I'm afraid I've badly neglected this blog over the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately, a cycle of migraine headaches over a 10 day period completely wiped me out. But I'm pleased to say that's behind me now and I'm gradually catching up with things.
I have learned some salutory business lessons from this experience. The first is that it would be prudent to prepare in advance some articles and blog postings that can be used in such times. I have to confess that I usually write 'in the moment' and to meet deadlines. This works fine until I need to take time off!
Another lesson is the need to start delegating and outsourcing more - and in order to be able to do that effectively, to record my business systems and processes on paper.
An obvious lesson is to build in more time off - I certainly wouldn't expect an employee to produce their best work on the excess hours and paltry holidays I submit myself to!
Tomorrow I'm running a Selling Skills workshop and then planning next week to sort out the remainder of my backlog. Looking forward to getting straight again.
Showing posts with label delegating and outsourcing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label delegating and outsourcing. Show all posts
Thursday, 3 April 2008
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Why are business owners so reluctant to delegate?
At a workshop I was running the other week, some of the delegates looked at me as if I’d just said some very naughty words. I had!
You see, ever since reading Marcus Buckingham’s book ‘Now Discover Your Strengths’ some years ago, I have practiced the concept of improving what I’m good at and delegating (or, as I don’t have any staff, outsourcing) what I’m not so good at or don’t like doing.
I like the idea of people becoming really brilliant at what they love doing, and not having to worry anymore that, for example, they’re poor at maths. They don’t need to be very good at maths, just good enough to get by.
Owners of small businesses have a very steep learning curve when they first start up. While they certainly do need to learn new skills, they tend to go overboard and ‘major in the minor stuff’.
They do not have to become great book-keepers, go to workshops to learn how to design a brilliant brochure or devote hours to building a wonderful website themselves. These are exactly the sort of activities that can and should be outsourced to people who are already great at them.
It’s like a flash of the blindingly obvious when I point this out in workshops – you can almost see those light bulbs glowing!
And yet…..
Talking to a fellow business owner just last week who had been struggling to get her long-overdue accounts in order, I suggested that she consider using a book-keeper in future to avoid the same situation next year. Her reply surprised me. She said that she’d think about it if she found herself behind in the task in a few months’ time.
It seems as though business owners get very attached to every area of their business. They created it and they’re going to take care of it. I know, I’ve done it myself.
But it really doesn’t need to be such a struggle. It isn’t a sin to take the easy route. In fact, it’s a sin not to! Consider the following questions:
· Have you ever worked out your hourly rate?
(I’ll bet it’s more than the £25 or so that a book-keeper or admin person would charge.)
· How many hours do you spend on such tasks each week?
· Have you worked out how much you are potentially losing (because you’re spending time on non-client or business building work),
Are you starting to think differently about delegating?
(c) Louise Barnes-Johnston, 2007
Louise Barnes-Johnston is “The Business Accelerator”. She provides business coaching and mentoring for entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses. Get a copy of her FREE report “10 Ways to Boost Your Business” at http://www.frontline-results.com
You see, ever since reading Marcus Buckingham’s book ‘Now Discover Your Strengths’ some years ago, I have practiced the concept of improving what I’m good at and delegating (or, as I don’t have any staff, outsourcing) what I’m not so good at or don’t like doing.
I like the idea of people becoming really brilliant at what they love doing, and not having to worry anymore that, for example, they’re poor at maths. They don’t need to be very good at maths, just good enough to get by.
Owners of small businesses have a very steep learning curve when they first start up. While they certainly do need to learn new skills, they tend to go overboard and ‘major in the minor stuff’.
They do not have to become great book-keepers, go to workshops to learn how to design a brilliant brochure or devote hours to building a wonderful website themselves. These are exactly the sort of activities that can and should be outsourced to people who are already great at them.
It’s like a flash of the blindingly obvious when I point this out in workshops – you can almost see those light bulbs glowing!
And yet…..
Talking to a fellow business owner just last week who had been struggling to get her long-overdue accounts in order, I suggested that she consider using a book-keeper in future to avoid the same situation next year. Her reply surprised me. She said that she’d think about it if she found herself behind in the task in a few months’ time.
It seems as though business owners get very attached to every area of their business. They created it and they’re going to take care of it. I know, I’ve done it myself.
But it really doesn’t need to be such a struggle. It isn’t a sin to take the easy route. In fact, it’s a sin not to! Consider the following questions:
· Have you ever worked out your hourly rate?
(I’ll bet it’s more than the £25 or so that a book-keeper or admin person would charge.)
· How many hours do you spend on such tasks each week?
· Have you worked out how much you are potentially losing (because you’re spending time on non-client or business building work),
Are you starting to think differently about delegating?
(c) Louise Barnes-Johnston, 2007
Louise Barnes-Johnston is “The Business Accelerator”. She provides business coaching and mentoring for entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses. Get a copy of her FREE report “10 Ways to Boost Your Business” at http://www.frontline-results.com
Wednesday, 12 September 2007
Time for a bit of Business Coaching for Myself!
I don’t know about you, but I’m finding it hard to get into top gear after the summer break. It’s as if I’ve taken my foot off the accelerator somehow. Don’t get me wrong, I’m working with clients, getting ready for a workshop next week, researching for some new products, doing all sorts of stuff. But ….. there’s something missing.
Some of the business owners I’m working with have reported the same problem. It’s all down to feeling overwhelmed at how much needs doing. They think that, even if they worked solidly for a month (without stopping for sleep!), they still wouldn’t get everything done. And they’re quite possibly right. I think that having a break has highlighted just how much work lies ahead.
In my case (as for many small business owners), I often (wrongly) believe that if I don’t do a certain task myself, it won’t get done ‘properly’. The truth is that it probably won’t get done at all at the rate I’m going! For the first time in nearly 4 years my newsletter is 2 weeks late going out – I feel so ashamed.
Time to take a deep breath and look at what tasks I can delegate or outsource. Also, I need to check that my procedures get tightened up so vital tasks like the newsletter don’t suffer in future.
Some of the business owners I’m working with have reported the same problem. It’s all down to feeling overwhelmed at how much needs doing. They think that, even if they worked solidly for a month (without stopping for sleep!), they still wouldn’t get everything done. And they’re quite possibly right. I think that having a break has highlighted just how much work lies ahead.
In my case (as for many small business owners), I often (wrongly) believe that if I don’t do a certain task myself, it won’t get done ‘properly’. The truth is that it probably won’t get done at all at the rate I’m going! For the first time in nearly 4 years my newsletter is 2 weeks late going out – I feel so ashamed.
Time to take a deep breath and look at what tasks I can delegate or outsource. Also, I need to check that my procedures get tightened up so vital tasks like the newsletter don’t suffer in future.
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