At the Roofing Academy, we know that one of your main professional goals as the owner of a roofing company is to build a successful roofing company. A roofing company that clients want to work with and talent wants to work for.
There are many different aspects to building a successful roofing company, but one of the most important aspects is building a strong, long lasting team. Many times, owners – especially new owners – get distracted when building a team. They think about the qualities they want their employees to have, the previous experience they’re looking for, but they forget to think about what their employees want.
One of the biggest things that will either support your team or break your team is your actions and attitude as head of your company. How do you run your roofing team? Are you a manager? Or are you a leader?
Today, the Roofing Academy team is going to walk you through the differences between the two and discuss how you can focus on becoming an inspiring leader for your team. Keep reading below to learn more.
How are Management and Leadership different?
Management and leadership often appear the same at a surface level, but once you dig a bit deeper the two are extremely different.
Management is focused on the processes, rules, and structures that help an organization run, where leadership is more focused on the overall vision.
Management is usually more concerned with the bottom line and often has a black and white attitude towards things – eg. you hit your sales target or you did not hit your sales target. Leadership, while they of course care about the bottom line, they are more likely to look at the reasons why you did not hit your sales target and where the team structure needs to be improved so that you do hit your sales targets next time..
Managers feel the need to control their team, obsessively reviewing daily tasks, and ensure their team is following a uniform process. Leaders trust their team to get their job done and know that they hired unique individuals that may need to approach things differently.
Managers tend to get frustrated and angry with their team when something goes wrong. Leaders first look to themselves and ask where they went wrong.
Managers frighten. Leaders inspire.
As the head of your roofing company, you want to be a leader. You want to build a team you trust, believe in, and appreciate. As a leader you should begin every day ready to lift your team up, to challenge them, to motivate them, and to help them grow. You should not only be invested in what they are doing to meet company goals, but how your company is helping them meet their personal goals.
How can you become a leader rather than a manager?
Becoming a leader does not happen overnight. There will likely be hiccups and mistakes along the way and that’s okay!
One of the best things you can do in the early days – and really all the days – of your roofing business, is to be humble with your team. Share your own goals and desire to be a leader versus a manager with your team and ask them to keep you accountable. This means regularly asking for their feedback and being receptive to constructive criticism when it is offered.
Another key component of becoming a leader is taking action and implementing processes that are for the good of the entire organization not just you. Good leaders will think about the big picture, not just their bottom line when making decisions and making any sort of changes to their organizations.
Transparency will also go a long way in making you a leader versus a manager. Leaders are as open and honest as possible with their teams when it comes to the aforementioned changes and decisions. When a new process is put into a place or a major company change is made, it is important to tell your team why this was done. Offering explanations rather than a, “Because I said so,” makes the team feel more involved in the process and likely to be more receptive.
Last, but certainly not least, to become a great leader you must be a student. Great leaders spend so much of their time studying leadership best practices. Reading books, taking classes, and attending seminars on leadership often become a hobby of theirs. Being a student of leadership is not just for newbies either. Even as you become a seasoned owner, you must continue to learn, practice, and grow!
Becoming a leader takes community and support. It is so helpful to have a network of people who have been where you are and are there to help. That’s why the Roofing Academy exists! We are here to help guide any and all roofing company owners as you make the transition from manager to leader. To learn more about our membership options and the support that is available, click here.