Tips For Leading A Multigenerational Team

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Employees representing different generations often do not agree on many subjects and ideologies. However, occasionally, individuals of varying ages need to work in conjunction to perform certain tasks or complete specific projects. Leading a team of persons comprised of the old, young and middle-aged can prove challenging. However, the task might be easier provided the leader adheres to the following suggestions:

Do Not Assume

Executives overseeing multigenerational employees are strongly cautioned to avoid rendering preconceived assumptions. Age differences amongst employees does not guarantee that staff members are incapable of working together. Leaders should allow relationships to develop and execute adjustments when circumstances warrant.

Embrace Differences

Effective employers of multigenerational staffs will encourage the embracement of differences. Employees, like people in general, are different. Reputable leaders realize that the differences people possess can prove valuable in any number of ways. Effective executives will also convince staff members to accept each other’s differences for the good of the team.

Establish Common Ground

Everyone possess differences and similarities. Unfortunately, however, the discrepancies are typically the viewpoints that garner the most attention. Successful multigenerational team leaders will instead focus on establishing common ground. There is a good chance that all employees share similar aims such as the desire to perform well, reaching specific goals, being part of a successful team and advancing in their careers. Executives who foster an environment where these commonalities are stressed stand a greater possibility of helping individuals of varying ages see past their differences and demonstrate a willingness to work together.

Promote Communication

It is understandable that frustration and confusion might develop amongst groups comprising different ages and other backgrounds. That said, effective leaders will foster an environment where communication is encouraged. In many instances, providing employees a forum to voice their concerns brings festering issues to the forefront but also increases the possibility of identifying viable solutions to such issues. On a simpler scale, communication is often the first step to forging relationships, especially amongst people with differing backgrounds.

Respect The Contributions Of All Parties

Many people, successful leaders included, might fall into the trap of valuing one employee’s contributions over another. For example, an older superior might trust the word and opinion of seasoned employees more than younger staff members. Such actions could precipitate resentment and greater divide. This potentially harmful pitfall can be avoided by valuing everyone’s contributions.

Handle Entrepreneurial Stress like a Professional

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geoffrey-byruch-stressIn being an entrepreneur, you have to learn to juggle many different ideas, projects, and tasks all at the same time. This must all be done while you are also trying to build up your own company and create success within your business. One of the significant issues that come into play when entrepreneurs are dealing with multiple things at one time is stress.

Stress is something that hits us all in different ways when we have too much on our plate. The way we handle stress is essential to whether we are successful or not. Not managing your stress can lend itself to a great deal of failure in the entrepreneurial world, and your business will suffer because of it.

Understanding the effects of stress and what causes stress are the first steps to success and also healthily dealing with stress. When you are stressed, your mind automatically begins to think negatively and therefore, shuts down the possibilities of innovation and utilizing your brain to its full capacity. The best thing you can do is realize you are indeed stressed and make a choice to think positively with a small amount of stress. This way, you will continue making plans and ideas that will push yourself and your company forward.

Another way to handle your stress is by removing unnecessary worry. A lot of times, entrepreneurs and business leaders take on a lot at once, and many times, they worry about things that are out of their control. Take the time to make a list of everything that is currently on your mind and stressing you out. Then go through and either delegate things to others or shift your focus from the things that aren’t yours to handle to the issues you can personally deal with.

Instead of continuing to take on project after project or even more clients than your company can handle, just to grow your business, only take on what you can complete right now. If your business is not ready for the influx of clients, then do not take the extra work onto your plate. The same goes for projects. Learn to delegate and take work off of your plate and give it to others who have the extra time to do it. This removes the continued downward spiral of work piling up on top of the work that is already there. It will also help to remove that stress for you.

