Brad Zarba, A Successful Business Pioneer

For Brad Zarba, a successful business pioneer means creating a excellent working environment. As he says, “ The importance of a sense of humor is frequently overlooked when describing the attributes of an effective leader. It is a natural law – applicable in business as well as in one's personal life – that something, at sometime, will go wrong. For example, the seed money with which your company has been financing itself is rapidly dwindling, your website crashes, a 'certain' contract is unexpectedly withdrawn – when a disaster strikes it is you who will have to pick your team up and restore morale. Positive energy is key here. Try to make your team see the funny side of things, laugh at mistakes instead of becoming depressed and moody. Make jokes when possible and take an interest in what your team members did at the weekend or on vacation. All of this will contribute to an atmosphere whereby employees actually look forward to coming into work. You will be amazed how productivity soars when morale is high,” maintains Brad Zarba.

“Furthermore, when things are not going so well at work as you would like, whatever you do avoid panicking. If your team sees you nervously rushing from one end of the office to the other, morale will be shattered. It is crucial you maintain confidence in your abilities to handle situations. Your team looks up to you. Stay calm and behave confidently and decisively. The most important thing is to keep each member of your team working.”

For Brad Zarba, providing great leadership also means accurately conveying your vision for the company as a whole. “Effective communication is another skill that is of the utmost importance to hone. Obviously, you will know what is in your head that you need accomplished, but communicating that idea to your co-workers is not always as easy as it seems. Who has not, at some time in their lives, been greeted with a blank stare as you finish a long meeting where you had hoped to give clear directions for the implementation of some project or other? To be able to convey clearly and concisely what you believe should be performed is extraordinarily important. Just think for a second, if you are unable to communicate your vision of the concept, then it is extremely unlikely your team will be able to work collectively towards the same target,” he advises
 

“Finally, conduct all communications between colleagues on an adult, respectful basis. Nobody enjoys being patronized, and talking down to a co-worker will rupture whatever relationship you are attempting to create. By keeping discussions professional, trust will be gained and clarity achieved. And, says Brad Zarba, always remember that you are exercising management leadership. This does not include being arrogant, dictatorial, or overbearing. If you fail to achieve a respectful attitude towards the other members of your team, then any feedback session (itself, an extremely important methodological tool) will be less than useless, and ultimately undermine what ought to be a 'two-way' relationship.”