4 Leadership Traits That'll Set Your Tech Startup Up For Success

Good leadership is the key to any successful business, let
alone one that relies heavily on technological products.

A good leader will guide their team to success, and they
will have many traits which make them a role model.

Perhaps you’re new to the business world, or maybe just
looking to start a new career in the tech industry; whatever it is, if you’re
managing people, then it’s absolutely vital to be a strong leader.

Good leaders are those who can achieve:

• Loyalty from customers and staff 
• An increased number of satisfied customers
• Productivity/efficiency
• Happiness and engagement amongst employees
• Increased sales and profits

In this blog, we’ve covered four absolutely vital leadership
skills that you need to make your business a success.

What Makes a Good Leader?

Any organisation needs a figurehead, and every entrepreneur
needs to be good at some form of leadership.

But with so much going on, why should a busy business owner
take the time to develop these skills?

The answer is simple: you can’t build a successful business
without knowing how to lead your employees.

This is because when there’s a problem to be solved or an
emergency that needs a swift resolution, your employees will look for a strong example to follow.

A strong leader will address three key important employee
needs:

1. Trust – This means that the people around
you must know that you’re following through with what you say you’ll do. Trust is a natural side effect when you follow through with your stated behaviour.

2. Consistency – Your customers, employees
and any internal or external partners aren’t interested in someone who can’t carry out their day-to-day business consistently. Customers want to form relationships; employees want to know their job is secure, and partners will want to see you making efforts to grow the business.

3. Positivity – Everyone connected to your
business must be shown that plans to grow into the future are looking positive. It’s up to you to build that positive feeling throughout the company. Negativity is a killer for any business.

#1: Motivation

70% of workers say they are not satisfied with their career choices, this is a considerable statistic and it is highly likely that some of your employees, past or present, are part of this population.  

Employees are easy to motivate at first, but as time goes on,
they become comfortable, and complacency creeps in. 

You can tackle this by communicating with your staff, don’t let them feel like you have forgotten about them. The lack of communication in the workplace will lead to lower productivity as employees aren’t engaged in business activities.

Offer advice and praise your staff while providing constructive feedback, so staff don’t feel like they are letting you down. 

#2: Persuasion

Your ability to persuade depends on how confident you are,
being confident is a vital characteristic of a business owner in a sector which relies heavily on jargon and highly technical phrases. It means you need to truly get behind what you are trying to inform people about and speak passionately and honestly about it – both of which are powerful tools.

It’s not just about persuading employees to see your point
of view but customers too, if you are able to paint a picture in their mind,
they are more likely to purchase your products or invest in your services.

#3: Empathy

If you, as a leader, can consider a variety of perspectives,
then you have scaled a considerable obstacle. To be able to understand
different individuals’ circumstances is a sign that you can be a good
leader. 

If you can take a step back and see what it is like for your
staff and your customers, there may be a few things which you could change about your business to make it better. You can make these changes before your employees become unmotivated or your customers go elsewhere.

It is essential to anticipate issues and address them before
they get worse.

#4: Time Management

Time management sounds like a simple concept to master, but
as your business grows, it can get a little tricky. As business activities are
increasing in volume, they’ll require more of your time.

As your company expands, you need to ensure attention to detail does not falter; these small details help build the foundations of your business and attract more customers.

What Strong Leadership Brings

Being a strong leader doesn’t have to be complicated; anyone
can learn all four of these skills. All the concepts are simple; it just
requires real-life practice.

Each of the skills listed contributes to a motivated workplace in a happy environment. When there is a pleasant environment, team members are more likely to collaborate on ideas and gain a better knowledge of each other and what the business needs to achieve. What’s more, staff will want to make the leader proud as they will have a deep respect for them. 

Graham Chapman is a sustainable product and business expert and the managing director of powerguard.co.uk