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Time to Get Real
by Mike Wagner
 "You should work on your organization not in your organization!"
This advice, given to any leader, is similar to telling most of us we need to lose a few pounds. Yeah, we know! The head tells us to work on the organization, but we still find ourselves "in the weeds" of the daily work.
So, how do you go from simply understanding how important it is to work on your business to actually doing it? Start by...
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Leadership Challenge:
What has changed within your organization in the last 90 days?
For an organization to advance its vision and achieve success, you must take time to work on the business and not just in it. This is easier said than done.
As issues arise and the day-to-day grind takes hold, it can feel like time not spent working in the business is wasted. It is for this very reason you need to meet every 90 days to evaluate your progress, re-energize yourself and your workforce, and make necessary changes to keep the business advancing.
Find time to meet offsite with your leadership team and address these issues:
- What have we learned about our Sweet-Spot Customer and how does that affect our vision?
- What needs to be improved in our Sales and Marketing to better target and reach our Sweet-Spot Customer?
- What needs to be improved in Operations to provide better products and services to our Sweet-Spot Customer?
Instilling the discipline of meeting every 90 days and addressing these issues keeps your organization focused. It may feel slow to take time and work on the business, but it will speed up your organization's ability to achieve its vision and business goals.
Ask the Rabbit
Q: I own a small company and have to work in the business. I can't afford to just work on it. Any suggestions?
A: In many, often smaller, organizations the Owner/President/CEO has to be a worker as well as a leader. It is not a choice to be just one or the other.
Working on your business is as much a state of mind as it is devoting large amounts of time. It is about taking yourself out of the center of the company and placing your Sweet-Spot Customer there. Look at your company objectively - like you are a consultant hired to review the entire organization. Be honest with what you see and make changes accordingly.
Get started by taking a walk around your business. Go out into the parking lot, get a different physical point of view of your company, and carry that thinking into the organization. If you have to work in the business, working on the business can start out by only taking a few minutes a day.
Because you can't afford not to work on your business. |
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What are the most important things in your life? Far from the traditional "be more efficient" time management book with shortcut techniques, First Things First shows you how to look at your use of time totally differently. Covey teaches an organizing process that help you categorize tasks so you focus on what is important, not merely what is urgent.