Avoid these Common Mistakes New and Inexperienced Managers Make

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Congratulations! After all of the time and sacrifice you have put into your company, you have finally been promoted to the position you rightfully earned. This type of achievement is something that will definitely not go unnoticed. But like with anything in life, the higher the climb, the bigger the fall. As a director, supervisor, or manager of your company, it is imperative you understand and internalize the overall struggles that these leadership positions will entail. For many novice and inexperienced managers, they make the big mistake by not internalizing the various ramifications their actions can have on the company and their employees as a whole. Without understanding these flaws, you can find yourself in a very difficult position later on down the road.

To be an effective business leader, it is imperative you understand these overarching mistakes. By highlighting the political, control, and motivation hurdles, you will be able to lead your team in achieving their goals each and every day.

Below, I have highlighted some mistakes new managers have made or seen. While you may still experience some of these mistakes later on down the line, you will be able handle them in the most efficient and effective way possible. To help aid the process, I have broken these flaws into four different categories:

  • Performance Management
  • Career Development
  • Leadership
  • Organizational Skills

Performance Management

As a supervisor or manager at your company, it is important that you maintain a high level of performance and responsibility within your job. One of the biggest mistakes many novice managers make is being slow with dealing with performance issues. Yes, you are essentially the new kid on the block. In fact, you may have employees who undermine your authority because of your age and experience with this leadership position, but this should not deter you away from putting out the fires within your team. If you are noting specific performance issues early on, you will be able to give and create helpful feedback and viable solutions to ongoing or future performance issues. Now while all of this is happening, make sure you document any type of performance, whether they are positive or negative. Understanding the strength of your team will help you adjust your own strategies in leveraging the best out of your employees. If you find that the situation has escalated to unforeseeable outcomes, these notes may give you enough reason to terminate a particular employee. In addition, understanding the strengths of your employees will alone, provide a stronger and more holistic understanding to  those who can handle any high-level task. Remember, play the cards that are dealt. While some might not be in your favor, try and strategize so that they can benefit you your team as a whole.

Career Development

It goes without saying that a great leader is not a person who sets out various objectives, but inspires innovative and strategic action. To do this, it is imperative that you know your employees. Take the time to understand their personal and professional goals. Ask them overarching questions of their feelings about the job and where they see themselves five (ten, twenty) years from now. By understanding their own personal objectives, you will be able to help move them into either a better position or a different company. In addition, make sure you understand their strengths and weaknesses. While I have already mentioned this before, internalizing and noting the strengths and flaws of your workers will give you areas that you know your employees can excel and thrive in. It will also give you areas in which they themselves can grow and professionally develop in the future. Start off with their work. Understand their own personal work ethics and various tasks they can do well. If you know there is one particular flaw that they have, be sure to notify them of that weakness. For some employees, they are unaware of that limitation and can oftentimes overlook their own work ethics. This will give you the opportunity to showcase your leadership skills and build them to be efficient, effective, and consistent rock stars later on in their careers.

Leadership

While leadership has become more of a buzzword within the business sector, you have to understand the various attributes that align to it. Strong and successful leaders look to create and grow opportunities for their team. They will not only allocate any resources that can aid them in their efforts, but also specify what objectives they want to hit each and every day. Now, as much as I can talk about the organizational and managerial skills all leaders encompass within their professional careers, I have to highlight the true goal of a leader, inspiring action. The art of a leader is not to simply dictate various tasks. Instead, they are to inspire creativity, ingenuity, and action. This type of leadership is something that can take a mediocre team in hitting their objectives each and every day. To do this, be positive and transparent. Be informative and creative. And most importantly be decisive and confident.

Organization

Successful managers are great at their jobs because they are simply organized with their day-to-day task. As a manager, your role will require you to create a logistical system that workers in overseeing your employees’ task and your own. One of the biggest mistakes novice managers make is not taking a holistic approach is preparing their systems. Make sure you spend an hour or so compiling a system that works for you. The more organized and sound your logistics are, the better off you will be in executing any task that comes your way.

