The Impact Of SOPs

While it’s easy to think of systems and processes having SOPs, your leadership team should have SOPs, as well.?

For example, you could have each of your leaders write a Leadership Statement, which would define their role, beliefs, values, purpose and how they lead others.

There are different leadership types and you have to determine what kind of leader you are first and figure out the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.?

Inclusive leaders are great communicators. They listen and ask open-ended questions. They believe in the power of collaboration and operate from a place of curiosity and creativity. But, they might not be as comfortable making decisions on their own.?

Exclusive leaders have a more direct approach. They are confident and feel their vision is the right one because they hold the leadership role. They aren’t easily persuaded and tend to take someone’s idea and make it their own. Teams working under leaders like this are easily frustrated and there could be higher turnover.?

Carefree leaders are less structured. You will often find many creatives to be carefree leaders, because they resist structure and systems. This is good in many ways to foster new ideas, but can also cause ideas to fail because they do not oversee the implementation of strategy, systems and processes.

No matter what leadership type you fall into, beliefs and values need to align with the company for true success.?

There should be SOPs around team communication and what to do if someone feels they are being misheard, not heard at all, or any other variation hindering them from doing their job. SOPs should be created around the sales process, handling customer issues, working remotely, collaborating with a team on a project, etc.

Hiring and training areas definitely need a set of SOPs to ensure seamless transitions for new employees, those being promoted, taking on new responsibilities, etc.?

A framework builds a foundation which can always be expanded upon and improved.?

SOPs are not a one and done thing. They are constantly evolving and should be reviewed quarterly, yearly, or whatever makes sense for your business to make sure nothing needs to be updated or changed.?