Are you the “Lead Doer” in your business, or the “Leader of Doers”?
Many of us started businesses that required us to do the work that generated the bulk of the revenues of our companies. At some point, we then became the bottleneck in our businesses, as we only had so much capacity. At this point we added team, and often we began working longer hours, because we could still “do it better” than the team we hired. So they went home at 4:30, while we worked until whenever the work was done. Sound familiar? Well, it doesn’t have to be that way, and there are some simple steps to going from “Lead Doer” to “Leader of Doers”.
Step 1 – Decide Now
The first step is both the hardest and the easiest – simply make the decision to change. In the end, everything we do comes down to making a decision – we either make it ourselves or we let the world decide for us. When you decide the time is NOW, the rest of the steps become much easier.
Step 2 – List What to Stop and Start Doing
Come up with a list of activities that you will STOP doing (delegate or eliminate) and a list of activities that you will START doing.
What low skill or low impact tasks are you doing that you can delegate or stop?
What activities do you dislike doing that you could delegate or outsource to free up your time?
What are some high-level leadership activities you need to start, or spend more time on?
Step 3 – Allocate the Time
Block Leadership time on your daily and weekly calendar. Make it a priority or it won’t happen. Plan your Leadership activities – be specific, make sure each has a purpose or objective to accomplish.
Step 4 – Find an Accountability Partner
Step four is to find an Accountability Partner, either a peer you respect enough to be open and honest with, or a Business Coach who can guide you through the ups and downs of this transition while continuing to improve your business results. An accountability coach or partner is absolutely critical to helping you make this shift.
Once you transition from lead doer to leader of doers, you can turn your business into one that supports your life instead of consuming it.
Author: Mark McNulty, Business Coach