Being proactive as a leader is one of the best things you can do for your team. The more leaders can stay current with their team, their business, and their competitors, the better they can help their employees plan and implement new strategies. Passive leadership does not generate the productivity and development your company needs to grow and thrive.
When talking about proactive leadership, I like to break it down into two categories: internal and external. Stay proactive in both areas, and you’ll be empowered to lead your business further than you might have thought possible.
Internal proactive leadership
Internal leadership, obviously, corresponds to everything going on within your organization. There are three key components to proactive internal leadership that all tie together.
Trust
Instilling trust in any organization starts at the top. If a leader doesn’t consistently demonstrate trust in employees, how can that individual expect to be trusted in return? To develop a culture of trust in your own company, be proactive with your approach.
Start by assuming the trustworthiness and good intentions of each team member—at least until an individual proves otherwise. Hasty assumptions and finger-pointing will quickly dissolve any trust you’ve cultivated with your team. In case you do hit a snag, develop feedback mechanisms that will provide the perspective you need to approach each situation in a clear-sighted way.
There’s another practice that can seriously undermine trust between you and your team: micromanagement. When you micromanage, even if you’re just trying to help, your employees will conclude that you don’t trust them to do their jobs.
Respect
Trust goes hand-in-hand with respect. The way most people are built, you first have to show respect before you will ever fully gain someone’s trust.
Respect your team’s time by being clear and efficient when communicating deadlines and expectations. Respect their needs by providing benefits that include insurance coverage and flexible time off for those can’t-miss family events. These are the types of actions that demonstrate respect. Your employees will reciprocate with dedication and loyalty to the organization.
Performance evaluation
Respect, in turn, depends on each team member pulling their own weight. One-on-one meetings with your employees will allow you to dig deeper into both their performance and your leadership skills. Prepare written notes on performance changes in each of your team members — positive or negative — and share them openly in your meeting. Your one-to-one meetings need to deliver clear objectives and a framework for any needed changes, providing an opportunity for each employee to fulfill their potential.
External proactive leadership
There are always external forces at play affecting the health of your business. How you navigate the storms surrounding your company will determine whether you make it through or begin to sink. Any sailor can tell you that passive sailing isn’t going to get you where you want to go.
Sales performance
Keep an eye on your company’s sales across several years and note any deviations your team might expect at different times of the year. These insights can help team members take action to prevent a slow sales season. Passing on the knowledge you’ve gained in your years of heading the organization will prevent employees from having to learn lessons the hard way.
For example, say your historical data shows that your sales numbers tend to go down in the winter. What can you do to proactively lead your company during those months? You might put together an annual office sales competition or try out a new lead-generation strategy to help counteract an otherwise slow time of year.
Business trends
Effective leaders should be aware of industry trends that will impact their company, regardless of their internal efforts. You can’t reasonably expect all of your employees to stay on top of every article addressing your company’s niche or all the new strategies being implemented by your competitors. That’s your job. With your connections and experience, you must take the lead in capitalizing on changing business trends.
Lead generation
Be on the lookout for new opportunities, such as conferences and speaking engagements, to seek potential leads. As the face of your business, your outreach efforts will likely have a much greater impact than those of your employees. It’s your responsibility to direct the brand and put your team in a position to grow.
Say you get invited to an exclusive conference where you’ll be chatting with the movers and shakers in your industry. Seize the opportunity to connect with these people, who tend to be the decision-makers for their respective firms. A short conversation between you and a new contact can set up employees on both ends to get some B2B sales going in a reduced amount of time.
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