What to Keep In Mind When Working For an Entrepreneur

Whatever be the reason, the majority of first-generation entrepreneurs begin with businesses having high-risk and limited resources and pin their hopes on the ability of their employees to deliver. Such expectations, though justified, are often wrong, for the new entrepreneurs usually make the mistake of judging employees by the standards they set for their own persons. To help a boss who is a new entrepreneur, an employee needs to use different strategies than those used while working for an established house of business.

Entrepreneurs are temperamental, emotional, judgmental, and often everything that a good boss should not be. This is common because the pressures working on a person starting up a new business are entirely separate from that on a person running an established business. If the business survives, you might be surprised to find the great change in your employer down the way, and find a better and more affable person than you ever suspected to exist. The success or failure of an entrepreneurial business depends to a great extent on the innovativeness and logical behavior of the entrepreneur. As an employee working for a new entrepreneur, amusing as it may sound, sometimes it is more your job to keep your boss on track, than the job of your boss to supervise you. And it needs to be done with great tact.

The relationship of a key employee with the owner of a start-up business is extremely important for both to perform effectively in their given roles. Many new entrepreneurs rarely give a thought upon this and it falls upon the employee to carefully plan and develop the relationship. However, the employee needs to be conscious that he or she is trying to manage the relationship and not the boss.

A strong working relationship with your boss should help both of you to develop and utilize your skills and knowledge. Such a relationship stands upon mutual respect, trust, and open communication. It means acknowledging the role of the boss but directing the course of events towards what is best for the team and the business, without forgetting your own priorities.

How to build a working relationship with your boss and what to look out for:

1. Be punctual, emphasize formal communications, compare notes informally
2. Identify all factors that might be causing a barrier in relationship
3. Find out and try to categorize the leadership style of your boss: dictatorial, consultative etc.
4. Mark the key objectives of the business and the values your boss expects in you
5. Do not keep any fuzzy areas of responsibility
6. Provide loyalty and support
7. Actively create opportunities to show your skills and help the business
8. Always review issues and actions with your boss – taking him into confidence means working into his confidence

These are not all, but are good guidelines to develop a constructive relationship with a boss who is starting a new business. Entrepreneurs need support and help more than others, and can go the extra mile and can also carry others on their shoulders, provided they have the proper employees. What kind of an employee you want to be depends entirely upon you, but if you want to help an entrepreneur, developing a relationship of trust and support is the primary perquisite.