Becoming the boss everyone wants: Ask yourself these 10 questions [Part 1]

As a business owner, you’ve got a lot on your plate. Yes, you scaled your business to where it is today. It’s an impressive achievement. But if you have a team, I’m pretty sure they had a hand in it. 

If you don’t have a team yet, there are still plenty of people that have played a part in your success; whether it was clients, vendors, or your mentors. Have you told them lately?

Showing your appreciation costs you nothing but can mean everything to someone else.

Let me tell you why this is so important to me.

I learned firsthand just how powerful appreciation, or the lack of it, can be in shaping a work environment.

In every single job before working at TVA PTBO, I always felt like a pawn. I felt like a number. I felt undervalued. NEVER heard or understood. 

I knew I was capable of so much more but all that mattered were connections, and a willingness to romance hindquarters. 

Call me a rebel, but I refused to jeopardize my integrity to further my career. I always felt that my hard work and dedication should speak for itself.  It was something I was so passionate about and always expressed how I felt; if little things changed within management and team collaboration, it would make a world of a difference. Unfortunately, this isn’t usually the case in the corporate world.

It fell on deaf ears. Nothing ever changed. Company after company. Position after position.

It became a pipe dream. It was all very discouraging. 

When I got in touch with Olivia, it was only supposed to be a conversation of her telling me what a VA is, and I was hoping she was going to point me in the right direction of how to get started. 

She offered me a job on the spot. 

Yes, I worked with her before, but we hadn’t spoken in years. She gave me a chance, offered me an opportunity I was praying for but did not expect at that moment. 

Remember that pipe dream I previously mentioned? It soon turned from a dream into reality. She was everything I dreamed of as a boss should be. 

I don’t care if I sound biased, having a boss that leads by example matters. Olivia trusts her team, she encourages us to live our lives, and she expresses her appreciation on a regular basis. 

We give her 110% almost every single day [unless we’re having a “brain day” at TVA. We don’t feel pressured to do it. We want to. We truly want her business to succeed just as much as she does - it’s our business too, something that we help grow and nurture.

If you are new to entrepreneurship and don’t have a team yet, or you think you will be hiring a team in the future, stick around. You’ll want this valuable advice in your back pocket for when the time comes!

Let’s break down how you can lead with appreciation and why it’s a game-changer for your business. 

Here are 5 questions you need to ask yourself:

1. Are you trusting your team, or just pretending to?

When I first started with Olivia, I told her every detail of what I was doing, and why I did it. If I had to run an errand, I would ask her if I could go or if I could leave at a certain time to pick up my son. 

Guess what her response was? “Why are you telling me? I don’t need to know everything. I trust you. I have a million things on the go, and I hired you to take things off my plate so as long as the work gets done, do whatever you need to. I don’t need to know every time you step away from your desk.”

I thought “Is she for real?”

In every job I’ve ever had, you had to be present, doing everything on their clock and there was no wiggle room. Needless to say, it took me a while to get comfortable with this as it was something I was not used to.

Not every business owner will approach things exactly this way, but trust is the foundation for any productive relationship. As an employee, it empowers me. For bosses, it reminds you to delegate confidently, and resist the urge to micromanage.

Remember: You hired them because you must have felt some sort of trust, whether it being that they are capable of the job, or you knew they were motivated to learn and excel. Lean into that trust and give them the space to do what you hired them for.

Bonus: you get to focus on your job instead of babysitting.

2. Are you a human or a robot?

Life happens. Kids get sick, cars break down, appointments need to be attended to.

Show a little compassion when your staff hit life’s inevitable speed bumps. Life isn’t always in our control. It happens to you; it can surely happen to them. Just because a job is 9-5, doesn’t mean life is.

Flexibility is something everyone needs. Running your business like a drill sergeant isn’t going to create a comfortable environment. People who feel supported are more loyal, more engaged, and way less likely to start secretly job hunting.

3. Are you setting them up for success, or just setting them up?

Processes! We talk about this ALL the time. Yes, you need them for your business AND for your team! 

Before working at TVA PTBO, I never would have thought about having a process for work. I thought of a process like when I start packing for vacation, or making dinner when I follow a process.

Thankfully, Olivia's processes are so detailed, and it makes our lives so much easier. 

If your staff are fumbling, don’t be so quick to point the finger. Are you as organized as possible? Ask yourself, “do I have clear processes and proper training in place?” 

They are non-negotiable. Don’t set them up to fail and then wonder why things went south. A well-prepared team is a productive team, and productive teams drive profits.

4. Do you really care about work-life balance?

“Work-life balance” has become a trendy phrase. If you’re not actually encouraging your team to take time off or log off at a reasonable hour, you’re setting them (and your business) up for burnout. 

We’re encouraged at TVA PTBO to take days off, or walk away if we are not feeling well or just need a mental health break. On Fridays, Olivia’s philosophy is, ‘It’s Friday, nothing new is coming in. Get your things done and if you have nothing, have a great weekend!” This also goes along with trusting us that when we do feel better, we return to get the job done.

People who are well-rested and happy bring their A-game, which is what you want, right?

5. How well do you know your team?

Here’s a wild idea: get to know your staff as actual humans.

Learn their favourite coffee order, or even if they like coffee. (I think it’s like drinking black nothingness🤢) You could even ask about their kids, or remember their pet’s name.

Want to go a step further?

Imagine if you asked your team “What do you like to do? Do you like data entry? Do you like researching? What do you not like?”

This is absurd. Who would ask their staff what they like if you hired them to do a job?!

I will tell you who…

OLIVIA!

Even if she needs someone to do the job, if you don’t like it, she’s not giving it to you. She wants you to love your job. She says she doesn’t like doing certain things and doesn’t want to make people do things they don’t actually like either.

When people feel seen, they’re more likely to stick around and go the extra mile. Plus, it makes the workplace a lot less boring.

Final thoughts

Here’s the bottom line: appreciated employees work harder, stay longer, and care more. 

I don’t remember the last time I felt the Sunday anxieties! I don’t dread going into work. I don’t cringe at seeing my boss's number come up on my phone or in my inbox. I look forward to our chats and meetings. 

When you create a culture of trust, recognition, and respect, your team will go above and beyond to help your business thrive.