As the owner of a small company, one you’ve perhaps been in charge of for years, you’ll know the weight of responsibility that you carry. Each and every one of your employees relies upon your sound judgment to earn their living.
Your clients depend upon your management skills and coordination to meet their deadlines for their own work. Plus, your own family relies on the smooth running of the business for their lifestyles, too.
This article looks at the ways you should protect your colleagues, clients, and family by recognizing the responsibility you have as a company executive for your small business.
Don’t Be an Island
As the founder, owner and chief executive of your very own small business, you’ll be independent-minded and very driven to achieve the goals you set for yourself and your business.
These qualities can lead entrepreneurs towards incredible and exciting opportunities, but being so single-minded comes at a price: you can become an island of knowledge that your employees cannot access.
As such, you should always be aware of your responsibility to share your thought process and your company’s overall performance targets, and the strategy behind them, with the most senior members of your team.
Not only will this keep everyone pulling in the same direction, but in those times when you’re away from your desk, your most senior colleagues will be able to take a leadership role in full knowledge of what is expected of your team.
Prepare for All Eventualities
Managing your own small business means more than your responsibility to keep the company afloat and profiting, paying the wages of staff and yourself.
It’s also about being responsible for all eventualities that might affect your company, your team or your person.
Your staff, for instance, might walk out of their jobs or ask for higher salaries, or your company might hit trouble, a period in which you’ll have to work especially hard to keep it alive and kicking.
But perhaps the least prepared-for eventuality in small business management is the deterioration of your own health, leading to your inability to manage your business.
Without you, your business might struggle to function – unless you’ve put in place fail-safes for the event of you being unable to manage the company. Insurance Geek offers insurance for this eventuality, which will help you and your business if the worst materializes.
Value External Stakeholders
When managing a business, you’re ordinarily going to want to see your company grow, succeed and profit from your hard work. To get there, you’re going to have to navigate the tough terrain of business in a smart, agile fashion.
This is where external stakeholders come in. They might be investors inspired by your vision, or businesspeople you meet at networking events who are there to offer your advice and counsel as you strive to improve your business’ fortunes.
They might even be supportive third parties with whom you establish working relationships to help boost your productivity. Whatever their function, these stakeholders can really make the difference for your company long into the future.
Taking responsibility for the highs and lows of your small business’ fortunes is an important stage in management – and this article offers tips for how you can be a responsible and mature manager for your staff, clients and family.