Being Fair or Serious? Running a Business

Being Fair or Serious? Running a Business

A big challenge that all business owners come across is they lack the skills when it comes to managing their staff and business. Certain leadership skills come naturally for most while others need to be adapted over time.
When you find yourself in the business owners chair you may start to question what type of boss you should be.

Should you be extra friendly and be fairer to others than professional? Should you be the boss everyone hi 5’s each day and says your totally cool? Or should you take things more seriously and keep everything in tip top shape?

Are you a fair boss or a serious one?

Funny enough you don’t really have to decide on that one. Implement your leadership skills which can help you to have a balance of both attitude types. Yes! Your employee’s welcome friendliness but if you give the approach of “too friendly” you can be walked over, and your employees won’t take you seriously. You might not realise that employees expect serious and professional bosses. They offer them respect when they have a plan in place and know exactly what is going on in their business. Being over serious and way to unfair can lead to bad relationships and employees leaving your firm giving bad feedback. It is essential to find the right balance between the both for your business to be as successful as you expect it to become. In the long run, along with business profits and company growth, employee satisfaction is also another aspect that needs to be achieved.

Being an effective boss is not being either serious or fair but bring both. Having a healthy balance of the two.

Knowing your limits

Be aware of your boundaries. If you are the typical person who loves a good laugh be careful and stick to your limits. If you don’t set limits on the interactions that you have with your employees, then it can ruin the leading position you are in. If you muck around with the team you will lose the authority you had and subsequently reduce the worker productivity that you wished to establish and attain.

You are the example

You are the owner which means you have the highest spot of authority which is where you need to use that to set an example. Your own behaviour will model the company’s behaviour. You cannot go around saying things but doing something different. Your employees will lose trust in you and faith in the company. Use your own example to show your employees how you should treat others in the workplace. If you follow your own rules they will likely follow as well. As a business coach and a mentor, it is up to you to set an example and behave in a way that is professionally and emotionally considered appropriate.

If you want to sit back with your employees and have a laugh it can be done outside of work hours. This will help the employees know what workplace behaviour is and what is kept for afterhours only. This means you can still have a laugh and bit of a humour with your employees but when it is done outside of work hours it helps keep your leadership role during work hours.

There is no more fighting going on in your head trying to decide whether to be fair or serious in the workplace when you simply need to do a little bit of both to keep things running smoothly and on track. Don’t be afraid to be a professional, strict boss but also don’t be afraid to ask how your employees are going, are they happy? What would make their job easier etc. Learn the balance and the workplace will be a better place for both you, the workers and your clients.

General Office