5 Leadership Lessons From Successful Small-Business Owners

No two businesses and industries are alike, but successful leadership principles are largely universal. So, learn by emulating what successful business owners and leaders have done to succeed.
We asked several successful business owners for their best leadership advice. Some fundamental concepts were cited over and over again.
1. Communicate vision and goals
It's not enough for successful leaders to simply have a clear vision. A true leader must communicate that vision and those goals to employees, investors and customers. Without a clear sense of goals, it is easy for everyone involved to lose sight of the larger picture and get lost in the details.
“Much time is wasted in the entrepreneurial process, because the entrepreneur is not clear on the desired outcome," says Dr. David Washington, founder of Washington and Company. "The lack of clarity is then passed down to the followers, which results in missed objectives.” Washington is the author of Life is a Choice: A Guide to Success in Life.
2. Listen
Leaders must be able to listen and understand, as well as communicate.
“Leadership has a core fundamental for me, and that is dialog," said John Spiridigliozzi, vice president of business development at Infinit Technology Solutions. "I have had instances where I was sure I was communicating only to find out I was publishing.
"Engaging in a dialog with team members [is an] opportunity for clarity…. Learning to listen is not simply keeping quiet while others talk. It is comprehending what is being said, assessing the value and responding accordingly.”
3. Build relationships
People are your greatest resource: clients and customers as well as employees. Find ways to strengthen the level of trust you have with everyone involved in your enterprise.
“Be considerate. Be transparent and consistent. Be fair. Be constructive. Be realistic. Be decisive," says Larry M. Elkin, CPA, CFPR and founder of Palisades Hudson Financial Group. He says it all comes down to trust. "We all say we want team players, but many leaders forget to act as part of the team. It is not only important that your workers trust each other: It is vital that they trust you as their leader.”
4. Set the tone
Company culture, tone and attitude come from the top down. A passionate and compassionate leader can energize an entire company. Set an example of cooperation, trust and openness. Focus on solutions and positivity instead of blame and backstabbing.
“You can go through thousands of dollars in consultants to shape your culture, but it will still come back to the owner's approach," says Kristi Hedges, leadership consultant and coach at The Hedges Company.
Hedges favors a hands-on approach. "If you're motivated and happy in your role, then others will follow your lead. And if you're burned out and tired, that energy will permeate everything. Owners need to make sure they shape their role, and their company, to make them fulfilled and excited. If you put yourself last, you're hurting the entire organization."
5. Share ownership
In a tough economic climate, it is more important than ever to be open-minded and employ a community-style approach to leadership. It's a “many heads are better than one” approach.
A good leader allows both employee responsibility and creativity to encourage growth and new ideas. Successful leaders understand the value of customer and community input. Soliciting and listening to feedback and suggestions can lead to a better understanding of what needs to be done and also generates company loyalty and a brand following.
“In our business, we've learned that a little transparency can go a long way toward increasing employees' confidence, commitment and energy,” said Ethan Willis, CEO of Prosper Inc. and co-author of "The One-Minute Entrepreneur."
Royale Scuderi is a freelance writer and success coach. She is the founder of Productive Life Concepts and has been featured on Stepcase Lifehack and The Huffington Post. You can find her musings on life and business at GuardWife.com and Twitter.com/RoyaleScuderi.

Guru Review: Great Leaders GROW

Ken Blanchard is one of the original business gurus, and the inventor of the modern business fable, so it's my pleasure to review his recent offering. Ken rose to guru status with The One Minute Manager, which started out as a self-published book. Ken has just published a new fable, called Great Leaders GROW: Becoming a Leader for Life, with Mark Miller, vice president of training and development at Chik-fil-A. It's their second collaboration, and Mark's third book.
Great Leaders Grow continues the business saga of Debbie Brewster, a character the authors introduced in their previous book, The Secret. The emphasis in Great Leaders Grow is showing leaders, and aspiring leaders, how to ensure that they'll be able to effectively serve others throughout their careers.
Debbie Brewster has become an accomplished leader, and now becomes a mentor to Blake, the son of Debbie's former mentor. She teaches him not just how to lead, but emphasizes the critical importance of continually learning and developing his leadership abilities throughout his career. She identifies four areas in which every leader must continue to G.R.O.W.:
Gain knowledge of themselves, others, their industry and the field of leadership. Every leader is a learner, but many leaders fail to gain knowledge because they have too much to do–they're going too fast and trying to accomplish too much.
Reach out to others both formally and informally. As a leader, your role is to teach both by sharing information as well as by probing questions.
Open your world at work and outside of work. If you get too busy with your job to grow, your influence and your leadership will stagnate and ultimately evaporate.
Walk toward wisdom through self-evaluation, feedback and counsel. Wisdom is the application of knowledge, discernment, insight, experience and judgment to make good decisions when the answer may not be obvious.
The best way to review a business fable is to interview the authors about applying the key messages they're trying to communicate through storytelling. So I sent Ken and Mark the following questions. Here are their answers:

How will people be able to tell whether they are growing or not?

They have to be able to answer "yes" to questions like: Are they responding to the challenges of their roles in new and fresh ways? Are people seeking them out for their counsel on issues?

What is the number one mistake someone makes while growing to become a leader?

Quite simply this: confusing leadership with a position or a title.

How is the mentality of a leader who is willing to grow different from one who isn't? What are their advantages? Any possible disadvantages?

Growing leaders understand how little they really know about the world. They have an appropriate humility regarding their roles and their accomplishments.Leaders who aren't willing to grow have misplaced confidence in their own abilities. Their egos are huge obstacles to their future success.

What is the biggest hurdle a leader needs to overcome when growing?

The biggest challenge is not getting too caught up in today's challenges and ignoring the future. A leader's first priority is to ensure that there will be a future for his or her organization. Unless a leader is extremely vigilant, the current challenges will always win the day over future challenges. Only the disciplined leader will make time to grow, yet growth is absolutely required.

What is the most important advice you would give to current leaders? Newcomers?

The advice is the same for both: Assume responsibility for your own growth as a leader. If your organization will help, that's fantastic. However, your growth is not your organization's responsibility.

How have you personally implemented these lessons in your life?

Personal growth is a daily priority for both of us. We understand that our capacity to grow determines our capacity to lead and practice the four strategies on a regular basis. In the "Gain Knowledge" arena, we read widely, spend time with mentors, attend seminars and the like. We "Reach Out to Others" by teaching and equipping leaders around the world. Mark leads a group that has been studying leadership for 13 years and recently started a blog to serve other leaders, called Great Leaders Serve. The third strategy, "Open Your World," is the most fun for us. In recent months Ken spent time in Australia and Mark took a trip to Antarctica! We "Walk Toward Wisdom" by proactively listening and learning all we can about ourselves and others. For example, Mark recently completed a self-initiated, anonymous survey of friends and associates around the things that he should Stop Doing, Start Doing, and Continue Doing–and learned a lot!