My client Greg was feeling totally overwhelmed with running his business; ensuring the quality of his products, managing his staff, keeping his clients happy, keeping up with the invoicing, admin, marketing and all the other essential things.
So when I sat down with him to make a plan to lighten his load, so that he could scale his business I thought he’d need a hiring plan, then he told me there were four office based staff as well as his manufacturing team!
When we discussed what his team actually did, it transpired that he’d hired people with the right skills (admin, marketing, fulfilment) but didn’t trust them to deliver to his exacting standard, so everything went through him!
Greg was the funnel that slowed everything up!
So after looking the structure and responsibilities of those on his team. I spent some 1-2-1 with his team to get their ideas on improving the business and I got a ton!! They were insightful, detailed and his team were more than ready to implement them.
Then I asked why these ideas hadn’t been shared with Greg and I was told, “as far as he is concerned, the only good ideas are his own”.
“Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say!”
Greg and I talked at length about how he could empower his staff but still be confident that the outcome would be of a high standard.
Using our Leading for Growth systems and processes, we set objectives and had his team create project plans, so that progress could be tracked and reviewed at every stage.
Greg was able to get some time back to focus on business build activities and fun family time and his team were able to work to their full potential.
A total win/win!
Staff are an investment of time and resource. It’s so vital that you ensure that your team are challenged and there is value for you to have that person in your team. It’s a mutual transaction. I personally believe that anyone who works with me should be better at the end than at the start.
How are you bettering your team and your business?
Learning and developing in a role is a key reason why people stay with an employer, so is having autonomy. Build a team that can grow with you.
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