Stop Doing it all and Start Leading Your Business

I don’t have time to do the things I know I should be doing. I can’t expect others to do what I do… the way it needs to be done. My clients like to work with me directly and if I rely on my team, my business is going to suffer.

Do any of these statements sound familiar? What about this one…When I do delegate, my employees either screw up, or come to me for every little thing, in the end, it’s just easier and faster if I do it myself.

Or this one… ”Trust me, I wish things could be different.”

Here in lies the difference between Doers and Leaders. Both may be forward thinkers, but “Doers” become limited when their workload saturates their time and physical/mental abilities. “Leaders” on the other hand, maintain the ability to keep moving forward without constraints. They utilise the abilities of others to achieve day-to-day outcomes and they motivate the team to take ownership in moving the business to the next level.

Conceptually this is not rocket science, however when you are running a business, especially if it is your money funding it, making the transition from “doing the work” to “leading your team” becomes exceedingly difficult. Your ability to make this transition will determine the legacy of you and your business. […]

Transitioning from “doing it all” to “Leading your business” is not easy. Here are four things you can do to start.

If you take the time to actually define the life you want to lead, your daily actions will either support that definition or act as red flag reminders that require you to change your ways.

2. Ensure each and every member of your team owns their responsibilities without telling them what to do or when to do it

Establish clear job descriptions & measurable objectives for each and every employee. This is not only for their benefit, but for yours as well. Once you write down who does what, this empowers the job owners, makes them accountable and releases you from doing the work.

3. Devote a considerable amount of your time developing your team and ensuring consistent quality of the products/services they provide to customers

Check in with your customers to ensure they are happy working with your company. What’s working well, what can be improved, what other services/products would bring value? This feedback, coming directly through you as the leader will give you the communication tools necessary to lead and improve your team, as well as direct your organisation toward controllable growth.

4. Define & take inventory of the resources required to support your business

Are your employees saturated with work? Are your external partners and/or suppliers actually making your business money? Is the expertise you have within your organisation properly aligned with your business needs over the next 12 months or should roles and responsibilities shift?
Businesses change over time…or at least they should. If you don’t stay on top of these changes, or I dare say…be the one to initiate them, you will get caught in the hamster wheel of “doing” …maybe what you are doing is not what it takes to grow your business. […]