When you’re a small founding team or a solo entrepreneur who depends on your business for income, every conflict or challenge that throws a wrench in your systems can feel like a threat. A threat to your very livelihood, to everything you’ve worked so hard to build. Regulating that feeling is going to be one of the most foundational and imperative skills you can learn as a leader. No matter how valid your feelings might be, projecting them onto your team will cost you more in the long run.
One of the first things I suggest when advising on a management strategy is to approach every conversation and situation with curiosity. Listen more than you talk, and as you listen, look for the root behind your team’s actions and behaviors. You’re more likely to connect and improve operations and communication when you have the ability to empathize with those behaviors, even if you disagree with them.
If you want high performance and retention from your team, design a system that sets them up for success and makes them feel valued and seen. In order to do this, you HAVE to change your perspective and maintain a positive outlook on your team and their performance. If you don’t believe in them, they will feel it. You can apply any strategy you want, but if you don’t do the deep inner work to humanize and connect with your team, those strategies are bound to fail.
Marcus Buckingham describes creating an experience for people, one that leaves a good impression and lasts. In his book, Design Love In, Buckingham writes that if you want the best outcomes, then “design the best experiences.” When you become a people-first, human-centered company, your numbers will follow. You’ll experience lower rates of turnover and higher performance. Most of all, you’ll be a company worth working for.
