Management Information

Business Leadership Skills - Managing the Human Being Behind the Business


Managing the Human Being Behind the Business

It's a common problem and we've all seen it - business owners that are just 'too busy' all of the time, and as a result, do not enjoy the success in business they had hoped for. Let's not kid ourselves, there is a lot to focus on: technology, employees, sales, marketing and so on. These functions are essential and need to be well organised and managed.

But there is a second aspect to business success that is often overlooked - the effectiveness of the person running the show. Businesses are a reflection of the people who run them. If those people are 'too busy', stressed, or poorly organised,  then these characteristics are reflected back in the business. The underlying behaviour and values of the business owner drive how much control they need, how they will delegate and how they use their time.

Growth of the business and the business owner need to match up 
If the business is to grow, then the owner has to take the necessary time to learn the new roles and skills that a growing business will demand. Imagine for one moment where you would like your business to be in 5 years time. Then ask yourself: "Is it possible that I can be exactly the same person in 5 years that I am today and fulfil that growth strategy for my business? The answer has to be no.

Business owners need to be prepared for new learning and taking on new, different, and bigger responsibilities - without fear or hesitation. The reality is that the owner is usually the limiting factor in growth - the business can only grow to the extent to which the owner grows.

When owners feel out of sorts, overworked, and like they are running on a treadmill, it is almost always because they have fallen victim to the reactive "let's go faster" management approach. They are forced to live from problem to problem, and may fail to see their own (lack of) self-management as part of the problem.

So why aren't we better at managing ourselves?

There's really four reasons:

  • Being comfortable - we all do what we are comfortable with - it's human nature. So we keep doing what we have always done
  • Not knowing what else is possible
  • Not knowing that there are other ways to do what they are doing
  • Actually getting energy (and maybe some identity) from being stressed and overworked

There are 5 steps to take on the road to better self-management:

1. Clarify personal goals for the future.
Many business owners lose sight of these as they get immersed in the day-to-day running of the business. Articulating your personal goals can reveal any issues about whether these support or conflict with their business goals. These goals need to cover both the immediate and future plans. What do you want to achieve personally in the next 1 to 2 years. And where do you want to be in ten years time?


2. Clarify the business goals.
Having spent some time expressing personal goals for the future, take a look at your business goals and rethink them. Are your personal and business goals working together, or are they working against each other? If they do seem to be mutually exclusive, what choices will you make next? Putting the business goals ahead of your personal ones will inevitably lead to stress and feelings of overwhelm. Determine instead whether the business goals can be re-oriented or modified to support what you would like to achieve personally.


3.  Identify the owner's ideal role 3 years from now.
Think about who you want to be - what role you want to have in the business - in 3 years time. Will you still be doing the majority of work? Will you have others doing the work and your capacity is more advisory? Or perhaps you would like to remove yourself completely from the operational parts of the business and focus on product or business development?

Thinking about what you want as an owner in the future can give you great insights into what strategies you may need to put in place now.

4. Conduct a detailed personal time analysis for a one-week period.
This is where the rubber hits the road. If you really are true to yourself when you do this exercise you will learn a lot about where the potential lies for making changes. How are you really spending your time? Break your day down into at least half hour slots and write down exactly what you do in each 30 minutes.

5. Create a plan of action for the next 30 days.
Based on the data from steps 1-4, create an action plan to cover the next 30 days. Your plan should include:

  • steps to align personal and business goals
  • strategy for moving to the role the owner wants to play in the business in the future
  • analysis of the results of the one-week detailed monitoring exercise
  • deciding which activities add the most value and planning to spend time on those
  • identify how much time is spent on low value activity and planning to delegate or stop doing those things

There is never a better time than right now for planning to do things differently. Take charge of yourself and your business by choosing a direction that allows you to meet both your personal and business goals, and still retain your sanity!

 

Megan Tough, Director of Action Plus, is passionate about helping people enjoy their businesses. She works internationally with business owners to systematically remove the stress points from their business, giving them more time and space for - well -whatever they want! Visit her at http://www.megantough.com for more information on taking the stress out of your business.

