Suffering In Silence

Many business owners spend the majority of their lives suffering in silence.

They have no one to talk to.

Their spouse has heard the same tale of woe too many times.

Their close friends change the subject when any conversation about business comes up.

His employees tell him exactly what they think he wants to hear.

Their accountant talks about the numbers from last month or last quarter but doesn't really think about the business beyond the numbers.

Their family dog looks up with his sympathetic puppy dog eyes but isn't really listening and has nothing to add.

In other words, they’re all alone!

They’re working hard. And painfully they’re trying to figure out why the reality of their business and personal lives doesn’t match the perfect picture they once painted for themselves –– when they first went into business.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall…”

It’s not just being able to say what’s on their mind. It has to do with getting answers, advice, guidance, feedback… and questions posed to them that help them navigate the challenges and opportunities in front of them.

Now if that doesn’t sound like the perfect spot for the business coach to enter stage left followed by a marching band, I don’t know what is.

If you’re not currently working with a qualified, certified business coach, I strongly recommend you give it a try… for at least three sessions. (Five is better.)

Seek out a coach where you feel there’s a good and comfortable fit. And by all means, find a coach who knows the power of accountability.

Committees And Accountability

It's best not to hold committees, groups, or two or more people accountable for making things happen.

The reason is that committees can become “he said, she said” when it comes to taking responsibility. No one really knows who's supposed to do what.

However, when one key person has the responsibility and is accountable, you know who to praise… and who to blame. The key is to make sure one person -- or one champion -- is responsible and accountable for each key assignment… and make sure everyone else knows who that is.

This doesn't mean that the person who is accountable works alone or does everything personally. They can turn to their committee, team, or group provide support to the task at hand... and apply the same philosophy as it pertains to responsibility and accountability. They make individuals within their team accountable for specific subtasks.

Stop Being A Friend

A leader can’t be everyone’s buddy. A strategic business operator can’t be popular. After all, this isn’t high school.

Yet too many business owners try to be liked instead of respected. Let's face it. Holding people accountable can appear confrontational at times. As a result, many owners avoid tension, conflict, and ongoing performance reviews. But such avoidance is dangerous to your business and the growth and development of your people.

As a leader, you need to be respected, not necessarily liked. Above all else, you are their boss and a challenging coach that demands the best of each player.

I kept my fingers crossed as I watched Jeff C. (owner of a printing company), fret over firing a longtime employee. Jeff held parties, picnics, Christmas gatherings, and Easter egg hunts at his home. Everyone in the company was chummy –– one big happy family. There was no professional distance between Jeff and his employees.

When the firing of that longtime employee finally occurred, the company (the other team members) went into a state of depression… more like mourning. It was as though someone in the family had passed on.

The moral of the story is that you can’t be chummy. You don’t have to be mean or distant. You just need to be the leader!

Takes Longer; Costs More

When it comes to business, some people are lucky. Like magic their idea… their business model… their plan work clockwork. Overnight, they’re off and running... all the way to the bank!

For most of us, however, there seems to be a natural law that pushes us in the opposite direction. It goes like this:

Everything takes longer and costs more

than you ever plan for... or think it will.

When we’re in a planning mode, things are extremely clear in our thoughts. We want to see everything working just as planned. And while we may think about contingencies, human nature compels us to focus on a perfect, ideal, and harmonious outcome.

But when the time comes to launch, the reality doesn’t match the perfect plan. Things that should work don’t. Things that we didn’t even think about are now biting us in the you-know-what and bringing about an entirely different result.

I contend that it’s impossible to plan so precisely as to avoid negatives contingencies.

And it’s particularly hard to plan when you’re the only one sitting in those planning sessions.

Planning is best when it’s a team sport. Put people on the team who think differently than you. If you’re a driver personality, grab an analytical and put them on the team. Let them all express themselves.

And then find some people on the outside that you trust to challenge your plan while it’s still on paper. Encourage them to point out pitfalls they see… to tell the truth… to ask why… and to point out alternatives that they see.

Remember, don’t sell them on your plan. This is a time of listening and learning. Let them shoot holes… encourage them to rip it apart... insist on honesty.

In all practicality, you can’t and won’t take all the advice. Pick and choose. Then go back to your plan, refine it, and get on with it!

P.S. Professional coaches with business and marketing backgrounds can be extremely helpful in this regard. Put one in the planning session… just for the fun of it!

Give Up Low Value Tasks

If you truly buy into your role as CEO, be willing to give up the urgent, less important, low-value tasks you routinely handle.

Realize that 80% of your results come from 20% of your talents and activities. Delegate the 80% of your activities that produce only 20% of your results. Stop doing the wrong kind of work.

CEOs should think, lead, and delegate –– not handle trivial matters. Your job, as CEO, is to design/redesign the business… to make it grow. Your manager’s main job is to improve the business. And your employees’ various jobs are to operate the business.

Here are a few more reminders:

• Don’t major in minor things! Don’t let yourself be distracted by irrelevant, insignificant “stuff.”
• Don’t let the urgent control your life. Put your cell phone/pager away more often. Don’t be a slave to email. Check it once a day... not all day long.
• Instead of creating to-do lists, start creating not-to-do lists for yourself. Let go of small things. Eliminate or delegate the 80% of your activities that produce so little impact for your business. Share these not-to-do lists with your team. Put them on notice that you are getting out of the daily detail (usually their areas of responsibility) in order to influence the big picture.
• Quit trying to manage details and start managing your people. Guide their focus and priorities. But let them do the work.