Who is Steering the Ship?
Posted on March 30, 2018 by Shauna Parsons, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.
“When you come to the edge of the light, and step out into the darkness with faith, you will either find something to stand on, or you will learn how
Business ownership can be scary. There are a million things we have to think about: sales, marketing, cash flow, finding employees, keeping employees, customer service, taxes, benefits, new products and services, overhead, contracts, technology, licensing, law, aaahhh!
We do have to KNOW all about that stuff, but we don’t have to DO it all ourselves. I see business owners who get caught up in the “I’m so busy” cycle, where they are doing a million things at one time, but unfortunately not doing any of them very well. They answer the phone and open the mail and run all the sales calls and do the bookkeeping. It’s no wonder they never have a minute to spare. In fact, they never have a minute to do THE OWNER’S JOB. Who is steering the ship?
As the business owner it is important that you focus on the business as a whole. Doing the things you need to do to make sure that the business is healthy, heading in the right direction and that your team has all the resources they need to do an excellent job at what you have made them responsible for, is the job of the business owner. The business owner works in the future, your managers work in the near future and your employees work in the present. The work you did last month determines the effectiveness of the work your employees are doing today.
Going through the junk mail doesn’t seem like such a great use of your time now, does it?
Shed tasks that are not high priorities relative to the future of the business. Teach your employees to do these tasks well, and resist the urge to micromanage. Verify their work periodically and have them report to you information that you, as the business owner, need to know. If you make them the master of that task or area, teach them well, and empower them with the ability to make decisions, you will not only build a strong employee but also strength in your team. Continue to build your team around you of employees and trusted partners, freeing you up to build your business.
Listen, as long as you continue trying to do everything, your business will only grow relative to the amount of time you have. The first step is to stop. Stop running from task to task. Start with thinking about what you want your business to look like.