How to be a Successful Leader

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There are myriad interpretations of leadership. For instance, a leader might motivate others through official power and authority. However, just as often exceptional leaders guide through personal connections, persuasion, and inspiration. So what is leadership? It actuality, is the ability to lead and consciously produce a result that otherwise would not have occurred. It’s not only the creation of events that constitutes good leadership. Good leaders deliberately design challenging outcomes by engaging the help of others.

Successful Entrepreneurial Leadership Approaches

Successful entrepreneurship can transform a declining business into a Fortune 500 corporation by changing corporate cultures. Good leadership is an integrated solution for organizational success. The most successful entrepreneurial leadership approaches include:

  • Transformational. Transformational leaders motivate teams and influence coworkers to grow and develop. This is one of the most powerful leadership styles because it shapes work efficiencies, social culture, and mindsets.
  • Charismatic. Charismatic leaders are the driving strength that motivates teams to exceed expectations. These leaders frequently employ personal charm to inspire and lead and tend to be globally admired and respected. Charismatic managers are well known for their talent to assemble a large amount of followers.
  • Participative. Using participative leadership, entrepreneurs request advice and input from all team members involved in the business plan. This leadership approach values each team members’ opinion as significant. Employees become part of the decision-making process quickly, making everyone involved feel highly motivated and appreciated.
  • Situational. Similar to transformational, the situational leadership style is one of the most successful entrepreneurial leadership approaches. This type of leader focuses easily on situational adaptation and adjustment to personal capabilities, circumstances, and abilities of teams.

A successful entrepreneur will focus their career on combining these successful leadership styles. Whatever leadership styles you choose to emulate, it is essential to remember that not all of them work for the every organization or individual. Do what’s best and concentrate on what improves your chances of success.

The Ever-Evolving Concept of Leadership in the Workplace

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Like any other field, leadership goes through various trends and changes. Because of this, it is imperative that we understand these inclinations in order to be successful.

When we think about leadership, we can argue that there are only a few things that are more important than this skillful governance. The reason why is simple. Efficient and effective leadership helps nations through times of peril. It solidifies success within various businesses. And most importantly, it enables organizations to develop and grow each and every day. Any absence of leadership is equally dramatic in its effect. These negative ramifications can force organizations to move slowly, stagnate, or worse case scenario, lose their way.

With our ever-evolving world, we as business leaders need to internalize the beliefs and ideals of our times in order to move forward in a more positive and lucrative manner. To understand leadership, we first need to be able to separate historical thought from current practice. In today’s world, leaders must be able to provide inspiration, motivation, and direction to their team. Ten-fifteen years ago, this idea did not exist. Instead, leadership was defined by experience and age.  While that still holds some weight, today, leadership requires authenticity and transparency within a person’s tactics. To be inspirational and transformative, a leader’s employees need to understand the vision, goals, and beliefs of a person and their organization. Any type of cover-ups or dishonesty can compromise the overall trust your employees have for you. This in turn can even negatively impact their work.

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In addition to honesty, a true and impactful leader needs to have a positive brand. Think of your brand as your reputation. It is used to be that when people talked about your reputation, they focused on your public character and your past. Today, your personal brand is your reputation. Your actions, your work, and most importantly your attitude truly define who you are as an individual. If you are able to show a more positive gung-ho approach with your employees, fantastic! Keep in put! If not, try and figure out various ways in which you can build those foundational blocks with your team. Remember, if you are not social, you are missing the boat. As a leader, you need to be able to communicate at a certain level. Don’t hide behind a closed boardroom door. Instead, approach your team and ask how they are doing. This will boost morale in two ways: 1. Gives you various updates of daily task and 2. Gives support to those who really need it.

One of the most beneficial things you can do as a leader is build leadership from within. By creating a mentorship within your team, you are building a strong foundation for success. When mentoring, two things can happen. First and foremost, you will find your employees rise beyond their expectations when given a chance.  This goes back to trust. By entrusting these individuals to step up and assume a leadership role, you are giving them an opportunity to show them their worth. Most case scenarios, you will see individuals rise to the occasion by taking ownership in completing and perfecting this task. Secondly, you will find that mentoring teaches you as much as it teaches the mentee. That is because when you give away the knowledge and skillsets to perform at a higher caliber, it becomes a living and breathing entity. It takes a physical form that passes from one person to the next. From there you learn the impact of your work as well as the impact other individuals can have on the rest of the group.

