If you do not grow with your business, it may stop growing
Many things happen when a business grows beyond the capacity of one person to operate successfully. One of the owner’s tasks is to determine if their role in the business will change. In many cases the owner will want to step back from day to day operations. New hires, once trained, will be entrusted with that responsibility, affording the owner opportunity to work on the bigger picture – managing the business. They will be kept up to date on the day to day details via regular management meetings and only become involved when circumstances dictate.
Decisions made at the top now begin to affect additional people. The more people that are affected, the more the owner needs to weigh the consequences of these decisions.
One example: We all know how disruptive it can be when meetings or events are called unexpectedly with little consideration as to the amount of work required to re-arrange schedules. In earlier days, impromptu internal meetings and events were easy to arrange as the owner was more involved in day to day activities.
The less involved in the day to day activities the owner is, the more important it becomes to have regular management meetings to avoid becoming disconnected. Once disconnected, the owner has only one point of reference – what is was like when they were engaged in daily operations. What might follow is a loss of employee confidence in your leadership abilities.
How can you avoid becoming disconnected?
- Have regularly scheduled meetings with agendas, with the emphasis on “Regularly and agendas” – and make them a priority – don’t cancel them without a very good reason.
- Use a Town Hall format for some of the meetings and open the floor to everyone.
- Be consistent with your messages and behaviour – meet commitments to your staff as you expect them to meet commitments to customers.
- Avoid ‘bulldozing’ your ideas into action.
- Avoid calling last minute meetings.
- Don’t say it is urgent if it is not.
- Remember who your internal customers are.
- Make a point of being visible when you are in the office.
Some of the above activities will also help prevent your employees from disconnecting from you.
Personal growth applies to everyone and it starts at the top.
Good selling,
Richard
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