Virtually every business owner I coach is encumbered with tasks he or she doesn’t want to do.
Makes sense. You got into the business because you loved the work but over time, to make your business work you had to take on many other functions – sales, invoicing, financials, running various computer applications – not all of which you enjoy.
I can relate. I’m a guy who loves one-on-one interaction and has an aversion to making presentations in large groups. It’s a necessary part of my job as I see it so you can bet I do it, and I’m probably more than decent at it because I’ve done it a lot over the decades, but I take a fair amount of time in preparation along with a fair amount of stressing.
One of my long-time coaching clients, a plumbing-heating-cooling guy, just loves to be in the field solving customer issues. He hates being in the office. Over the years, we’ve come to agree on a minimal number of tasks in the office that he as the business owner must do. Nowadays, he jokingly introduces me as ‘the guy he pays to take him to his unhappy place.’
Some tasks are unavoidable – there are a handful of tasks that you and only you should do as the business leader. But how many are you doing that someone else would enjoy? That someone else is more qualified to do? That you’d delegate or outsource if you had a little extra time to transition them?
You don’t have to, and shouldn’t, spend the majority, or even half, of your time doing tasks you dislike.
With a more deliberate approach you can plan and reorganize tasks so that you, and others on your team, spend more time doing what you enjoy. Try this process that I’ve used for my own business and that my coaching clients have used. It shouldn’t take more than a few hours…
- Start by listing all the tasks that need doing in your company, in list format or on an organizational chart.
- Next figure out what your key people A) are good at and B) enjoy doing.
- Finally, match the skills and desires of you and your key people with the tasks. Obviously everyone won’t get 100% of only what they enjoy but it should result in more enjoyable work for each person. Including YOU.
Simple? Yes, it pretty much is. The hard part is finding a few hours to step away from the day-to-day to get it done. I don’t know any other way than to just bite the bullet and schedule a day away. Take a team member or two with you and knock it out together.
Another option… if you’d like an excuse to step away, it’s September and that means it’s time for our 1-day Growth Plan Business Planning Workshop. It’s a good opportunity to work on this and other long-term aspects of your business in a casual setting with a little help from experts. Join us in Indianapolis from 9 – 4pm, have lunch on us, and walk away with:
- A long-term Operating Plan for your business, all on 1 page.
- A clear picture of where you want your business to be in 3-5 years
- Your 12-month goals broken into bite-size quarterly goals, monthly milestones, & weekly actions
- Strategies to build your profits right away
- A network of like-minded business owners
Thur., Sept. 29, 2016, 9 – 4 pm, Hilton Garden Inn, Indianapolis Airport, 8910 Hatfield Dr 46231
Cost is $497 at the door, $347 in advance, and FREE for business coaching clients. Register before Sept 26 for $197.
