As a business owner, what do you stink at doing? That's right, let's get a bit negative and real honest to make some progress in your focus, effectiveness and results. What role or tasks do you truly stink at? What are the things you don't do well? That you dislike doing? What activities drain your energy? What tasks do you routinely tackle at your company that go against your natural talents and abilities? Make a quick list of what you stink at. Got it?
If you are like most of our business coaching clients, you have dozens of low-value tasks and clutter you painfully and/or incompetently handle each and every day. You just tough it out. Why? Because of your habits and limiting beliefs you know of no other way. Like most owners, you seldom question and evaluate how you spend your valuable time. You just instinctively dive in and start doing. Therefore, you rarely reflect on, prioritize and make adjustments to the countless tasks you handle each and every day ... most of them by the way are a true waste of your time, talents and energy.
Look carefully at the answers on your list. If you aren't good at doing these tasks and don't like doing these tasks, why on earth do them? Seriously, are you nuts? Aren't you the owner? Why put up with this approach?
If you have no employees, why not finally hire some or at least outsource some of these tasks to third parties? If you have employees already, aren't there others in the company who could do those tasks better than you, who would enjoy them more than you, and who can do them at cheaper hourly rates than you? Most likely yes! Then give those tasks up. Let go. Dare to change your ways. Challenge your habits and assumptions.
Do me a favor. For each task you wrote down that you stink at, write next to it YOUR COMMITMENT going forward to either drastically diminish, delete, delegate or delay that task. I know "delay" is a cop out, but if you delay long enough, odds are you will realize the task is not even necessary or important.
A key part of business coaching is to get owners to do what they do best and shed the rest.
Because we have business coaches throughout North America working with thousands of business owners, I could list dozens and dozens of low-value clutter and tasks that owners typically don't do well or enjoy. However, that would do us no good. You already now know what you, in particular, stink at. You just wrote down your list. That's where YOU need to focus.
As the owner, it's time to stop doing the wrong type of work and start doing the right kind of work. Instead of being so eager to do lots of things, be just as eager to drastically diminish, delete, delegate or delay those tasks you stink at. That will be a great start for better productivity, focus, results, and sanity.
Daniel M. Murphy
The Growth Coach
Business Coaching Franchise System