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Friday, March 9, 2012

Leading Employees With Your Personal Values

Being a small business owner is no easy task. If you have employees, they will automatically look to you for guidance and support in their working environment (whether you give it or not). So how do you foster your employees' success? Inspire them!

In the article "Why Great Leaders Inspire Others" by John Baldoni, he describes how to be a great leader. "Followers want to believe that their leader stands for something, and, to an extent, may be better than anyone else at the job. Such a conviction defines why followers defer willingly to leaders." As the leader of your business, it is critical to your success that you develop this inspiration in your employees.

Baldoni also describes what kind of people are seen as inspiring. "The world needs men and women in management who are competent and caring leaders. These folks may run their businesses according to their bottom line—but they do not run their lives that way. Instead, they are engaged in their communities as well as with employees. One thing I note in family owned businesses is the personal commitment that people at the top feel for people who work with them."

What not to do: Be a boss that constantly yells and doesn't facilitate an "inspirational" workplace.


What to do: Work alongside your employees. Develop that "family atmosphere" and inspire them with your personal values!


As an ag entrepreneur, do you think of yourself as a person who leads with your personal values? Are you engaged with your community? Are you engaged in the development of successful employees? Do you create a working environment that facilitates a "family" environment?