Taking Off Alone: Managing a Team of One and Becoming a Leader

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Marilyn Lindor, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.

Lone workers include isolated receptionists, those who work the night shift while their teammates work during the day, those who start their own businesses, and those who continue working after a layoff program. They might work alone and remotely as a freelance writer; alongside others in an office, such as a one-person human resources department; or independently, as a care worker or real estate agent.

Is it possible to assume a leadership role even if there are no formally designated followers?

A title doesn’t equal a leader; you don’t need a title to do the job; therefore, it is not what distinguishes a leader when starting a corporation or in an established corporation, but you will be awarded a title to place you hierarchically; it matters then.

Meanwhile, you may lack financial resources, equipment, or adequate supplies, but your willingness to invest may necessitate some sacrifice because you have a large family relying on you or are a single-parent household. Having a student loan that requires a monthly payment from you is among a slew of other financial challenges that can be overwhelming and raise the cost of living. You may not always feel like a leader, but you are when you take risks, refuse to give up, and use the appropriate foundation as a source of power. Also, it is likely that you were not always conscious of your ambition to start your own business because you did not find your passion until later in life or that you received a promotion at work after pushing the idea aside over many years. Due to a lack of preparation, you may have disregarded the importance of maintaining a good credit score and neglected to pay attention to it. This may have occurred when you decided to invest without a steady income or when you kept your job as a side gig until the toxic work environment became unbearable. Meanwhile, you were also developing your business and acquiring leadership skills. On your own. 

Yes, having a team or people who support you financially or morally is nice, but as learners, just leading yourself every day is a mental challenge that no one knows about, especially when turning to organizations for help or capital and finding out that they are complacent and barely respond, if not at all, as if your business and voice do not matter, especially when starting out and having high expectations of the corporate world.

Seeing everybody else striving can become poisonous to your growth if you do not quickly identify the issue in you and mentally shift inwardly to cultivate the good in you.

Do not allow the discordant cacophony to disturb your inner peace; instead, continue creating your own personal retreat. While the rest of the world is talking, those who did not reply are more concerned with what they are not practicing and teaching about leadership. Only you are aware of this, so allow yourself to be transformed and develop insight through it all. Nothing should be taken personally; this is something you have learned for your own psychological well-being. Learning and listening are essential for personal development, particularly when it comes to recognizing who you do not want to be. Leaders are leaders as long as they allow themselves the opportunity to learn from their experiences. Learn from both your own and others’ mistakes.

Taking care of your own mental health is an ongoing process, especially when faced with rejection or obstacles. It is important to prioritize relaxation when feeling overwhelmed, even when faced with financial stress. It is healthy to drive improvement with the services and cater to the needs of clients or customers while constantly improving ourselves and breaking down a language barrier through learning from others.

It only takes one yes to make every other yes effortless and aligned, so start your journey with your own first yes! For every closed door and financial barracade, give yourself “encore” permission to say yes to yourself and those after you. And delve into learning as much as you can, or meditate on what keeps your mind healthy; invest in yourself as you are capable. Know also that you never know when what you learn will be useful or put into practice once the means to hire a team are established, but when the time comes to hire that dream team, you will be ecstatic as long as money and popularity do not turn you into the villain you despised and micromanaged because grandeur and time spent doing it alone have led you to believe that you do it better.

Trust in oneself will serve as the foundation for trust in others. Allow every headache, tear, challenge, lack, all types of loss, and any type of loss or purpose of love to become the bricks of each of your projects, efforts, commitments, and responsibilities. The leader you are to yourself, who cultivates growth and a healthy mindset in you, will be the one to lead them. Ensure you have at least one other person on your team and that you are moving the initiative forward.

Nonetheless, being your own team requires some level of support, and you should have a strategy in place to avoid becoming overworked, lonely, dissatisfied, or unsafe. Our eight-step guide might be useful.

1. Interact with Others

Maintain a joyful working atmosphere; therefore, resist the temptation to go into personal “lockdown.” Instead, attempt to remain in contact with friends and family by scheduling meetings, communicating digitally, and attending social gatherings. Dancing, napping, singing, reading, and exercising are also beneficial. Join online communities and respond to comments or leave comments on other posts on similar subjects. Not only will you feel a part of something greater, but you will also receive comments, opinions, and corporate news. You’ll also meet others who will celebrate your accomplishments with you and keep you encouraged.

2. Get Your Voice Heard

It’s critical that others understand what you’re working on, so keep them updated. Set aside time to ensure your presence on the corporate intranet, in the monthly newsletter, and at quarterly company meetings. Prepare to demonstrate how your effort contributes to the greater good.

3. Seek Help and continue to do so as Needed

You cannot be good at everything, no matter how wonderful you are at what you do. It’s critical that you understand your limitations and seek assistance. Every undertaking necessitates a certain degree of sacrifice, but let it not be your mental health or a total financial disaster. You might be able to locate someone from another department, freelancers, or external business partners who will assist you at a reasonable rate. Remember to provide assistance to others at calmer moments. This allows you to “bank” goodwill for when you need a favor.

Do not underestimate the assistance that technology may bring. If you are a one-person HR department, software can assist you with regular duties such as onboarding, payroll, and benefits.

4. Take Charge of Your Professional Development

Perform a Personal SWOT Analysis to determine your strengths and weaknesses. Consider keeping a journal in order to analyze your learning and training needs. Create a personal improvement strategy and put it into action.

5. Develop Your Creative Thinking

As a team of one, you may not have access to many resources. Although this may be true, never rely entirely on another organization, even while awaiting a reply. Be prepared to be inventive. You may need to solve problems and develop new supplies and processes on your own. You’ll most likely get by without any support, and you can’t simply turn to the person sitting next to you for assistance. However, take heart in the fact that you are likely to be more resourceful and versatile in the future.

6. Be Organized

Stay on top of your calendar, workflows, and deadlines, and prioritize them properly. You are solely responsible for completing your task on time and at high quality. Learn from task lists and project dashboards about time management and data backup.

7. Maintain Focus

To stay on track, set realistic goals and focus on them. Create action plans that align with your organization’s goals and priorities.

8. Maintain Your Health and Safety

Your mental health must always be at the top of your list. With every headache and the need to slow down after a heavy mental rush and heavy frontal concentration, rest is essential for good mental health and psychological health as well. In the safety part, as a solo entrepreneur or someone who must work alone, think about the actions you may take to make your profession safer, such as ergonomic furniture, buddy systems, and safety-monitoring gadgets.

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