As small-business owners and leaders, your passion for what you do is woven into the fabric of the business culture you have created. When your team’s performance drops, it can be difficult to get back on track. The good news is that you can turn this around by rebooting your mindset, being open to feedback, clarifying your expectations and trust in your team.
Reboot your mindset
As a business leader, our approach to management and leadership defines how our people respond and carry out their work. When performance drops, mistakes happen or negative attitudes develop it can be easy to let frustration build-up, be tempted to micro-manage or use fear as a motivator. These approaches will only provide a brief lift in performance.
It is better to approach the situation calmly and openly with discussion with your team. In this scenario I always advise to put the problem in front of us rather than pointing the finger or blaming particular team members. This allows your team to explore the issues contributing to the reduced performance in a more objective way and providing a safe space for people to express their views on how to resolve the issue and improve performance.
Be open to feedback
In these scenarios, business leaders need to be open to feedback. It is also important for you to express your own shortcomings and vulnerabilities. This demonstrates to your people that you understand that sometimes this doesn’t always work the way you want them to and gives them the chance to reflect on how they can change their approach to contribute to better performance.
Clarify your expectations
Sometimes there are miscommunications from leaders and within teams. And in small business where our teams can be like family, you might find you sometimes avoid honest discussions and conflict. You might think it’s easier to set up a new policy or even send out blanket communications to the team in this way you might address what you believe is a performance issue.
This approach can lead people to wonder who is in trouble and can create an unsafe environment where everyone is walking on eggshells. Say goodbye to your performance and hello to people who show up, do the minimum and spend time in fear.
When you find that your expectations aren’t being met, it helps to approach the matter with courage and curiosity. Ask for a catch-up with the person or people concerned, sit down next to them and share with them what has been bothering you and what you would like to understand. Approach the conversation with calm, respect and openness. You will find that there is so much to learn and of course so much to share. The strain of unease will disappear, and you can inspire your team to have the courage to engage in honest discussions and clear the air.
Trust in your team
Having these open and honest conversations with your team builds trust and helps people feel connected to the values and objectives of the business. It encourages better communication which is particularly important when problems arise, this enables teams to easily identify problems without laying blame and finding solutions together.
Practising these leadership skills will increase your team’s productivity and inspire performance in people.
