2020 was a year of health crisis and economic uncertainty. Startups, in particular, prepared for the worst, as world markets crashed and economists predicted a giant slowdown in the economy.
But for many businesses, including startups, 2020 was also a year of hope and resilience. Startups, though cautious, are looking forward to a brighter 2021. The new year might be challenging, but start-ups can increase their chances of success with renewed business resolutions:
Focus on Creating Strong Leadership
Strong leadership is crucial in 2021 to steer your business in the right direction amidst new challenges and untrodden paths. Founders will have to lead teams toward adjusting to a new workplace where the routines are new and work habits are still evolving.
Your business must be empowered with leadership that can handle conflicting employee personalities and encourages them toward a new work culture. Only strong and progressive leadership can create a solid base for your workplace culture to evolve, grow, and re-evolve, over time.
SOME WAYS TO CREATE SOLID LEADERSHIP:
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Make leadership development a priority. Ensure that employees at all levels are aware that leadership development is a priority for the company.
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Set expectations for executives at every level of leadership, including line managers. Make them accountable for strategy execution and results.
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Include your HR department in your leadership development strategies. Assign roles depending on the strength of numbers and the skills of your HR team. For example, you could have HR personnel assist senior leaders in data collection for their leadership development plan. If you have a bigger HR team, then you could include the team in leadership development processes. With HR involvement, leadership development can get infused into existing processes and can become part of your work culture. If you have a skilled HR team, then you could bring them into your leadership development as trainers and coaches.
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Involve the Board with regular CEO performance reviews and share the findings with the company to make it clear that leadership development is a priority. Time such reviews annually to make them a regular occurrence.
Refine your Business’ Remote Working Capabilities
SOME WAYS TO CREATE SOLID LEADERSHIP:
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Invest in remote collaboration technologies. From cloud-based calling and messaging systems to video conferencing software and project-tracking tools, remote collaboration technology presents ample choice. Invest in a complete set of remote technology tools for employee convenience and efficiency.
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Be in touch with your remote employees daily. Conduct regular video conferences so that team members get to know each other and feel involved.
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Set expectations for your remote team at the outset. Let them know what they are expected to do and how their performance would be evaluated. Leave it to them to get the task done. Let them know you are accessible in case they need you. Encourage them to set a routine to prevent them from overworking or procrastinating.
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Lend support to your remote employees. Some employees may be new to the remote working method while some may feel demotivated working alone.
Assist your team in every way possible. Equip them with the right remote working tools. Set up virtual parties or snack breaks to improve their social connectedness. Empathize with them and provide the emotional support they may need. Be a mentor where needed.
Be Protected by Robust Cybersecurity Technology
2020 saw most businesses going digital. If your business is online, you must invest in the right cybersecurity technologies to keep your business, employees, and customers safe. A breach can result in the capture of sensitive data, leading to data misuse and damage to your brand reputation.
SOME WAYS TO ENSURE ROBUST CYBERSECURITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS:
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Treat cybersecurity as a priority instead of a reactive strategy. Prevent making cybersecurity the responsibility of your IT team alone. Involve leaders at all levels in IT discussions and planning, to reinforce the importance of cybersecurity.
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Be willing to invest in the right technology to safeguard your business. When weighing the financial mileage provided by cybersecurity, consider the costs and damage that can be caused by business downtime and reputation damage.
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Have the right technology in place for disaster recovery (DR). For the best results, start with a risk assessment study to determine the most critical systems that need DR right away.
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Have clear system recovery objectives in place. Recovery objectives determine the time within which your business systems can return to normal after a disaster. For example, if your DR strategy includes daily backups, then your systems can be restored to normalcy within 24 hours. A clear, well-planned DR strategy and effective implementation are crucial for maximum success.
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Consider partnering with a managed service provider (MSP) to ensure that your business has robust cybersecurity protection. An MSP has dedicated resources to provide the right platforms, networks, and cybersecurity performance, essential for your business. These solutions ensure that your business experiences minimal downtime. With 100% uptime, your business will always be active online. Ensure that you go for an MSP that offers 100% uptime and a dedicated technical support team 24/7.
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Keep monitoring your cybersecurity measures. Challenges such as employee non-conformance to security policies, and not secure remote log-ins, are common. Ensure that you have the right strategies in place to counter such challenges. For example, a 2-step authentication for all employees, including those working remotely, can be efficient.
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Take advantage of encryption technologies to keep your data safe even when information is in transit. Ensure that you do not get slack or comfortable when it comes to cybersecurity.
Reap the Benefits of Continuous Training
WITH REGULAR CONTINUOUS TRAINING, YOU CAN:
- Create an efficient workforce that refrains from repeating errors, which saves your business time, money, and resources.
- Boost employee productivity, thinking capability, and performance with relevant continuous training.
- Employees that receive continuous training tend to be more productive and engaged, which gives them greater job fulfillment.
In Conclusion
