Running a successful business requires understanding your strengths as an entrepreneur and playing to those strengths. Micromanaging requires very little effort, and there is a reason for that; micromanaging keeps your business “micro” with no room for growth because you wear more hats than your employees. The time and energy you exert doing jobs that other people should be doing is time that you are not running your business and are not being an effective leader.
As the leader of your business, you are responsible for identifying problems and delegating solutions. Unfortunately, if you rely on your employees to be as motivated as you are about growing your business, this is a major error in judgment because your employees won't see the BIG PICTURE. They can’t see your vision because it is not theirs; it is yours. If you want your employees to see your vision and work as hard as you for your company, then you must give them EQUAL partner of the business. That is not going to happen. So, take ownership and responsibility for it. For every minute that you spend working as an employee on tasks that can be delegated is a minute that you are not working on your company as an employee - planning, strategizing, and building the best business possible.
This is why it is so important to move from working in your business to working on your business. You are the CEO, the owner who oversees the big picture. When you see opportunities for improvement, delegate the work so you can continue to be the visionary for your business. As someone who likes to be in control, I understand this will not be easy. Here are some effective tips that will help you to become the CEO and not the employee:
1. It starts with YOU. You must have a strong desire to move from the day-to-day operations. Step outside of your comfort zone and allow the people you hired to do the job. You may be surprised to learn you trusted your instincts when you hired them, and your instinct served you well.
2. Hire the RIGHT people. Stop chasing your tail and hire the right people to surround you. If they think like you, don’t hire them. You want people who aren’t a cookie cutter version of you. Unlearn old habits and practices. Sometimes it is bad hiring, sometimes it is just a bad fit.
3. Set Company Standards. You must have a set of company standards, practices and values and adhere to them. Your company’s reputation and your customers’ satisfaction with your business's products and services is riding on your standards.
4. Your systems and processes must be tight. Failures can inevitably set your business up for its’ greatest successes. A solid business plan, strategic plan and operations plan will help you avoid some of the pitfalls so many businesses encounter. Whenever something goes wrong, you should always ask yourself how you could have handled the issue differently. Once you’ve answered that question, get to work revising your plans appropriately.
5. Delegation is key. You cannot survive in business if you cannot or are unwilling to delegate. Delegation can only be achieved when you have the right people. Why? Because you can trust them. You must realize, however, that delegating does not mean the end result will be done exactly as you may have done it. Get over it. Remember, I said earlier that you should not hire people who think like you.
Your “why” is your BIG PICTURE.
I can help you see your vision even bigger by helping you become the employer of your business, rather than a employee in your business. Believe it or not, your employees will thank you.
Some of you may have started small, so you still think small. Don’t get me wrong, small can be beautiful. Even still, you want to grow and build your organization for sustainability.
HOW CAN I HELP you build your organization from the inside out?
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Your brother in growth,
Dr. RickG