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:

Moneycontrol.com

Europe Holds Crisis Management Hostage to Voters
BusinessWeek
By James G. Neuger on May 24, 2012 European leaders tied their next steps on the financial crisis to the outcome of a bitterly contested election in Greece that may determine whether the 17- nation euro currency splinters. A six-hour summit ended early ...
Europe Makes Crisis Management Hostage to Volatile Greek VotersSan Francisco Chronicle

all 7,633 news articles »


Management Tip of the Day: Use social media in your job search
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. "More and more people are finding jobs via Twitter, Facebook, ...

and more »


Bloomberg

Rhoen Klinikum Management Will Back Fresenius Takeover Offer
Bloomberg
Rhoen Klinikum AG (RHK)'s management said it will back the 3.1 billion-euro ($3.9 billion) takeover offer from Fresenius SE (FRE), contingent on an agreement to maintain certain jobs and locations at the German hospital operator.
Fresenius in frame to win Rhoen backing -sourcesReuters
Rhoen-Klinikum Board To Recommend Accepting Fresenius OfferFox Business

all 13 news articles »


Aplicor Redefines Business Management with Latest Release of Aplicor Cloud ...
MarketWatch (press release)
BOCA RATON, Fla., May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Aplicor, Inc., a next generation cloud business software company, today announced the Spring Update of Aplicor Cloud Suite, the latest release of its innovative business management solution.

and more »


Universal Capital Management Client To Launch Twist and Tone on QVC
MarketWatch (press release)
WILMINGTON, Del., May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Universal Capital Management, Inc. , announced today that Twist and Tone(TM) by GetaGripĀ®, a hand, wrist and forearm exerciser created by UCM's client, Innovation Industries, will appear on QVC ...

and more »


1492 Capital Management's Small Cap Value Strategy Receives the "Special ...
MarketWatch (press release)
MILWAUKEE, May 24, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- 1492 Capital Management's Small Cap Value managers Rodney Hathaway and Adam France were recognized for consistent outperformance with low volatility relative to the benchmark. The 1492 Small Cap Value strategy ...

and more »


Copeland Capital Management Hires Head of International Strategies
MarketWatch (press release)
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Copeland Capital Management is pleased to announce that Mr. Erik B. Granade will join the firm as Head of International Equities. Mr. Granade was formerly with Invesco, where he served as ...

and more »


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 ...

and more »


Executive management changes announced at Southern Company
MarketWatch (press release)
ATLANTA, May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Southern Company Chairman, President and CEO Thomas A. Fanning today announced a number of changes within the company's management team, effective July 1. Mark A. Crosswhite will become executive vice ...
Southern Co. shuffles top managementCBS News

all 15 news articles »


Western Asset Management sold European bank debt: CIO
Reuters
(Reuters) - Fixed income money manager Western Asset Management Co slashed its holdings of European bank debt and shifted to borrowings in the United States, which will benefit from stronger economic growth, Chief Investment Officer Stephen Walsh said ...


Google News

Acne - Advertising - Aerobics & Cardio - Affiliate Revenue - Alternative - Attraction - Auction - Audio Streaming - Aviation - Babies & Toddlers - Beauty - Blogging & RSS - Book Marketing - Book Reviews - Branding - Breast Cancer - Broadband Internet - Muscle Building - Careers & Employment - Coaching - Coffee - College & University - Cooking Tips - Copywriting - Crafts & Hobbies - Creativity - Credit - Cruising & Sailing - Currency Trading - Customer Service - Data Recovery - Dating - Debt Consolidation - Debt Relief - Depression - Diabetes - Divorce - Domain Names - E-books - Ecommerce - Elder Care - Email Marketing - Entrepreneurialism - Ethics - Exercise - Ezine Marketing - Ezine Publishing - Fashion & Style - Fishing - Fitness Equipment - Forums - Games - Goal Setting - Golf - Grief Loss - Hair Loss - Happiness - Hardware - Holidays - Home Improvement - Home Security - Humanities - Humor - Innovation - Inspirational - Insurance - Interior Decorating - Internet Marketing - Investing - Landscaping & Gardening - Language - Leadership - Leases & Leasing - Loans - Lung, Mesothelioma & Asbestos - Management - Marketing - Marriage & Wedding - Meditation - Mobile & Cell Phone - Mortgage & Refinancing - Motivation - Motorcycles - Music - Negotiation - Network Marketing - Networking - Nutrition - Organizing - Outdoors - Parenting - Personal Finance - Personal Tech - Pets - Philosophy - Photography - Poetry - Politics - Positive Attitude - PPC Advertising - Press Release - Pregnancy - Presentation - Psychology - Public Speaking - Real Estate - Recipes - Relationships - Sales - Sales Management - Sales & Teleselling - Sales Training - Satellite TV - Science - Security - SEO - Site Promotion - Small Business - Software - Spam Blocker - Spirituality - Stocks & Mutual Funds - Strategic Planning - Stress Management - Structured Settlements - Success - Supplements - Taxes - Team Building - Time Management - Top7-Or-10-Tips - Traffic Building - Vacation Rentals - Video Conferencing - Video Streaming - VOIP - Wealth Building - Web Design - Web Development - Web Hosting - Weight Loss - Wine & Spirits - Writing - Writing Articles - Yoga

Top
Main Home Email Category Home