Should You Know More Than Your Employees?

As human beings, we like to multitask and be able to get multiple things whether connect or not done simultaneously. In the heat of passion, business becomes somewhat of a baby of ours. We feel it personally when it is criticized or even changed in the slightest. Being a leader and owner of your own business means this will happen to you on a daily occurrence, relentlessly. But you should never allow your emotions and mollycoddling instincts to get in the way of branching out, spreading your wings and trying new things. Sometimes you can be at loggerheads with your own employees. Every leader has been there when those who are working for them come up with suggestions to alter a project, product, marketing ploy and or service. The question comes up, should you know more than your employees or should you take them for their word and trust them?

Spotting challenges ahead

One of the most frustrating things in the professional world is a boss that is not wary of what you as an employee are. The simple case of not knowing what is going on at ground level in your own business and therefore the industry as a whole is without a doubt a fatal flaw. Running a small business has its own unique challenges, but sometimes where there are similar patterns that brings up the same symptoms over and over, you may class as a recurring or popular issue. Reading journals and magazines that report on your own industry is something you must make as part of your weekly habit. Reading publications that offer insight into the broader spectrum of business such as Forbes, Business Insider, Spectator Money, Bloomberg, Entrepreneur and Telegraph Business section keeps you up to date and informed.

Leading by example

A good leader would know exactly what he or she is asking for from their followers. At times you may wonder and even doubt yourself when giving orders to your employees; especially in fields that you know little about. It’s only natural as it’s not your forte, but taking steps to ensure you’re by no means a novice could take you to new levels of understanding. Once you better understand something, you can then probe, experiment and expand on your ideas with greater effect. Take for example a course from an online school marketing, where you can take an MSc in marketing in which you’ll learn brand development. You’ll learn how marketing and consumption work at the individual and societal levels. The marketing field is full of big characters as well as artistic egos. Showing you know just as if not more in connecting with the audience and conjuring an accurate image of your brand would show you’re leading by example.

Should you know more than your employees? It’s always going to be yes and no. You should try to lead by example by first making yourself more knowledgeable than those you lead. By the same token, you can’t be a jack of all trades and master of none. You must, however, guide your employees to be bold and creative while at the same time keeping an eye on the potential hazards of what may be ahead.