Small Business Preparedness – Planning Tool – LC – Strengths, Weaknesses and Core Purpose

No matter how well you have thought through or planned for a crisis, the successful recovery of your organization needs people to make it happen!

Let's consider some of the basics of leading and developing a team that is invested in success and looking out for signs of potential disruptions.

Reflection

Do you feel like your staff follow your lead? Crises often require rapid decision making. You need to be able to make and communicate decisions in a way that gets others to understand the desirability and achievability of the task at hand. Take some time to self-reflect on what you are good at - your strengths could be things listed below:

• Listening to your team
• Encouraging others
• Innovating
• Growing others
• Big picture thinking
• Building teams
• Goal setting

Expert tip:

Some people find this hard to do, but everyone is good at something. If you are stuck, ask a trusted colleague or friend for what they think are your leadership strengths.

Reflection

Now take some time to self-reflect on what you find challenging:

• Listening to your team
• Encouraging others
• Innovating
• Growing others
• Big picture thinking
• Building teams
• Goal setting

Expert Tip:

A key to helping improve a weakness is to use your strength to tackle it. For example, if you are good at listening to your team, then maybe they can give you some ideas on how to improve your innovation skills.

Reflection:

Now think how you confident you feel you would react as a leader if your business was affected by a disaster. 

For more help on what you might need to do to lead your business through a crisis, check out the link below for guidance.

Chaos to Teamwork: A Leader's Role in Crisis

Reflection:

Now that you have identified leadership challenges, decide on one thing you are going to work on in the next week.

Need ideas to get you started?

• Do you have any colleagues or business associates that are really good at these things? You could ask them to mentor you.
• Ask a colleague or staff member for feedback on your leadership.
• Allocate 2 hours a week to think about the strategic direction of your business.
• Delegate one of your usual tasks to someone else - and mentor them through the task.

You may want to think about your current leadership style or trying different ways to lead you team to see what is most effective.

Leadership Styles:

• Come with Me Leadership
  • Inclusive, mobilizing people toward a clear vision.
• People Come First Leadership
  • Focusing on emotional support.
• What Do You Think Leadership
  • Leading through listening and consensus.
• Lead by Example Leadership
  • Setting high standards and expecting self direction.
• Coaching Leadership
  • Developing people.
• Do This Leadership
• Command and control (effective in a crisis).

Reflection:

Are you clear about what your business is trying to achieve? In a crisis, speedy decisions are often needed without all of the information you may normally rely on.

You and your team need to be really clear about just what your business is all about.

BCP Action:

• Note the core purpose of your business (in 3-4 sentences). Remember, a core purpose is different from key processes and functions.

Ask each staff member to state what your business is about in 3-4 sentences.

Are others clear about what your business is trying to achieve? You and your team need to be really clear about just what your business is all about. If everybody thinks there are different priorities they will pull in different directions. 

You need to ensure that all staff understand the core essence of what you do. Unless you and your staff are clear about your goals and priorities, you cannot work together to restore the most important elements following a crisis. 

Well done! You have now completed Leadership and Culture: Strengths, Weaknesses and Core Purpose.

All these elements of leadership and culture will help you and your team navigate a crisis in the future.

If you have not already done so, please note this information in your Business Continuity Plan.