Leadership Methods: Taking Control

Leadership is a privileged position to be in, apart from the day-to-day care that we show ourselves and the work we put in which makes us look good. In a leadership role, this attention is dispersed among the members of your team, you are included, but you have to be far more attentive. Leading people is not something just anyone can do, this is a role that takes mental toughness and real-life experience to carry out tasks based on a vision.

Leadership involves acting in the best interest of the group as a whole and tending to the needs of members of the team. This can be difficult, especially when there are members who aren’t pulling their weight or are falling behind. However, leadership is not a place for blame, you as the leader are responsible for any and everything that goes on within your operation. This is a testing position, it will require you to maintain a high level of emotional intelligence. With that being said, here are seven pieces of advice that can help you lead to the best of your ability.

1. Take Accountability, Don’t Look For Blame

When an issue arises, you need to take accountability for what went wrong. It’s easy to say “well this person didn’t do this” but what you need to say is “I didn’t prepare this person to handle this, let me change that”. If you point fingers at your team, they will start to lose interest in being led by you and the task at hand. Instead, use your emotional intelligence to assess where there is room for improvement and apply action.

2. You Set Your Standard

If an underperforming member remains in a position that is hurting your objective, this is your fault, not theirs. What you allow to happen is your standard, not what you would like to happen. Leaders all have ideals for the way their operation should run and they consider that to be their standard. Their actual standard is evident in the way their operation is running and the efforts they are taking to improve. In short, if you allow mediocrity on your team then your standards for results are mediocre.

3. Everyone Must Be All In

Communication is everything, it is crucial to communicate the reasoning behind tasks so that team members are invested to get it done. It is also important to communicate and handle issues as a team when they arise. When your team knows what is trying to be accomplished, their productivity improves. This all stems from communicating and ensuring that everyone knows what is expected of them. It also means that you must know what is expected of yourself as a leader. Again, you are responsible for the outcome, examine the areas of importance, and review them with your team.

4. The Task Must Be Easy To Understand, But That Doesn’t Make It Easy

It must be made sure that the members understand the plan as straightforward. However, this doesn’t mean that it will be a breeze to conduct. Members must be willing to endure the struggle associated with the task. 

5. Set Your Priorities

The to-do list will get long and stressful situations will arise, handling this properly will determine the productivity of your team. It is best to prioritize the most pressing tasks first and then complete the rest the same way. By doing this, you prevent multi-tasking, which is a killer to productivity and will only create more, unnecessary stress.

6. Give Team Members Responsibility

Over time, after credibility and communication skills have been established, trust your team members to make decisions. This will make them feel valued and demonstrate that you trust their judgment. Decentralizing authority will motivate your team and allow you to focus on other areas more closely. Giving your team members responsibility will allow them to improve and achieve more in their future endeavors. 

7. Build Self-Discipline

Every day is an opportunity to achieve, but every day provides challenges that can inhibit your effectiveness. Start the day with something you don’t want to do, wake up early, and don’t look at your phone for 30 minutes. Take that time to instead get a head start on the day as opposed to checking your socials. An act like this will demonstrate your self-control and allow you to carry that throughout the day. This will translate into your decision-making and productivity as the day progresses. Ultimately, put yourself in uncomfortable situations to grow and make yourself better, then use it to make the people around you better.

Conclusion

Good leaders can create amazing things in this world, more than that they can inspire people to better themselves and achieve. Having this impact is a privilege that is earned, not given, and takes very mentally equipped individuals. So whether you are the CEO of a company, the captain of a team, a teacher, or any sort of role model, you are paving the way for others. The results of which do not come from those you lead, they come from your ability to lead them.

We work with successful companies to increase their net profits using exceptional custom software solutions, contact us here to see how we can help your business grow!

Business Presentations: How You Can Succeed

If you work in a company, are a student, or even a business executive, the most beneficial skill you can have is being a good presenter. Presentations often are the lead determiner to the majority of decisions made in a company. Presenting effectively can set your career on a trajectory to high-level positions. As a result, if you are a great presenter, you will thrive in communication skills and form relationships, leading to opportunity. 

Oftentimes, speaking in front of people can create anxiety, especially when presenting to a boss, professor, or classroom. It’s important to know that this is a normal feeling when going into any situation that entails an unknown outcome. The first step is to recognize this feeling not as anxiousness, but as excitement. Anxiety and excitement are relatively the same feelings, yet one connects to negativity. Embrace the feeling, but recognize it as exciting to give you an added layer of confidence before going into these next 5 steps:

Know Your Material

Before you speak to your audience, make sure that you understand your information perfectly. Using things like cue cards is helpful to grab information and slides for your audience to see a representation of what you’re talking about, but you cannot rely on them alone. Practice and familiarize yourself with what it is you’re talking about, why it’s important, and what the intended outcome is. This will heavily benefit you in keeping your audience engaged and persuading them to rationalize with your intent. 

Be Passionate

It’s one thing to know your material, but presenting it with enthusiasm is what separates good from great. Your audience will easily lose interest if you are monotone, standing tight, and treating it like it is truly just a job to you. You must loosen up, use body language, own the room, this will demonstrate that you believe in what you are saying and truly care. Do not read from a slide, this is the easiest way to lose an audience's attention and your credibility as a presenter. Simply use the visuals as a background piece to display simple information and not blocks of text, you are adding a visual to the words you are saying.

Arrive Early

Familiarize yourself with the space in which you will be presenting. Make sure all technical equipment is working or charged, also practice using the equipment. This is extremely beneficial to prevent technical errors that could disrupt your presentation. It is best to arrive 30 minutes to an hour before the presentation. A practice run before is also beneficial. Aside from the benefits of preparation, this will express your care for your cause. It will also give you a chance to possibly meet your audience or the ones responsible for the organization of the event.

