How to Be An Amazing Example of a Leader to Your Employees

Step one of building your business is coming up with brilliant ideas. Step two is taking the plunge and going for it. Step three is nurturing it to succeed. And step four — of a million more — is hiring other people along for the journey. Whether you anticipate it or not, the moment you welcome someone to your team, you’re seen as an example of a leader through their eyes. Even if you never considered yourself a career mentor previously, an entrepreneur naturally falls into this role, and it’s important to take it seriously. How you express yourself, conduct yourself in meetings, and carefully choose your language all contribute to your company's overall culture. Here, we spoke with female leaders on how they demonstrate leadership through their actions to foster an encouraging atmosphere for all employees:

Admit when you make a mistake. 

Even the wealthiest, most successful and revered leaders in the world make mistakes. And not only do they fall short sometimes, but they also don’t meet expectations frequently. While as a type-A perfectionist, you may beat yourself up for these blunders, it speaks volumes for your character to admit your failures, big and small. It’s this principle of honesty that helps Laura Catella, the founder of Eden Beauty speak to her employees as peers. She admits it when she has a misstep, providing a pivotal example of a leader within her company. 

“I openly tell my team when I made a mistake so that they learn not to fear their own mistakes,” she continues. “Being afraid of — and trying to ‘bury’ a mistake — will only cause the underlying issue to swell. Whereas bringing errors out into the open repositions them as learning opportunities.” 

Catella says when she positively speaks on her mistakes, shares the lessons she’s learned from them, and provides an action plan for the future, she demonstrates vulnerability. In return, her team will have a renewed confidence in her since she saw a setback as an opportunity. 

Give women a voice. 

As a female entrepreneur, you may feel personally charged to become a career mentor to rising women in your industry. This is an amazing aspiration to have — and one that you can execute in your own company. (And hey, at FemCity, ladies helping ladies is something we celebrate tenfold!) Stephanie Schull, Ph.D., the inventor and CEO of Kegelbell says as a woman in a leadership position, she models how to be strong during meetings, since she’s witnessed too many females being spoken over. This, she says, it the most significant way their authority is undermined, and it sets the culture back whenever it’s on display. “I solicit the opinion and feedback of women in the room if I find their voices aren't being heard, and I silence people who are trying to speak over women,” she continues. “When it comes to making decisions that shape the company, implement the proposals women make and then properly attribute the work to them because historically, credit was not given for their work and ideas.”

Make sure support is 360-degree

When you think back to the various stages of growing your business, there have been some happy times, some stressful ones, and a mix of the in-between, uncertain periods. That’s healthy, normal and to be expected. In the same vein, employees are impacted professionally through personal stressors. That’s why providing 360-degree support to all team members is a meaningful way to be an example of a leader, according to Julia Longyear, the founder of Blissoma. This requires taking time to get to know everyone you hire, inquire about their current lives outside of work, and listening when they express concern or anxiety. 

As Longyear says, everyone needs emotional, practical and skill support sometimes, and that’s where you can step in as a career mentor. “When my staff is going through something personal, I make time for them to be human and listen when they want to talk about their challenges at home. We are human beings first, and workers second,” she shares. “No one can do their best work when they are upset or feeling off-kilter, so we try to address that the best that we can.”

And remember: it should go both ways. If you’re having an off day, you should admit it so that others feel empowered to do the same. Then, your own leadership team can step up for you, too. 

Trust your gut.

To be an example of a leader, you have to learn to trust yourself. How come? You can’t guide others if you aren’t self-secure in your abilities, firm in your beliefs and strong in your speeches; others will sense it. A big part of being a career mentor is listening to that small, yet mighty, voice in the back of your head, and that pinching feeling in your stomach. As daunting as it can be to have all eyes on you, remember there’s a reason you’re in the spotlight at your company: you started it. So when something feels off? Or employees feel disconnected or low energy? Tune-in to those feelings, suggests Emily Darchuk, the CEO of Wheyward Spirit. Your priority should be the culture. “Talking about issues early keeps a working environment that is proactive versus being reactive and toxic,” she continues. “Don’t be afraid to cut ties with a bad fit, be upfront with concerns to allow room for growth, but sometimes it's best for everyone to end a bad relationship cleanly and amicably.”

 

Surround yourself with people who fill in your shortcomings. 

As you have likely learned by now, you don’t know everything about everything. But here’s a more critical (and reassuring fact): no one expects you to be an all-knowing, tell-all, do-all genie. In fact, your employees would prefer if you were self-aware, empathic and vocal about your shortcomings. And better yet: if you hire people who fill in your gaps. This is being an example of a leader since you surround yourself with smart, talented humans, according to Barbara Cook, the CEO of Lovers. 

“Let people who have great ideas feel comfortable bringing those ideas to the table. Surround yourself with great talent, and admit to never having everything before — somebody in your network or on your team has likely done it before,” she continues. “To be a great leader, you don’t have to have all the answers. The real trick is finding people who do have the answers. The false pressure to have all the answers all of the time may cause you to make more mistakes down the line. Your business can shine that way.”

Say ‘no’ sometimes. 

As a founder, leader — and especially as women — we often feel the need to say ‘yes’ to everything that comes our way, according to Rachel Tekola, the co-founder of Learnabi. While this may be our instinct, it’s essential to fight against nodding along and agreeing with everything that lands across your desk or inbox. As any smart career mentor would remind you, time is money — and as an entrepreneur, you should stand up for your worth. To do this, Tekola says to practice being intentional when you are given a choice to hop on board or get off the train. All ‘yes’ should feel right and be within your current scope. And all ‘no’s should be confident and concrete, without wavering. The more you do this to set an example of a leader for your employees, the more empowered they will feel to prioritize their own accountabilities. 

“Earlier in my founder career, I learned that saying yes to everything to please people will lead to burn out and it will ultimately be hard to show up for your team and your company,” she continues. “Hustle culture is a huge part of the start-up industry. However, I believe in prioritizing work-life balance, mental health and sanity.”

Want to learn more about how to become an example of a leader to your employees? Connect with other like-minded female leaders in your community by joining FemCity. Get in touch today.