A Leadership playbook for the new Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship is a fast-paced, competitive and demanding industry. Being an entrepreneur is no easy feat, but it’s one that allows you to take control of your future and create a life you love. If you want to be successful as an entrepreneur, there are many things that you need to know about being that leader in your organization. This leadership playbook will help guide you through the challenges of being an entrepreneur so that your business can thrive.

Be accountable.

Accountability is one of the most important qualities for a leader to possess. Being accountable means you are willing to take responsibility for your actions, decisions, mistakes and successes.

In order to be a leader who can be counted on by your team members it’s imperative that you are able to hold yourself accountable for all of these things as well as learn from them.

Keeping yourself accountable means stepping up and taking control over situations that need your attention or intervention in order to resolve them effectively and efficiently (and often quickly).

Being accountable also means being responsible for your own actions and decisions. This doesn’t mean that you should take all the blame on yourself when something goes wrong, but it does mean that you accept responsibility for any role you may have played in making those mistakes happen.

Being accountable means being able to look at yourself in the mirror and know that you did everything possible to make things right. It also means that you are willing to learn from your mistakes so that they don’t happen again. This is an important quality not just for leaders but for everyone in any position of responsibility or power.

Role model your behavior.

There is no better way to show your team how to lead than by role modeling the behavior you want them to emulate. If you want your employees to be authentic, then be yourself in all situations and environments. If you want them to be consistent in their communication style, then be honest and direct with everyone on a daily basis about where things stand within the company.

If you don’t have time for this level of authenticity—as I didn’t at first—then consider hiring someone who does have that skill set. The good news is that building this type of culture doesn’t happen overnight; it takes years of hard work from everyone involved in order for it become ingrained into everything that happens within an organization (and sometimes even longer).

But once it’s there, it will be a powerful force that sets you apart from the competition.

Be engaged.

Leadership is a two-way street. Engagement is a habit. It's the commitment to be present and authentic, to listen and speak with intention.

When you're leading others, it's easy to think that your job ends when you've told people what needs doing—and even easier for them to think that their job ends once they've done it. But true engagement happens when both parties are fully present with each other as equals, working toward the same goals rather than just taking orders from above or executing tasks for below.

That can be tricky in an environment where there is one person who owns all of the power: the entrepreneur (or founder). You still want people on board with what you're building; otherwise, your business won't succeed—but who's going to buy into something they don't feel like they own?

Engaging people in a startup doesn't happen overnight. It takes time and effort, but it's worth it. If you want to build a team that is truly engaged with your business, here are some things to consider:

Stay on message.

You will have to make a lot of decisions. You will be responsible for making sure that every decision you make is the right one.

It’s easy to get distracted, sidetracked and off track when you are making so many decisions in such a short period of time.

Stay on message. Don’t get distracted by other people’s priorities or what they think about your ideas, goals or actions as an entrepreneur.

The only thing that matters is your message, and your ability to deliver it. If you let others distract you or sidetrack you, then there will be no message and no delivery.

Give feedback.

As a leader, you need to be able to provide feedback. You should do this often and openly. You don’t want to wait until someone is promoted or fired before giving them constructive criticism or praise. If you have an employee who consistently comes in late, let them know that they are missing out on important work because of their laziness. If another employee has been putting in extra effort and doing above-and-beyond tasks, acknowledge it so that they feel appreciated for their hard work.

It’s important when giving feedback that you don't blame, criticize or use vague language like “you could do better." Instead give specific examples of what could be improved on and how it would benefit both the person receiving the feedback as well as those around them at work. Don't ever make personal comments about an individual's behavior either; this will only lead down paths of confrontation rather than improvement!

When giving feedback, it’s important to remember that every person has a different personality and style. You can't assume that everyone will receive feedback in the same way as you do. Some people may take constructive criticism better than praise while others might be more receptive to encouragement than criticism.

Know how to use your assets and sources of power.

Once you've identified your strengths, you need to know how to leverage them. This is especially important in a new venture where there are more opportunities for mistakes and less room for error. In order to maximize your ability to lead, be aware of the following:

- Know how to use your assets and sources of power. The ability to build relationships with customers, peers, suppliers and investors is an invaluable asset that can help you succeed in any business environment. As an entrepreneur, this skill will serve as an invaluable tool for building credibility for yourself or for others within the organization.

- Know how to use your credibility effectively by making sure that what you say matches up with what you do every time — no matter how big or small it may be! A strong reputation takes time and effort on behalf of all parties involved but it's worth having because it helps people trust each other more easily which leads us directly into our next point...

Know how to build trust and credibility. If you're starting a new venture, it's important that you have credibility right from the start. This means demonstrating your ability to deliver results and being consistent with what you say. As an entrepreneur, this skill will serve as an invaluable tool for building credibility for yourself or for others within the organization. Know how to use your credibility effectively by making sure that what you say matches up with what you do every time — no matter how big or small it may be! A strong reputation takes time and effort on behalf of all parties involved but it's worth having because it helps people trust each other more easily which leads us directly into our next point...

Realize you can't please everyone.

You need to realize that there are many ways to lead, and that you will never be able to please everyone. Many people will like your leadership style, but some won't. That's fine! You can't be everything to everyone. Instead, focus on pleasing the people who matter most in your life: your customers and employees. These two groups will give you feedback about how well you're leading them—and if they don't like what they're seeing from their leader (you), it's time for a change of pace or leadership style.

The most important thing to remember is that leadership is not a title. It's a mindset. Everyone has the potential to lead in their own way, and if you're looking for ways to improve your leadership skills, start by asking yourself these questions:

- How do I make decisions?

-Who motivates me? Why?

-What kind of example am I setting for others by my actions and words?

- How do I handle difficult situations?

-Am I open to feedback from others?

-Do I listen when people talk, or am I just waiting for my turn to speak?

- Do I treat others with respect?

-Do my employees trust me to make the right decisions for them and the company?

Once majority of your answers are in the positive, thats fine. If some are in the positive, but not most, Its a cue to improve. Its ok to make mistakes along the way. The most important is that we learn from Our mistakes fast enough and move on.

Create vision, mission and values statements that are real and comfortable for you.

- These are the cornerstones of your company, so they need to be both authentic and genuine — not just something you think you should say. Your company is made up of people who believe in what you’re doing, so it should come from the heart.

- Think about what your goals are for this business and how these statements can help achieve them.

Create a culture you want to be part of.

Creating a culture you want to be part of is important.

The culture is the way people do things around here.

If it’s not working for everyone, then it doesn’t work for anyone. A good leader will know how to create a culture that works for everyone and makes them want to come into work every day.

It’s not just about how you treat your employees or how much money they make; it also includes how you think about customers and vendors, which are two very important aspects of business success today:

A Leadership Playbook for the new Entrepreneur

When you're the leader, your behavior and image are contagious. You can't be an entrepreneur unless you can handle being accountable for yourself and your team. Be present in your business: stay focused on what's important and take ownership of outcomes.

- Be accountable. This means that you should always be available to talk with anyone on the team, at any time. It also means taking responsibility for any mistakes or problems in the company as well as successes. Don't blame others for failure; instead, embrace opportunities for improvement wherever possible by asking questions about how things happened in order to get better results next time around (or if this is a recurring problem).

- Role model your behavior by demonstrating how it should be done - set an example so others know what they need to do if they want success just like yours! Make sure everyone knows exactly where they stand so there aren't any questions later on down the line (goodbye confusion!).

Conclusion

Remember, leadership is about more than just getting things done. It's about building a team and a culture that supports your vision, mission and values. And as an entrepreneur, you're in the position to do that!