Tip #467: How To Encourage Your Staff To Place Business Goals Above Personal Ambitions

Leadership is a business skill that needs continuous work. Without it being worked on, an otherwise savvy business person can sometimes be a detriment to his or her company.

So how does one manage significant team-based decisions while ensuring that the interests of the business are also met and served?

Even The Best Business Leaders Focus On Their Own Interests. 

No matter who is leading or managing a team, they are all human. And because of this, they become susceptible to positioning themselves in the best light for larger budgets, pay increases, bonuses and promotions. Due to this, some team members will tend to put their needs above the organization's corporate goals.   

Key Attributes Your Team Leaders Should Consider.

We've taken what many best-in-class team leaders do and have listed them below. Specifically:   

• They are open to compromise.
• They come up with a solution that drives sales and production while still maintaining a focus on cost containment and profits.
• They look at satisfying the end-user and/or customers.

  

Have Your Leaders Focus On The Company's Goals Vs. Their Own Personal Agendas.

Think about those serving in other professions. Their missions are clearly defined. Let's say that a group of leaders are working on a process improvement project in the shipping department, for example, it is clear that the "shipping department" is the customer being served.

While the goal of process improvement is clear, each leader tends to a specialty - IT, shipping, warehousing, etc. Prior to working on optimizing the department, the leaders must discuss:

• What they must fix (diagnose the problems)
• How best to fix it
• Who handles what aspect of the shipping department
• Timeline of completion

You and your team can tackle work projects with the same level of focus. However, it is important to dissect and solve the problems at hand. Additionally, they need to set new ideas, methods, procedures, etc. into action by putting the goals of their organization first - even if it involves a reduction of labor.

Executive Summary: By committing to put the business' needs before ones personal needs, your team will spend less time arguing over what to do. Plus, a more focused approach will help your team identify and solve problems and issues - even if they affect other personnel. That said, do not forget to reward them for their individual efforts and contributions as well as their ability to put the business first.

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