I think it’s a pretty safe bet that most of us in our working lives has had one of those bosses who sits back and doesn’t do any of the work themselves. They sit in their office playing on their phones, or otherwise doing anything else but working, while everybody else gets things done. Every so often they’ll poke their head out of their little hidey-hole to issue commands (which is about how it feels to the rest of the staff), or stick their nose into what someone else is doing. Micromanaging when it suits them, but otherwise, not doing very much at all but being present, collecting a paycheck, and otherwise being monumentally lazy. If you’ve been really unlikely, they might even be the type of person to turn around and take credit for all of your hard work, when they did absolutely nothing to contribute. They’re a backseat driver. An armchair quarterback. A terrible, terrible leader.
This is not the type of leader that you, as the owner of your business, should be. I bet if you all think back to the point in your lives where you had this kind of boss, you’ll notice something. You don’t like them very much. You resent them for kicking back and doing nothing while you do all the hard work and they reap the benefits. Is this the kind of opinion you want your team to have of you? Of course not.
So don’t be that guy.
Instead, you should make it a point to lead by example. You should always be right there in the trenches with your sleeves rolled up, working just as hard as the rest of your team. In fact, work harder! Your team will notice this and appreciate you for it. Seeing how hard you’re working, will in turn motivate them to work harder. Be the gold standard to which the rest of your team should try and hold themselves to. Be the first one to work, the last one to leave, and never, ever, screw around when there’s work to be done. That doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to breaks. Of course you are. You are, after all, the boss. But if you’re taking a break to go and do other things, maybe it’s a good time to let your team have a little time off to pursue their personal interests too. If you’ve chosen well, chances are many of them will prefer to just keep working. But the offer will be appreciated and their opinion of you will be all the greater for it.
Another point to keep in mind, is to never ask anything of your team that you aren’t completely willing to do yourself. Now bear in mind, there is a difference between willing and able. But demonstrating a willingness to perform all of the tasks you’re assigning to your team will bump up their opinion of you even more.
Some of you are probably asking yourselves, well why does any of this matter? You’re here to make money, not friends. Well think back to your own previous experiences with bosses who chose not to lead by example. You know, the ones you didn’t like very much? The ones you resented? That resentment and dislike is detrimental to morale amongst your team. And keeping morale high is of the utmost importance. There’s an old saying, “a happy worker is a hard worker.” Sure, there are many people who will work their tails off whether they have a high opinion of your leadership skills or not, but why tempt fate? Another old saying goes, “If you play with fire, eventually you’re going to get burned.”
Keeping your team morale high and everyone motivated drastically improves your chances of everyone meeting their shared goal, maximum Personal Independent Earnings. Showing your team that you’re ready, willing, and able to get your hands just as dirty as they are is just one of many ways that you can accomplish this.