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One of the last things is that you need to be honest to yourself.  There is a famous saying that, “if you are not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” This is true in the business world. Comprehend and internalize your own inconsistencies and failures. Only by understanding these weaknesses can you truly develop in becoming a better leader. This can be done by asking yourself various questions. Ask yourself if the previous year or month went exactly as planned. If not, ask what you could have done to change it. By developing that sense of honesty with your own shortcomings, you will be able to grow and develop as a more impactful leader. At the end of the day, true leaders do not just rely on their strengths. Rather they leverage their weaknesses to move towards their goals.

What it is to be a Leader

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John Quincy Adams once said that, “if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” Having a great idea and assembling a team to aid you on your journey is the first step in creating a successful business. But what happens when you hit a bump in the road and morale is down? What if money is tight and the stress levels are at an all time high? The ability to successfully manage, inspire and execute your ideas is what will separate the dreamers from the entrepreneurs. As a leader, you will be required to make difficult and sometimes emotional decisions. Regardless of what happens, you need to own it. The best leaders are those that are able to control their emotions and make their decisions with the utmost reason and purpose. Below, I have outlined some key qualities that every good leader should possess.

A leader needs to be HONEST

Transparency or honesty in the workplace is one of the most important qualities you can bring within the work environment. This quality, often called company ethics, inspires confidence and respect within one another. Remember, you are responsible for a team of people. Instilling these standards in the beginning will provide a strong ethical culture needed in any working environment. Furthermore, discussing with your workers the overall place of the company allows them to see the value of their work or what they can to push it to the next level.

A leader needs to be able to MANAGE

In the broadest sense of the word, a leader is someone who brings people together and guides them towards a common goal. Anyone can tell a group of people what to do. But to be effective, to be understood, a leader needs to be able to delegate. The key to delegation is identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your team and capitalizing on them. This will not only improve the efficiency of the work, but also the culture of the team. It does not mean that they should stay complacent with remedial task. Rather, give them the opportunity to challenge themselves. The one person that can ignite that type of passion is you. Furthermore, with delegating comes logistics. Organization within management will play a large role with your job. Make sure that you have your own systems set up so that the rest can follow. Any derivation from your system can be incredibly detrimental the overall functionality of the team.

A leader needs to be able to COMMUNICATE

In addition to your goals, a leader needs to be able to communicate to every single person regardless of their position. Knowing what you want to accomplish may seem clear in your head. But to others this can be a different story. When you communicate, take into consideration the perspective the individual. Make sure you are able toe break down clearly and succinctly all of the extreme points in order for you to accomplish your goals. Be sure to also relate it to your overall vision. Many people want to see the end goal of their work. Going back and revisiting the vision as a motivator will be one of the most beneficial ways of communicating and delegating a task. Last but not least, be cognizant of the individual. There is a fine line between asking and telling someone to do something. Make sure that you are asking. Asking shows trust and understanding. Telling shows micromanagement and devaluation.

A leader needs to be CONFIDENT

There will be days in the workplace where the future of your company may be worrisome. But that is a just part of life; things do not always go according to plan. Part of your job as a leader is to not just put out the fires, but also maintain the team morale. Remember, you are their leader. You are the person that people look to when things are going array. By staying calm, composed, and confident you will be able to help the team feel the same way. Furthermore, own every decision even if they led to undesired consequences. Your word should be enough for your troops to trust you. All you need to do is be confident in yourself.

A leader needs to be PASSIONATE and COMMITTED

If you are expecting those around you to work and produce at a high quality, you are going to need to lead by example. A lot of the work culture can be impacted and cultivated simply by one individual. As a leader, your job is to an embodiment of your vision. Your commitment to your work needs to be scene each and every day. Even when times are tough, it will be your passion, your charisma, your magnetism that will push everyone to the path of success.