A Strong Introduction

Catch your audience's attention early, use facts, stats, or even a story that is sure to grasp their attention. I’m sure you’ve heard of the importance of first impressions. In the case of public speaking, this can make or break a presentation. There are numerous creative ways to construct a good introduction, as the presenter, it is up to you to decide which best fits your content. As well, once the introduction is developed, the rest of the content can be built around it. 

Add Humor, When Necessary

When presenting, it is always a good idea to break up detailed stats and information with something that can make the audience enjoy themselves. This creates a form of bond with your audience that makes them view the presentation less strictly, giving emotional relief. Tailor your approach to the audience and find subtle ways that work well with your material to slip in humor. It is also a cognitive effect called the humorous effect that allows people to better retain information when they find it funny.

Conclusion

Speaking in public can be difficult, nerves can overtake your thought process and cause you to stress out. It is important to know that this is normal, but it is more important to know that practicing the advice you just read will have you prepared to succeed. Mastering the skill of presenting effectively will open doors in your career. It will put you in a position to feel free in whatever it is you do, as you are expressing your thoughts.

Do not shy away from uncomfortable situations, this is what makes people grow into the best version of themselves. At the end of the day, if you are confident in your beliefs and decisions, you will live a very fulfilled life. It is up to you if you want to be like the majority who shy away from discomfort, or take on a position of power, what will it be?

We work with successful companies to increase their net profits using exceptional custom software solutions, contact us here to see how we can help your business grow!

8 Canadian Entrepreneur Statistics for 2021

It is not a mystery that Entrepreneurs play a leading role in the economy of countries. From providing job opportunities in the short or long term to introducing innovative services and products. Entrepreneurship drives the economy and increases competition between companies, encouraging them to be more productive.

Specifically in Canada, entrepreneurs have become an essential part of the development of the economy. In this blog, we will show some interesting statistics that support the above idea.

A few interesting facts to take a look at:

• Futurpreneur Canada is the leading source for young small businesses in Canada. It is a nonprofit organization that supports business owners ages 18-39 by providing them with money, mentorship, and general support.

• In 2019, the Government of Canada created the Black Entrepreneurship Program, about $53 million were invested in setting up a new National Ecosystem Fund to access funding for training, financial services, and mentorship.

Top 8 eye-catching statistics of entrepreneurship in Canada:

1. There are 3.5 million entrepreneurs in Canada.

According to the 2018 Canadian Entrepreneurship Census Report, Canada is one of the most entrepreneurial countries in the world. Across the country, there are 3.5 million entrepreneurs in a wide range of profiles.

2. Women-owned businesses are mainly in the service sector.

A study carried out in 2019 reveals that women are more likely to be in the services sector, with a representation of 63.1% in education and health and 52.8% in accommodation and food services, 44.1% in information, recreation, and culture, 38.5% in insurance, real estate and finance; and 38.1% in other professional services. It is important to highlight that this sector has been the hardest hit by the pandemic.

3. Women entrepreneurs tend to have fewer employees.

According to The State of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Canada, 92.7% of Canadian women-owned businesses are micro-enterprises with no more than 20 employees. Between 2005 and 2013, the relative growth of women-owned businesses was stronger than that of men-owned businesses and was particularly notable among women-owned businesses with 5 to 19 employees.

4. Around 42% of Millennials in Canada were interested in owning a business.

A survey conducted a few years ago showed that at least 25% of people surveyed were interested in starting or running a business in the future, and one in 10 expected to do so in the next few years. Millennials represented 42% of those interested in entrepreneurship, being the majority entrepreneurial age group.

5. Up to 42% of new businesses in Canada fail because there is no need for the products and services they offer.

There are additional reasons why a business can fail. A survey conducted by CBInsights exposed the following reasons:

• 14% ignored customers 

• 14% poor marketing efforts

• 17% lacked a business model

• 18% pricing and costs issues

• 23% did not have the right team running the business

• 29% run out of money

• 42% there was no market need for their services or products

  6. Due to COVID-19, there was a significant shut down of companies in Canada in 2020, but in 2021 there was a change in the economic landscape.

According to Fundsquare, in June 2021, active businesses dropped from 907,124 to 901,794 in October. However, the general behavior is not completely negative when it is observed that business closures fell from 87,998 in April 2020 to 39,216 in October 2021.

Business closure was the result of the pandemic for many businesses in Canada, and this was increasingly significant in the first year. Although, the negative effect the pandemic has had on Canadian businesses is still visible.

7. Around 40% of small businesses in Canada intend to invest in technology in 2021.

After the pandemic hit the global economy, the digital technology sector has enjoyed a boost. Many companies were saved by implementing remote work, e-learning, and e-commerce strategies. As a result, different services in the digital industry have found greater demand.

8. Approximately 72.4% of Canadians consider entrepreneurship a desirable career choice.

Although success does not come easy, a high percentage of Canadians are drawn to the entrepreneurial path. Around 10% of Canadians plan to open their business in the next few years, while another 14% want to but are not quite sure yet.

To sum up, Canadian entrepreneurs are influenced by a healthy ecosystem, they can find support programs provided by the government or by non-profit organizations. Women are playing a significant role in business growth, as the percentage of small businesses owned by women has increased in recent years. Although the pandemic has affected Canada's economy and therefore many businesses have been severely damaged, the long-term outlook for the economy looks quite good.

We work with successful companies to increase their net profits using exceptional custom software solutions, contact us here to see how we can help your business grow!