The idea of small business usually evokes images of a single owner standing behind a cash register but in reality, many small and midsize businesses have teams with multiple individuals that deliver critical customer services and operational duties that are essential for day to day operations and revenue generation. Managers and supervisors play a highly important role in SMBs and provide needed leadership and planning skills that can elevate team performance and productivity. SMB leadership also plays a pivotal role in controlling costs and ensuring quality standards are achieved. Highly skilled and effective leadership can help SMBs maintain and exceed quality standards as well as implement strategies to reach set business goals and targets.

Core Leadership Traits

Leading people is not an easy task and there are certain characteristics and skills that are essential to connect with teams and achieve higher performance. Communication ability is a core trait that all leaders need and having advanced skills in tonality and vocabulary can enable supervisors to have more effective interactions with individuals and the team as a whole. Supervisors and managers must possess strong organizational habits and time management skills to effectively distribute workloads as well as strategize operations and evaluate individual and business performance. Additional traits that benefits leaders:

Extroverted personality and body language

Willingness to engage and solve conflict

Ability to quickly analyze situations and solve problems

Proactive thought process

Entry level supervisors and managers in small and midsize businesses are in the unique position of being able to greatly impact business and productivity performance. While leading people and teams is challenging, certain skill sets and habits are essential for supervisors to effectively connect and manage performance of individuals and teams.

Business Culture Drives Performance

Heading into the new year, small and midsize businesses are seeking non-traditional ways to improve performance and productivity and supervisors can have a direct hand at positively impacting team output and results. Building cultures within the business starts with leadership and can be tailored to the specific needs of the business. A culture of customer service begins with supervisors and managers who understand the crucial importance of the customer experience as well as the ability to deliver top level interactions. Consistent communication and encouraging awareness can be the starting blocks for a culture of loss prevention while references to health, safety and personal well being can influence a culture of wellness. Small and midsize business leadership plays a pivotal role in establishing workplace culture that can directly influence performance and productivity.

Building A Better Individual

For 2025, focusing on the individual to drive performance is a key leadership trend in the new year. Supervisor who understand how to evaluate employees will be better positioned to make adjustments and provide support to get the most from the individual and the team. Supporting frontline team members comes in 2 distinct forms:

Understanding individual wellness and addressing concerns with resources

Evaluating individual performance and offering development and training support to improve or expand abilities

High performing leadership will have a thorough understanding of the mood of the team and individuals and can proactively meet challenges with clear communication and support. Leaders with open door communication policies can also be more in tune with the atmosphere in the workplace and can strategize and plan according to the needs of the business while balancing the needs of important frontline workers.

The Bottom Line

Small and midsize businesses need to run a very efficient operation in the face of rising costs and tightening labor markets. Having skilled and effective leadership can elevate team performance and drive productivity. Entry level supervisors are an essential component to managing frontline and customer facing teams. Managers who have advanced communication and organizational skills are better positioned to lead teams to higher performance, implement initiatives and strategies and help control costs. ExpressTrainingSystems.com has recently launched a brand new training program that delivers essential communication, managerial and organizational skills to entry level supervisors. Entry Level – Supervisor Training (EL-ST) is ideal for both new hires and seasoned veterans who are ready to take on supervisory and leadership roles within the business. For more information on EL-ST, please visit the Training / Courses area.