How to Start Your Business: Six Steps for Success

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Some people call it a calling. Others call it the only option. Regardless of how you put it, there are thousands of people all across the nation taking a leap of faith and starting their own business. This is a very difficult and arduous task that requires hard work, determination, and perseverance. But for those who survive beyond the bleak months or year of pain and failure, they will find themselves at the end of the tunnel reaping the rewards on their road for success.

Starting a business and becoming an entrepreneur is not easy. It takes a special kind of person to overcome the obstacles of failures and go surpass the ideas of settling when looking for success. If you are still interested in starting a business, here is a guide that will aid you throughout the process. These six steps will help pinpoint the dos and don’ts during the beginning stages of your journey.

1. Planning and Developing Winning Ideas:

The next big idea is what drives a business in the first place. Every business begins with an idea. The idea can be a variety of things. They can be something you are passionate about or they can be something that can change the course of everyday life. No matter where the interest lies, there is a way to create it into something great. Remember, Google and Apple didn’t just come out of nowhere. They came from products, or even problems, that have were the markers for their great creation. Once you have picked and assessed your idea, it is important to see the strengths and flaws of pre-existing companies within the chosen field. Understand their take on your concept. Figure out what they were missing or what you can do better, faster, and cheaper. Reflecting on those concepts will allow you to eventually market this concept into a full blown business.

2. Creating a Business Plan

Every great business has planned out the logistics and objective of their overall company. Remember, your company is a novice in comparison to both relevant organizations and competitors. At this stage, it is important you iron out some important questions that will later need answers when you full establish your business. Take into consideration these questions:

  •  What are your company’s objectives?
  •  What are you trying to do?
  •  Who are you trying to sell to?
  •  What are your goals?
  •  How much money will you need to start up? How much money will you need for the campaign?
  •  How many employees will you need to get this off the ground?
  •  What are you planning for advertising?
  •  What are your projections for month three, six, and twelve?

All of these questions can be answered in a well-written business plan. This plan does not have to be terribly long. Rather, the plan itself needs to help you figure out the path for your company and any obstacles you will need to face during the beginning stages once it launches. It will give you an outline of specific things that need to be done so that you are on the right direction for success.

3. Assessing your Finances: Determine how much you need to start

Like the famous saying goes, everything comes at a price. Besides your time and effort, there are costly expenses when building up a startup. Assess your business plan and identify how much you are going to need to cover these immediate expenses will play a large role in how your business is running by month three. Regardless of how much you have, you want to optimize your funds in the most efficient way. The idea of ‘stretching out your dollar’ will be the best mentality to embrace when launching your business. In the past, there have been many businesses that have invested much of their funds on unnecessary or frivolous expenses. By having a well thought-out business plan and a deeper understanding of your finances, you can leverage these expenses. If the expenses are more than you anticipated, take a look at commercial loans or investors. Make sure at this point that your business model is already developed and know what you will use that money prior to any investor meetings.

4. Registering your Business

When registering your business, make sure you have decided on what kind of entity and field your business is in. There are certain legal and structural logistics you need to file, especially in your taxes. Once you have determined the type of business you have, register on the SBA website.

5. Building Your Team

Now that you have established your idea, created a business plan, planned out your expenses, and registered your business, it is now time for you to think about the managerial aspect of your business. Here, think about the type of people you want and the skills they need to have to help thrive your business. If your business is for a tech company, you should be thinking about web developers and IT workers. If you business is for sales, you should be thinking of strong communicators and business minded individuals. Having a grasp of the people you want will ultimately put you at pace if growing your business.

6. Grow your Vision

Here is the stage where you have now established the team, finance, and idea for your startup. What you need to do at this stage is be a leader. Allow your team and company to run on a long-term vision and goal. Make sure you have internalized this goal so that no matter whom you talk to, everyone is on the same page for success.