Business
Leadership Skills - Managing the Human Being Behind the Business
by: Megan Tough
Managing the Human Being Behind the Business
It's a common problem and we've all seen it - business owners that
are just 'too busy' all of the time, and as a result, do not enjoy
the success in business they had hoped for. Let's not kid ourselves,
there is a lot to focus on: technology, employees, sales, marketing
and so on. These functions are essential and need to be well organised
and managed.
But there is a second aspect to business success that is often overlooked
? the effectiveness of the person running the show. Businesses are
a reflection of the people who run them. If those people are 'too
busy', stressed, or poorly organised, then these characteristics
are reflected back in the business. The underlying behaviour and
values of the business owner drive how much control they need, how
they will delegate and how they use their time.
Growth of the business and the business owner need to match up
If the business is to grow, then the owner has to take the necessary
time to learn the new roles and skills that a growing business will
demand. Imagine for one moment where you would like your business
to be in 5 years time. Then ask yourself: "Is it possible that
I can be exactly the same person in 5 years that I am today and
fulfil that growth strategy for my business? The answer has to be
no.
Business owners need to be prepared for new learning and taking
on new, different, and bigger responsibilities - without fear or
hesitation. The reality is that the owner is usually the limiting
factor in growth - the business can only grow to the extent to which
the owner grows.
When owners feel out of sorts, overworked, and like they are running
on a treadmill, it is almost always because they have fallen victim
to the reactive "let's go faster" management approach.
They are forced to live from problem to problem, and may fail to
see their own (lack of) self-management as part of the problem.
So why aren't we better at managing ourselves?
There's really four reasons:
Being comfortable - we all do what we are comfortable with ? it's
human nature. So we keep doing what we have always done
Not knowing what else is possible
Not knowing that there are other ways to do what they are doing
Actually getting energy (and maybe some identity) from being stressed
and overworked
There are 5 steps to take on the road to better self-management:
1. Clarify personal goals for the future.
Many business owners lose sight of these as they get immersed in
the day-to-day running of the business. Articulating your personal
goals can reveal any issues about whether these support or conflict
with their business goals. These goals need to cover both the immediate
and future plans. What do you want to achieve personally in the
next 1 to 2 years. And where do you want to be in ten years time?
2. Clarify the business goals.
Having spent some time expressing personal goals for the future,
take a look at your business goals and rethink them. Are your personal
and business goals working together, or are they working against
each other? If they do seem to be mutually exclusive, what choices
will you make next? Putting the business goals ahead of your personal
ones will inevitably lead to stress and feelings of overwhelm. Determine
instead whether the business goals can be re-oriented or modified
to support what you would like to achieve personally.
3. Identify the owner's ideal role 3 years from now.
Think about who you want to be - what role you want to have in the
business ? in 3 years time. Will you still be doing the majority
of work? Will you have others doing the work and your capacity is
more advisory? Or perhaps you would like to remove yourself completely
from the operational parts of the business and focus on product
or business development?
Thinking about what you want as an owner in the future can give
you great insights into what strategies you may need to put in place
now.
4. Conduct a detailed personal time analysis for a one-week period.
This is where the rubber hits the road. If you really are true to
yourself when you do this exercise you will learn a lot about where
the potential lies for making changes. How are you really spending
your time? Break your day down into at least half hour slots and
write down exactly what you do in each 30 minutes.
5. Create a plan of action for the next 30 days.
Based on the data from steps 1-4, create an action plan to cover
the next 30 days. Your plan should include:
steps to align personal and business goals
strategy for moving to the role the owner wants to play in the business
in the future
analysis of the results of the one-week detailed monitoring exercise
deciding which activities add the most value and planning to spend
time on those
identify how much time is spent on low value activity and planning
to delegate or stop doing those things
There is never a better time than right now for planning to do things
differently. Take charge of yourself and your business by choosing
a direction that allows you to meet both your personal and business
goals, and still retain your sanity!
Megan Tough, Director of Action Plus, is passionate
about helping people enjoy their businesses. She works internationally
with business owners to systematically remove the stress points
from their business, giving them more time and space for - well
-whatever they want! Visit her at http://www.megantough.com
for more information on taking the stress out of your business.
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