Do You Like Everyone You're Flying With?
Insights from the movie Top Gun to help you guide your people
Iceman
Maverick, it's not your flying, it's your attitude. The enemy's dangerous but right now you're worse. Dangerous and foolish. You may not like who you're flying with, they may not like you but who's side are you on?
We all know how frustrating it can be at times working in this world we call 'Small Business'.
Between cost of living pressures, constant change, juggling twenty things at once and feeling like you're doing lots but getting nowhere; each day can sometimes be quite tough.
So it's important to decide what your attitude will be as you go through each day.
Are you leading your team with positivity, support, solutions and a bit of laughter?
Or are you more like Maverick?
So focused in your own little world that you're oblivious to how your decisions, actions and attitude are affecting everyone else?
Owners often believe they have to be best friends with everyone and know the ins and outs of their personal lives, and the same thinking must be applied to everyone on their team.
Because the perception is if you don't, then you're not a good leader, and they're not a good team member.
What a croc!
Team members don't have to be best friends with everyone in the workplace but they do have to respect the positions people hold.
But this can be really hard to do when the person running the small business is constantly cranky, negative and blaming everyone and everything for the state of it.
Iceman
You can be my wingman anytime
Maverick
Bull.... You can be mine!
NO ONE achieves success on their own.
Everyone needs help to do their role effectively because no one (including the owner) has the knowledge, skills and abilities to know everything and be able to do everything that's needed to run a simple profitable business they love.
So with the best of intentions, I wonder what's the real vibe in your small business?
• Positive or negative – when did you last listen to the words people use to get a true sense of how they really feel?
• Is there much laughter and fun in the workplace?
• Is there any colour in the workplace eg paintings/posters on the wall, on people's desks, in the type of stationery used?
• Is there a 'them versus us' feel – whether that's management and staff, workplace versus working from home, head office versus regional/interstate offices
• Do you play favourites – be is a particular staff member or a group of people?
In order to succeed, every role is valuable.
Remember:
If a particular team or staff member doesn't feel supported, then how do you expect them to perform to the best of their ability?
So have you unintentionally built a divided workplace or is everyone doing whatever is needed to help their wingman?
Have an honest conversation with each and every staff member to find out the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of working at your small business to ensure you truly fly as one.
And then make sure you follow through and make the necessary changes because staff hate being asked their honest opinion and then never see anything change after the discussion.
And here's my final thought:
It all starts with you as the leader so please check in with yourself first to see if you're running your small business like Maverick as he chases the trophy?
OR
Have you learnt your lesson like Maverick at the end of the movie when he saves the day.
Cheers
Tamara
P.S Don't forget to register for my FREE Webinar where I'll share the TOP 7 FRUSTRATIONS staff tell me (and may not be telling you.
