Management Diary The Quintessential Survival Guide in the Corporate Quagmire!

Business Leadership Skills - Managing the Human Being Behind the Business


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.


MORE RESOURCES:

Obama promises more stimulus as unemployment edges up (AFP)

US President Barack Obama speaks on the economy in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC. Obama said better-than-expected jobs data released Friday was positive, but said it was not good enough as the economy struggles out of the deepest slump in decades.(AFP/Saul Loeb)AFP - President Barack Obama promised a fresh slew of measures to boost the ailing US economy Friday after fresh data showed unemployment was again on the rise.



Obama planning new package of economic aid (AP)

President Barack Obama reports on the economy as the latest unemployment figures are released,  Friday, Sept. 3, 2010, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)AP - Eager to jumpstart the economy ahead of crucial midterm elections, President Barack Obama said Friday he intends to unveil a new package of proposals, including tax cuts and targeted spending, to spark job growth.



Companies add 67K workers, but jobless rate rises (AP)

In this Aug. 25, 2010 photograph, job seekers including Pat Mosher, third from left, fill out registration forms to attend a job fair in Southfield, Mich. On Friday, Sept. 3, 2010, at 8:30 a.m. EDT, the Labor Department issues the August unemployment report. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)AP - Private employers hired more workers over the past three months than first thought, a glimmer of hope for the weak economy ahead of the Labor Day weekend. But the unemployment rate rose because not enough jobs were created to absorb the growing number of people looking for work.



Payrolls data offer ray of hope for recovery (Reuters)

People wait in line to enter the City University of New York (CUNY) Big Apple job fair in New York, April 23, 2010. REUTERS/Shannon StapletonReuters - U.S. employment fell for a third straight month in August, but the drop was far less than expected and private hiring surprised on the upside, easing pressure on the Federal Reserve to prop up economic growth.



A look at economic developments around the globe (AP)
AP - A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Friday:
Obama says to address new economic ideas next week (Reuters)

President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the latest employment statistics released on Friday, alongside Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner in the Rose Garden of the White House, September 3, 2010. REUTERS/Jason ReedReuters - President Barack Obama will outline new measures next week to boost the U.S. economy after August data on Friday showed again that jobs -- the central issue in November elections -- were being created too slowly.



US services sector growth eases (AFP)

The Institute of Supply Management(ISM) said its non-manufacturing index, based on surveys of purchasing and supply executives, fell to 51.5 -- the lowest level since January -- from 54.3 in July.(ISM)AFP - Growth of the key US services sector fell to its lowest level in eight months in August amid a weakening economic recovery, a survey report said Friday.



Summary Box: Service sector growth slows in August (AP)
AP - GROWTH SLOWING: The Institute for Supply Management said its service-sector index fell to 51.5 last month from 54.3 in July. The number indicates growth for the eighth consecutive month but it was the weakest pace since January.
Service sector grows at slower pace in August (AP)

In this July 30, 2010 photo, Rajni Gupta and her children Anooshka, 10, and Kiril, 7, leave Aeropostale after shopping for back-to-school clothes, in New York. The U.S. service sector, the nation's predominant job generator, expanded for the eighth straight month in August although the pace of growth slowed, according to a trade group survey. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)AP - The U.S. service sector, the nation's predominant job generator, expanded for the eighth straight month in August although the pace of growth slowed, according to a trade group survey.



Broke youth anti-crime groups want federal cash (AP)

In a Friday, June 4, 2010 photo, floor manager David Gonzalez, center, talks on the phone as Angel Delgado, foreground left, drink his soda while working at Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles. Organizations trying to prevent youngsters from joining gangs have been hit hard by the sour economy. Homeboy Industries, which employed ex-gang members as a way of keeping them off the street, had to fire more than 300 of its workers as donations and city subsidies plummeted. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)AP - A $1.6 billion congressional bailout of sorts could help financially flailing groups that fight to keep young people out of trouble, yet lawmakers are reluctant to take up the expensive proposal amid a sour economy and other, more pressing issues.



Obama: jobs data 'positive' but not enough (AFP)

US President Barack Obama(L), seen with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner in the Rose Garden at the White House, said better-than-expected jobs data released Friday was positive, but said it was not good enough as the economy struggles out of the deepest slump in decades.(AFP/File/Saul Loeb)AFP - US President Barack Obama said better-than-expected jobs data released Friday was positive, but said it was not good enough as the economy struggles out of the deepest slump in decades.



Top Obama critic blasts 'job-killing' policies (AFP)

House Minority Leader John Boehner, seen here in May 2010, said President Barack Obama should fire his top economic advisers and quit his AFP - President Barack Obama should fire his top economic advisers and quit his "job-killing" policies, the top House Republican said after US unemployment jumped to 9.6 percent in August.



Campbell Soup profit beats Street but sales light (Reuters)

Cans of vegetable Campbell's Condensed Soup are stocked on a shelf at a grocery store in Phoenix, Arizona, February 22, 2010. Campbell's Soup Co has been having a tough time getting its soups from the store shelf to the home pantry. REUTERS/Joshua LottReuters - Campbell Soup Co posted lower-than-expected quarterly sales and forecast sales growth for the new fiscal year below its long-term target as the world's largest soup company grapples with a weak economy.



(AP)
AP - Obama calls anew for Congress to pass legislation providing tax relief for small businesses.
White House: August jobs report reassuring (Reuters)
Reuters - The White House on Friday greeted a better than expected August employment report as reassuring news after a recent spate of "unsettling" economic data, and reiterated it was working with Congress to take additional steps to boost U.S. growth and hiring.
Non-manufacturing sector slows in August: ISM (Reuters)
Reuters - The U.S. non-manufacturing sector grew in August for an eighth straight month but at a slower pace than July and at a rate that was below expectations, according to an industry report released on Friday.
Oil prices stage gentle rebound after US payrolls (AFP)

Oil prices firmed on Friday as traders examined a better-than-expected payrolls report in the United States, the world's leading energy consumer.(AFP/DDP/File/Norbert Millauer)AFP - Oil prices firmed on Friday as traders examined a better-than-expected payrolls report in the United States, the world's leading energy consumer.



Instant View: Payrolls fall by 54K, less than expected (Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. employment fell for a third straight month in August, but the decline was far less than expected and private payrolls growth surprised on the upside, easing pressure on the Federal Reserve to prop up growth.
Service sector spotlight shines on Germany, China (Reuters)
Reuters - Global service sector surveys highlighted a growing divergence in economic recovery on Friday with a pick up in growth in China and Germany but slowdowns in Britain and Spain and an expected deceleration in the United States.
Obama to comment Friday on jobless report (AP)
AP - President Barack Obama will speak to reporters Friday after the Labor Department releases its monthly jobless report.
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