DOING MORE WITH LESS PEOPLE

Shaping the minds of the next generation of African business leaders and entrepreneurs is something I crave so when my good friend, Founder and CEO of The African Network Of Entrepreneurs (TANOE), Ekow Mensah invited me to be part of the Leadership and People Management workshops for the current cohort of entrepreneurs passing through TANOE, I couldn’t resist the offer.

TANOE is a social enterprise on a mission to equip African entrepreneurs to build sustainable and globally competitive businesses through the provision of training, technical & financial support and productive networks.

I met with some amazing young people and we had a great time discussing “Effective Team Leadership – how to do more with less people”.

The team I met were undoubtedly a motivated lot passionate about building sustainable businesses across different sectors and I thoroughly enjoyed my session with them.

As entrepreneurs at the inception stage of their journeys, they had similar challenges, the most endemic being staffing so the conversation on doing more with less people, especially at the start-up stage where revenues are either low or non-existent, was crucial.

Here are the key points I shared with them. Hopefully other young people starting out might find this useful.

? Know thyself – effectively working with others begins with knowing yourself: your strengths, weaknesses and what you bring to the table. Knowing who you are is critical to knowing what complementary skills to bring on board.

? Look for complementary skills – what expertise do you lack? What other skill sets do you require? Look for people who complement your expertise e.g. If you are a visionary, bring on board ‘executioners’. Every member of your team plays a role in driving your business forward.

? Don't start everything from scratch – Master the art of leveraging the knowledge of others. Learn from those who have charted the course. No two start-ups are the same but you can avoid many of the pitfalls by learning from what has worked for others.

? Build a strong culture: culture encompasses values and behaviours that are integral to your business. Build a culture that rewards hardwork and celebrates innovation.

Concluding Thoughts :

Almost every entrepreneur will have the challenge of managing limited resources at the beginning of their journey. It is critical to identify your own strengths and weaknesses, looking for others to complement you and building a culture that will drive your business to success.

Are you an entrepreneur?

How did you manage the limited resources you had at the onset?

Share your experiences with others.

Have a great week.