Your reputation develops through what other people say about you – you could call it gossip! You can’t stop people gossiping, but you can ensure influence what they say.
I’ve had conversations with many business people who think it’s impossible to control what people say about you when you’re not there. I don’t agree.
If your company has strong values, an inspired leader and staff who are engaged the ‘gossip’ will reflect that. Customers want to be confident that their chosen supplier has a great reputation, but that’s not the only benefit. People will want to work for you and you’ll get the pick of the best candidates.
It’s more than just a vision
A true entrepreneur doesn’t leave success to chance. As Martin Luther King once said ‘I have a dream’, but it doesn’t stop there, they develop a strategy and an action plan that will deliver their dream or vision.
This is especially important when you have staff. Your team need to buy into your vision, to understand where the company is going and to be ready to do their part in making it happen.
Engage your team
If you want your team to help you to achieve your dreams, your business plan should be transparent. If you’re practising mushroom management (kept in the dark and fed crap)) don’t expect your team to have great ideas, be innovative or take responsibility for getting results.
Engagement only happens when members of your team feel they can make a difference. It doesn’t matter if your team are employees, contractors or suppliers, it’s worth making the effort to get them involved.
It’s all about outcomes
When your business is focused on getting specific outcomes, people become much more pro-active. There’s more job satisfaction in delivering results than simply running through a to do list of tasks.
Staff who understand the outcomes will make much better decisions and you’ll be surprised at the improvement in productivity and job satisfaction.
Empower, don’t dictate
You can’t abdicate all responsibility, but, if you keep a light hand on the reins, your team will be creative and innovative. Your reputation for excellence will be evident in in everything you and your team do and will give the ‘gossip’ train only positive material to consume.
Lesley Morrissey runs a boutique marketing agency, Inside News
You can contact her via www.insidenews.co.uk or on 07919 177653
