5 Ways To Ramp Up Your Female Leadership Stance By Rachel Watkyn

It’s lonely at the top because people don’t understand your problems. That’s probably because you can’t share them – often because you don’t want to scare people! You don’t want to say ‘Hey guys, sales are down by 50% and there’s going to be redundancies.’

You have to bottle it all up and trust in yourself to find a solution.  looking ahead to 2021, it’s clear that business will never look the same again and we either embrace the change or get left behind. Here are tips on how to take on 2021 from Rachel Watkyn, the founder and CEO of Tiny Box Company, and NatWest everywoman of the year 2020.

Expect the unexpected

Dual and multi-modelling are the best way forward. We don’t know what’s going to happen next year, so if we prepare for the unexpected we have the best chance of success. Build some capacity into your business – prepare for the best and worst-case scenarios and for somewhere in between. Then you can be ready for multiple eventualities.

Rewrite the rules

Be prepared to rewrite everything you thought was set in stone. Because if there’s one thing this year has taught us, it’s that all the rules have changed!  The businesses that are thriving right now are the ones that can adapt and change as quickly as the market requires. It’s accepting that everything we’ve known in the past isn’t relevant now.

Focus on your skills, and plug the gaps

You’re in a leadership position because of your leadership skills. Delegate all the tasks that are not in your skillset so you can focus on just what you are good at. It’s hard to recognise your own weaknesses but the quicker you plug those gaps with the right people the better you can focus on steering your ship into calmer waters.

Keep it fun!

When you turn on the news and you hear about Brexit blowing up and that Covid cases are rising – it can be pretty hard to focus on the positives. But try.  If you keep work fun and lighthearted you make everyone’s day pass quicker. 

Find your work-life balance 

Now that everyone’s working from home the lines between work and home have become even more blurred. It’s easy to forget to take time out and focus on your loved ones when the world is in turmoil. Take time to find your balance. In order to run a company, you need to keep a clear head and to do that you need to take time out.