How Business Coaching can Lead to A Well-Chosen and Empowered Team

Are you a team player?  That is a question you often hear corporate business managers asking their staff or team leaders. But the question should be directed at the entrepreneur and small business owner also. In fact, it may be the first question a business coach will ask when working with a small business owner to start woring on developing an empowered team.

When you start a business and/or are instrumental in the nurturing and growth of the business, it is easy to maintain a creative and almost personal divide between organisational members and yourself.  After all….you have been there since the beginning.  It’s your idea and efforts that gave their positions life.  The very nature of entrepreneurship with its spirit of independence can lead to the formation of a business from which the entrepreneur remains aloof and distant from those helping him or her succeed.

Unfortunately, this aloofness can lead to ineffective business performance.  Think of all the times you have heard employees say, “I work for a small company and have a great idea, but….” If business owners are not team players, it often means they have refused to let go of those decisions and functions that belong to others. It also means they are probably missing out on some great ideas that could help grow the business simply because they are not listening to the people who want to help the business succeed.   Even in a small business with less than 20 employees, there are leadership roles that could be developed if the personnel are to be allowed to do their jobs fully.  When the entrepreneur asks the company employees if they are team players, he or she should immediately look in the mirror and ask the same question again.

It is not just the presence of a qualified group of people that leads to greater business success. Employees must also be given the appropriate formal and informal power needed so they can express their competence for the benefit of the business.  It all starts with choosing the right people for your organisation and then empowering them to grow the business.  One of the many functions performed provided through business advisory services is to work closely with the business owner to find, develop and empower a great team of employees.

Tweet: “Hiring the right people for the right positions is central to creating an empowered team.” http://ctt.ec/ef2P7 @BizCoachRay

In other words, the entrepreneur must find qualified staff and then let them get to work using the skills and abilities that got them hired in the first place to begin developing their empowered team.  This refers to both professionals who serve the organisation on an as-needed basis and staff on the payroll.  You can always tell when employees are not empowered when they are afraid to share their expertise in meetings with the business owner, afraid to make decisions well within their power to make, and afraid to empower their own staff down the line.

Organisational Nucleus

It is important to understand that a well-chosen team of employees forms an important nucleus for the organisation.  A business that is earning a profit without empowering team members has untapped powerhouse potential.  Get the right people on the team, give them the tools they need to succeed and the right to use those tools including decision-making authority, and the results can be simply astonishing. Unfortunately, many small business owners don’t understand how to go about creating this ideal team and that is where business coaching can be so important to assist them in developing an empowered team.

Developing a proper team means choosing competent people with talents, skills, abilities, and creativity that fits the mission and values of the business.  The team will include accountants, solicitors, consultants, bankers, insurance professionals, in-house managers and others who are essential to guiding the company.  A business consultant can be instrumental in helping a small business put together a great team and then develop the owner’s ability to empower that team for organizational success.  Once the group understands their role as a team player then it’s time for the entrepreneur to become one too.

Creating an empowered business staff can help a business stay focused on its mission. Joint and individual decisions will necessarily be devised to give the organisation more power to succeed.  Creative thinking is encouraged and new and efficient ways of accomplishing goals are always being sought.  A proper team provides cohesiveness and direction towards common goals.

Learning to Let Go to Get Going!

All of this is only possible though if the small business owner understands the power of letting go.  Let go of that desire to maintain rigid control and efficiency will rise as people work better together and productivity increases.  With the fear gone, people can spend their time making things happen such as taking advantage of new revenue opportunities, increasing cooperative effort and sharing creative ideas.  The net result is additional net profits.

Are you a team player? Is there a proper team in place?  Sometimes asking the simplest questions gives the greatest insights. A business coach can give essential advice on how to ask the right questions and then act on the answers for the good of the business.