  


MORE RESOURCES:

Mines Management Inc. : Update - Prepares For Exploration On La Estrella Gold ...
Reuters
RELEASE 12-05 UPDATE - MINES MANAGEMENT PREPARES FOR EXPLORATION ON LA ESTRELLA GOLD-SILVER PROJECT Spokane, Washington - May 25, 2012 - Mines Management, Inc. (NYSE-Amex: "MGN", TSX: "MGT") (the "Company") is pleased to announce preparations, ...
Mines Management Advances La Estrella ProjectInternational Business Times
Mines Management Gets Ready to Explore at La EstrellaSilver Investing News

all 14 news articles »


New York Times (blog)

Management Buyouts Can Be Too Cozy
New York Times (blog)
That seems to be the case with the board of Venoco, a California oil company that is the subject of a proposed $770 million management buyout. On Jan. 16, the Venoco board of directors agreed to let the company be acquired by its chairman and chief ...



Bloomberg

Dell Close to Buying Quest for Computer-Management
BusinessWeek
By Serena Saitto and Aaron Ricadela on May 25, 2012 Dell Inc. (DELL) (DELL) is in advanced discussions to acquire Quest Software Inc. (QSFT) (QSFT), a maker of tools that help companies manage their computer systems, according to a person with ...
Dell Said Close to Buying Quest for Computer-ManagementBloomberg
Dell's Quest For Software Business Could Lead To Acquiring Quest SoftwareCRN
Dell Up As Rumors Surface It May Buy Quest SoftwareInvestor's Business Daily
Channelnomics -Forbes
all 84 news articles »


SC emergency managers end practice of calling for voluntary hurricane evacuations
Charleston Post Courier
When the orders were issued, traffic by and large didn't increase, said Derrec Becker, SC Emergency Management Division public information coordinator. But under the protocol, public safety officers had to be posted and that wasted manpower.
SC revises hurricane emergency proceduresCharlotte Observer

all 21 news articles »


AsiaOne

JPMorgan Chase Risk Management Committee Missing Bank Directors, Financial ...
Huffington Post
What the committee's missing that all the other big banks have: people who worked as financial risk managers. The makeup of JPMorgan's committee hasn't changed since 2008, but the bank was warned last year that it wasn't up to the task of monitoring ...
JP Morgan's Risks Aren't Well-Managed Because JP Morgan Doesn't Want Sound ...Slate Magazine (blog)
JP Morgan to Shake Up Risk CommitteeWall Street Journal

all 31 news articles »


Press Herald

Apollo Global Management Completes Acquisition of EP Energy
MarketWatch (press release)
Sam Oh, partner at Apollo, stated, "We are delighted to partner with one of North America's leading exploration and production franchises led by a world class team of managers. Our acquisition of EP Energy solidifies Apollo's natural resources platform ...
Apollo Completes Acquisition of EP EnergyPrivate Equity Hub (press release)

all 67 news articles »


Microsoft unveils AD Azure strategy, ID management reset
ZDNet (blog)
By John Fontana | May 25, 2012, 1:15pm PDT Summary: The software giant begins talking publicly about Windows Azure Active Directory service and its strategy to use it as the foundation for its Identity Management as a Service strategy.

and more »


Management Tip of the Day: Hire for passion
Reuters
The Management Tip of the Day offers quick, practical management tips and ideas from Harvard Business Review and HBR.org (www.hbr.org). Any opinions expressed are not endorsed by Reuters. "People are more creative when they feel passionate about their ...

and more »


SAS in Leaders Quadrant of Magic Quadrant for CRM Multichannel Campaign Management
MarketWatch (press release)
CARY, NC, May 25, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- SAS is in the Leaders quadrant in Gartner Inc.'s latest, "Magic Quadrant for CRM Multichannel Campaign Management"(1) This places SAS, the leader in business analytics and integrated marketing management, ...

and more »


Altiplano Minerals Ltd. Announces Changes to Management and Amendments to ...
MarketWatch (press release)
May 25, 2012 (ACCESSWIRE-TNW via COMTEX) -- May 25, 2012 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Altiplano Minerals Ltd. ("Altiplano" or the "Company") (apn:TSX-V) announces today several management changes as well as proposed amendments to certain matters ...

and more »

Google News

Article List | Index | Site Map
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved.