It's a common problem and we've all observed it - business owners that are just 'too busy' all the time, and as a result, do not enjoy the success in business they had envisioned. Let's not kid ourselves, there is a lot to pay attention to: technology, employees, sales, marketing and so on. These functions are essential and have to be well organised and managed. But there is a second aspect to business success that is often overlooked - the potency of the person running the show. Businesses are a reflection from the people who run them. If those people tend to be 'too busy', stressed, or poorly organised, then these characteristics are reflected back in the commercial. The underlying behaviour and values of the business proprietor drive how much control they need, how they'll delegate and how they use their time. Growth from the business and the business owner need to complement.
If the business is to grow, then the dog owner has to take the necessary time to learn the brand new roles and skills that a growing business may demand. Imagine for one moment where you would like your business to stay 5 years time. Then ask yourself: "Is it possible that I can be a similar person in 5 years that I am today and fulfil that growth technique for my business? The answer has to be absolutely no. Business owners need to be prepared for new learning and dealing with new, different, and bigger responsibilities - without concern or hesitation. The reality is that the owner is generally the limiting factor in growth - the business can only grow towards the extent to which the owner grows. When owners feel from sorts, overworked, and like they are running on the treadmill, it is almost always because they have fallen victim towards the reactive "let's go faster" management approach. They are forced to reside from problem to problem, and may fail to see their own (lack of) self-management included in the problem. So why aren't we better at controlling ourselves? There's really four reasons:
- Being comfortable - all of us do what we are comfortable with - it is human nature. So we keep doing what we now have always done
- Not knowing what else is feasible
- Not knowing that there are other ways to complete what they are doing
- Actually getting energy (and perhaps some identity) from being stressed and overworked
There are 5 steps to take on the path to better self-management: 1. Clarify personal goals for the near future.
Many business owners lose sight of these because they get immersed in the day-to-day running of the company. Articulating your personal goals can reveal any issues about whether these support or conflict using their business goals. These goals need to cover both immediate and future plans. What do you want to achieve personally within the next 1 to 2 years. And where do you need to be in ten years time?
2. Clarify the company goals.
Having spent some time expressing personal goals for future years, take a look at your business goals as well as rethink them. Are your personal and business objectives working together, or are they working against one another? If they do seem to be mutually unique, what choices will you make next? Putting the company goals ahead of your personal ones will inevitably result in stress and feelings of overwhelm. Determine instead whether the business goals can be re-oriented or modified to support what you want to achieve personally.
3. Identify the owner's ideal role three years from now.
Think about who you want to be - what role you need to have in the business - in 3 many years time. Will you still be doing the most of work? Will you have others doing the work as well as your capacity is more advisory? Or perhaps you want to remove yourself completely from the operational parts from the business and focus on product or business improvement? Thinking about what you want as an owner later on can give you great insights into what strategies you may want to put in place now. 4. Conduct a detailed personal time analysis for any one-week period.
This is where the rubber hits the street. If you really are true to yourself when you do this exercise become familiar with a lot about where the potential lies to make changes. How are you really spending your period? Break your day down into at least half hour slots and jot down exactly what you do in each 30 min's. 5. Create a plan of action for the following 30 days.
Based on the data from actions 1-4, create an action plan to cover the following 30 days. Your plan should include:
- steps in order to align personal and business goals
- strategy for moving to the role the owner wants to play in the commercial in the future
- analysis of the results from the one-week detailed monitoring exercise
- deciding which activities add probably the most value and planning to spend time on individuals
- identify how much time is spent on low value activity and likely to delegate or stop doing those things
There is never a much better time than right now for planning to perform things differently. Take charge of yourself and your business by choosing a direction that enables you to meet both your personal and business goals, but still retain your sanity!