In our many years of working with entrepreneurs and SMEs, one of the many questions that we receive is on how leaders build enduring businesses. But not quite often do we get such enquiries about the connection between the strategic direction of the enterprise and the teams that work tirelessly with the entrepreneur.

We believe that more focus must be on how excellent and enduring leaders build legacies through strong teams.

Leaders, be them at the family, corporate or national level, are the determinants of how much their followers and institutions achieve.

If a leader is excellent, his or her team will dream and achieve more to benefit both the organisation and the individual.

At all times, therefore, institutions and countries need excellent entrepreneurial leaders to bring about change and to produce desired results.

However, leadership cannot exist without followers.

To effectively manage followers to produce desired results, Human Capital International, as an SME-focused company, we share with you what excellent entrepreneurial leaders do daily to inspire and transform their teams.

Acknowledge and appreciate their followers for their ideas and accomplishments.

One of the core preoccupations of a leader should be to come up with creative ways on how to keep the team always motivated and focused.

Your team may know their contractual obligations to the company, but in line with executing their duties, there are many distractions along the way.

Part of motivating your staff is by way of showing appreciation even for the little accomplishments and ideas they generate every day.

Work environment happiness and job satisfaction to many employees are derived from a leader’s appreciation of his or her team’s efforts.

Sincere and genuine appreciation and acknowledgement by the leader of both team and unique individual contributions to the organisation’s strategic goals boost staff motivation, morale, and loyalty to the leader and the company.

It can lead to increased productivity from staff as well.

Unfortunately, despite this vital importance of the correlation between the leader’s appreciation and acknowledgement of staff’s effort and productivity, Julie, D., et al., (2014), says only 21 per cent of employees feel strongly valued at their workplaces.

To be an excellent entrepreneurial leader, start to appreciate your employees today and see their productivity soar.

Seek teams’ feedback.

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Getting feedback from team members is a must-have virtue for all excellent entrepreneurial leaders.

Regularly, excellent leaders seek the opinions of others as a sign that team members’ inputs matter and are valuable to the growth of the company.

It portrays the leader as a self-assured and secured person who is open to learning.

According to Michael Lee Stallard, a senior contributor to the Wall Street Journal “seeking and considering the opinions and ideas of others reflects the character and strength of wisdom and humility of an excellent leader.”

Soliciting the feedback of others before decisions are made, helps the leader to get buy-in from his followers. It also bids the team to take collective responsibility for any judgments.

Relatedly, Sean. E., (2016) explains that utilising other people’s evaluations in the form of opinions helps a leader to shape his or her conduct and know-how to relate with the team and other stakeholders.

Seek to help followers become better.

A leader’s success is mostly measured by the legacy or the number of successful followers he or she grooms.

A leader can only attain this milestone by helping to meet the skills and emotional needs gaps in his or her followers.

Investing in people to upskill, better their incomes, and grow their networks is part of the core business of the excellent entrepreneurial leader.

According to Andre, L., (2015) entrepreneurs blog, good leaders strive to “groom their employees for future leadership roles continuously”.

When followers know that a leader cares about their wellbeing, they will do everything possible to be productive and follow a leader’s guidance.

Keep to positivity even in uncertain times.

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The majority of SMEs in Africa have been severely affected by the impacts of COVID-19.

Many businesses have already closed. Others are limping to recover.

But even in such difficult days, the excellent entrepreneurial leader breathes positivity in their communication and posture before their followers.

Followers look up to a leader for motivation, and therefore, a leader should be the last man standing in all uncertainties.

According to Kevin Eikenberry, positivity increases the productivity of your staff.

As an entrepreneurial leader, never miss the opportunity to communicate and paint a brighter tomorrow in your regular interactions with your followers despite the obstacles.

Ensure that followers trust you.

Entrepreneurial leaders understand that part of their core mandate is to ensure that their followers trust them daily.

For followers to trust a leader, he or she must commit to doing exactly what they say at all times. The leader must be seen to walk the talk regardless.

Securing the trust of your followers means the leader will get the commitment, unhindered expression, creativity, and high productivity from the team.

The team becomes reliable and dependable.

According to David M., (2014), “trust is the glue which binds the leader to her/his followers and provides the capacity for organisational and leadership success.

Trust enables excellent leaders to obtain unparalleled loyalty and unity of the followers.

Excellent leaders who successfully transform their teams and businesses do these five things right.

More importantly, they do them with utmost commitment.

By embracing these secrets of excellent entrepreneurial leaders, you boost your chances of a successful transformation of your team, thus projecting your company way ahead in your industry.