Are Business Owners Better Managers?

I am the only one, capable person to run this company. Quality is what I think is good for the business, and any quality initiatives presented by the staff are always for their sake and not for my company”

How frequently do we hear the above statement these days? How do we feel when we hear it? Are business owners always better managers?

Although we hear different wording and noble viewpoints from business owners at conferences and business gatherings, the way they run their businesses is always very different to how they talk about it. In fact, the most common leadership style adopted by business owners and managers is that, the business owner is the ultimate brain who does the thinking and creating, and everyone else in the company is the hands. Bizarrely enough however, some employees have been laid off due to the lack of remarkable initiatives, and the apparent presence of passiveness – Should business owners always manage?

Leadership is the believing in precious business values and applying those values and expressing them in the way you manage. Many scholars and leadership specialists have articulated that leadership is the practice and control of two main business behaviors:

• Giving attention to the business and the project
• Giving attention to the people participating in the project

Yet, other scholars have stated that there is nothing as righteous as the business owner asserting overall control with no care for others opinions.

When it comes to decision making and problem solving challenges, the problem that managers and business owners always face, is how to conquer their ego and find ways to develop their leadership style, and of course the need may arise for them to call on their own staff, consultants or other business leaders to help them lead.

The relationship between business owners and staff should always have a partnership appearance. Both parties should discuss new initiatives and approaches to transform the relationship between them into a modern and practical working relationship.