If you’re like every other small business owner, you’re thinking about the money, the budget, the capital of your business 80% of the time. And that’s a good thing. But what are you really thinking? Are you thinking about it as a tool? Are you thinking how every dollar can be put to work to make three dollars?

Most importantly: Are you actively soliciting the input of your whole team about whether or not that dollar needs to be spent? Could it be spent in a different way? As a small business owner, you might be coaching a small team — and a small team is sometimes the toughest source to hear criticism from. Are you open to that kind of feedback? Because as one person said a long time ago: I only know what I know. And that’s a scary thing.

You have all these brilliant people that you’ve hired. These employees could know, understand, and have insights that could positively impact your bottom line in ways that you’ve never even imagined! You’re already investing in them in the payroll. Why not tap into their brilliance about what they know? And how money could be invested as a return in your business? Your money should be working for you. Your team has ideas for how. Ask them.

And if you really want to take your leadership skills to the next level, download our free book on employee engagement.