1. © 2011 Apptivo Inc. All rights reserved.
You Aren’t a Strong Leader, Time to Fix That
Posted on January 31, 2012 by Maya Pillai
“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and
relentlessly drive it to completion.” – Jack Welch (former chairman and CEO of General Electric
Co.)
Leadership styles of small business owners are different from that of the large corporations. The
approach for running a small business is different from that of running a large organization. A
recent study conducted by Inc.com tells that small business owners perform better under pressure
than CEOs of large companies. Despite that, many small businesses fail within the first five
years due to poor leadership qualities of the SMB owners. What could be the reason? What is the
‘in-thing’ that is missing in a small business owner who has failed? Here we have put together a
few points that would be useful for startup owners and also the established SMB owners to
follow.
Leadership Qualities of a Small Business Owner
One thing that all small business owners need to keep in mind is never to emulate what the high-
profile Fortune 500 CEOs do. Large companies have an organizational structure that makes it

2. © 2011 Apptivo Inc. All rights reserved.
possible for their leaders to focus on the company’s vision. In reality, small businesses have to
go beyond a brand based primarily on your image. Let’s take a look at a few things that will
make you a good small business owner.
Are you dedicated and passionate about your business? – As a small business owner if you
are passionate about your business, you are likely to extend your enthusiasm to your employees.
You should motivate and inspire dedication in your staff to work as a team to achieve the goal of
your business.
Do not forget to appreciate your employees – The success of your business depends on
the people in your firm. Do not hesitate to appreciate even the small things that your
employees have done to make a project a success. This draws the employees closer to the
company.
Be fair and just – Do not assume or jump to conclusions right away. If a problem arises
between employees or among teams, show your patience by hearing both sides of the
story. Gather enough facts before passing judgment. Your employees will not only trust
you but will show you a great amount of dedication when they feel like they are being
treated fairly.
Nurture your employees – Remember, when someone is working for you, they are
looking up to you for advice on how to progress their career. An ideal leader would coach
his employees rather than just lead them. Give them space and also create an atmosphere
where your employees know that they have to get their work done in order to complete
the company mission. By doing so, you are encouraging them to climb up the ladder of
your organization as well as providing them an opportunity to start their own venture.
Nurturing is an amazing quality of an ideal boss.

3. © 2011 Apptivo Inc. All rights reserved.
Be proactive – Plan for the future of your business, keeping in mind the unforeseen
eventualities. At the time of a mishap, employees would look to you because they are not
sure what is to be done next. Instead of playing the blame game, it is advisable to make
decisions which are most suitable to the current situation of your business. The crises will
come and go, it is your decision making skills that will bind your employees to you.
Discover ways to be happy everyday – Remember when you dreamt of forming your
own company, it made you happy. Therefore, you should assert ways to sustain that
happiness as your company grows. Hire employees who like to work independently, are
self-motivated and are not afraid to make decisions. Find ones who are willing to go the
extra mile to shoulder responsibilities to make the dream of the company come true.
Therefore, as a leader/owner of your business, be honest with your employees.
A good leader would be creating new leaders instead of increasing the number of followers.
What are some leadership skills you use?
Flickr image by poptech