Welcome to Small Businesses Tips

You Are Not King (or Queen)

Are you having trouble building a team of leaders? What?
YOU are the leader and you don´t want your followers to be leaders?
Think again!

As a leader, the people closest to you in your organization can
make you or break you. If you build a team of leaders, then they
in turn will build teams of leaders and your organization will
flourish.

Set expectations

As a team leader, it is your responsibility to set the culture of the team. Is your team´s emphasis on high sales? Large downlines? Developing leaders?

Set the expectations for your team members right away so that they know how to proceed. Too often we assume that once a new distributor signs the paperwork, he or she is suddenly turned into an expert. It doesn´t work that way. They are looking to you for leadership and direction, and to help them build a successful business.

Stay in Touch

If you have a growing team, make sure they keep
growing by continually offering them support.
Weekly or monthly phone calls, monthly newsletters,
postcards recognizing accomplishments (even small
accomplishments). They are looking to you for support
and leadership--give it freely.

Personality Types

Do you ever find that you just can´t seem to motivate
someone on your team? May you two just don´t "click"?
Find out that person´s personality style and adjust your
words and techniques to fit her style.

Are you an "organizer" (methodical) and she´s a "leader" (fast-paced)?
Are you a "cheerleader" (depend on intuition) and she´s an "organizer" (prefers logic)?

Find this out and you´ll have an easier time communicating with that person.

The Art of Asking Questions

When coaching team members (or anyone for that matter) the key is to help them find their own answers.
By asking open-ended questions (not yes/no questions) you will allow the individual to find the answer that is already within himself.
When a person finds an answer or solves a problem herself, she is more likely to remember it and apply it.

Walk the Talk

The most effective way to train others is to lead by example.
Do you want your team to sell $xxxx per month? Then you need to sell $xxxx per month.
Do you want your team to sponsor and support new team members? Then you need to consistantly sponsor and support new team members.

If you don´t "walk the talk", soon your team will stop listening.

Individual Problem Solving

When asked by team members for help, instead of giving them the answer outright, help them come up with the answer on their own.
They´re more likely to remember it if they went through the process of figuring it out.
Give them hints by asking leading questions: how, what, and why questions are particularly helpful.

Delegate

How do you know if an employee or team member is ready
for more responsibility? Give it to her! A team works
together. You do not have to "do it all"-delegate. Start
out with small tasks. As these are completed, assign more
difficult ones. You´ll not only lighten your load, but you´ll
build confidence and ability in your team members as well.