Ruthann Baler

Small businesses have long played a vital role in the U.S. economy, employing half of all private sector professionals and paying 45 percent of total private payroll, according to the Small Businesses Administration. Small firms have generated between 60 and 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the last decade and have produced 13 to 14 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms.

Now that the economy is showing consistent signs of turning around, entrepreneurship will no doubt continue to increase and help drive the recovery, ushering in a new generation of innovative thinkers and leaders.

This is evidenced in a recent Inc. Magazine article, which compiled a list of “unconventional and surprisingly effective leadership ideas” of entrepreneurs who have found success based on their own personal mantras of what really matters in getting ahead and getting results in the workplace. Anyone who has worked in a corporate setting will appreciate this refreshing look at leaders who are playing by their own rules. 

Representing a diverse range of industries, the new rules of leadership include:  

1. Have a bias toward action
2. Let “no” be a bigger part of your vocabulary
3. Keep communication to a minimum
4. Motivate employees through volunteerism
5. Set up your office as an idea factory
6. Make customer service everyone’s job
7. Value creativity over productivity
8. Leave your schedule open
9. Don’t treat all employees equally
10. Skip meetings and forget face time
11. Micromanage. (Sometimes.)
12. Let employees come and go as they please
13. Work weekends, and love it
14. Make the important calls yourself

Learn who these pioneering CEOs are at:  http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/03/new-rules-of-leadership.html.
It’s refreshing to see old rules broken, employees empowered, and “the unconventional” as being embraced and effective. These leaders provide a wellspring of inspiration for future entrepreneurs who are willing to trust their guts, create their own business strategies, and go for what they believe makes the most sense for their company.

Josh James, one of the article’s featured CEOs, said that before he founded the online analytics company, Omiture, he previously launched a venture that made no money but taught him about marketing, distribution, and creating a business plan. His  mantra is to “have a bias toward action. 

“I make mistakes faster than anybody,”  James says. “I think, go, do.”