Page 28 - Australasian Paint & Panel May-June 2020

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Business Matters
PAINT&PANEL MAY / JUNE 2020 WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
WE ASKED BUSINESS ADVISOR SARAH-BETH CLEAVES FROM THE LOCAL BUSINESS NETWORK PARAMATTA TO GIVE READERS AN INSIGHT INTO HOW TO LEAD YOUR TEAM IN UNCERTAIN TIMES.
LEADING YOUR TEAM IN DIFFICULT TIMES
L
EADING YOUR BUSINESS
through a time of uncer- tainty requires strength. We know that if we do noth- ing then our staff will continue to feel powerless, succumb to the nega- tive media hype and as a business you will lose one of your greatest opportunities to create a positive
change in your workshop.
For owners navigating what to do
next and how to motivate their team I have few simple guidelines that will help. It is up to you as a leader to change the narrative towards posi- tive action and take on the hurdles we are all facing as a team.
Here are five leadership insights
that will help you as an owner change thing within the culture and teams you a1re managing.
FOCUS – “Focus on things you can con-
trol, and don’t waste time on things you shouldn’t.”
People are craving clear instruction and decisive leadership right now. We can’t control the environment, but we can always choose our response.
If we let our team meetings start down a rabbit hole of ‘what if this happens’ ..it will dominate your meetings and your team’s focus . Make this an opportunity to write a list of things you and your team can control. We can control a lot of decisions within our business that we focus on every day. Your job is elevating t2he focus.
INFORMATION – “Don’t tell me what’s
not working, tell me what is working so I know my resources...”
This quote comes from crisis manage- ment where there is often a lot of informa- tion that a leader is being bombarded with.
At some point you as a leader need to de- cide how to decipher that information. If it’s not working, then it’s no longer part of your decision-making process. Give me the resources that are working because they will ultimately determine my decisions m3oving forward.
CIRCUMSTANCES – “We are all dealing
with the same circumstances, some will see opportunity and others see crisis.”
There are those in our teams who will be looking for the crisis to turn out nega- tive - the glass half empty people. You will either have already had this conversation or be going to have it with staff members. Circumstances at home for most people are difficult. If we don’t find the way to see the good or positive in your new situation t4hen you will always be a victim to it.
OPPORTUNITY – “The next 100 days will
shape the next 10 years in your busi- ness – act accordingly!”
Respect these next 100 days for what you do and don’t do will determine how strong you are as a business. You can
choose to see every day as an opportu- nity to make a dent towards something positive you want to change or acceler- ate within your business. If you have wanted things to be more positive, to get your team focused on what they can control and how they can be better, then now is the time for that to happen. The smart operators and owners will use this an opportunity to pivot towards the positive culture they are looking for or to further deepen the good culture that is already at play. The opportunity you all have as owners right now is huge. We learn best by our mistakes, but we also learn our true character in times of crisis. Some workshops might not make it, there might be more opportunity to acquire a new business or you could find more skilled labour available than before this situation started.
If you can guide and coach your staff through uncertainty, then they will grow individually, and your business will grow and prosper as a result of that. As an owner your role is to empower through self-resourcefulness.
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that can be made every day” Success is linked to all of the above four factors be- ing actioned positively. Positivity in the face of this can sometimes seem over- whelming. The best way to combat this is to take a step towards gaining some kind of control back.
SUCCESS – “75% of the success a busi-
ness has is due to the internal factors
Sarah-Beth Cleaves
Business Advisor
The Local Business Network Parramatta https://tlbn.co/parramatta sarahbethcleaves@tlbn.net.au
M: 0481 234 821