Positive leadership: What would Craig do?
Positive Leadership is about fostering empowerment and allowing people to grow and learn in a safe space, Craig West from Succession Plus explains.
Leadership is more attractive and more likely to influence others. No-one follows a “leader” who expects to lose, plans for the worst and highlights failures.
People naturally want to look on the bright side – showing your people what the bright side could look like (Vision), the best way to get there and why it makes a difference (Mission) is the essence of leadership.
As a business leader, encouraging all employees to lead can make a huge difference. I remember telling my PA that every time she wasn’t sure what to do, she should just think: “What would Craig probably do?” and then back herself to make that choice and go ahead.
However, this approach only works if the staff member is supported and feels safe to make that decision – she is not going to get it right every time (I sure don’t) – but indecision and delay is far worse than making an error now and then.
Empowering leadership is also central to a thriving business and a business full of leaders would be a great place to work (or own or manage or buy).
We implement a lot of Employee Share Ownership Plans and we actually have one in our business. They are becoming more and more popular because the underlying philosophy is also about leadership.
The best way to encourage employees to think and act like a business owner is to help them become one. Owner shares has financial benefits of course but the psychology of ownership mindset is more important.
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How does your business foster positive leadership?
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Craig West is the CEO of Succession Plus, a boutique advisory firm specialising in business succession and exit planning. In addition to earning some of the industry’s highest awards, he is also the author of ‘Enjoy It’, a business succession and exit planning guide for small and medium business owners. Craig received the Doctor of Business Administration award for his research thesis titled “Examination of the key factors driving business exit options in Australian Small and Medium Enterprises” in 2022. Craig is passionate about encouraging business owners to think strategically, maximise the value of their business and achieve a successful exit.
