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Shape Your business
future with great questions!
“it’s what you know after you know it all that counts.” John Wooden
With summer comes the time to renew ourselves and our businesses. One of the hallmarks of great business owners are the questions they ask themselves and most importantly the answers they come up with. To help you on your path to business success let me pose the following questions to you.
My favorite question to start with is:
Do not risk burn out! What fun activities should you do in the next 90 days to recharge your energy level, productivity and creativity? Schedule them in your calendar today!
Do you act like you have a job or own a business? Do you work “in” or “on” your business? Do you major in minor things? Or do you focus on the few vital things that really matter?
Far too many small business owners are by default small leaders. Instead of leadership, they excel at doer-ship. Instead of thinking and acting like owners, most react and behave like employees. Which one are you?
Draw your organization chart with boxes for key functions and people in charge of those functions. Remember, your job, as owner is to create jobs, not work jobs. Your role is to define the boxes and how the work is to be done in those boxes. Hold people accountable but stay the heck out of their boxes – that’s why you pay them.
Do you want to enjoy greater freedom, flexibility, fortune and fulfillment? The answer is not to shift into higher gear. It’s to shift mindsets. Go from a technical to a strategic mindset – focus your time and talent on high-priority, high-return activities. Where is your focus?
When was the last time you spent a full day focusing on your business and your personal life? Take a personal strategic retreat to get clarity, to develop a master plan, to make sure you get the most out of your business and life.
If
everything in your business flows through you and is dependent upon you,
then you are restricting the growth and profits of your company. And,
let’s not forget the harm you’re doing to the growth and development of
your people. Are you the epoxy
that is greasing the wheels of progress?
Your ultimate business goal should be to design a highly profitable business that runs smoothly, predictably and automatically while you own it and worth a fortune when you sell it. To do this you need to have business systems in place that others can use successfully. How process driven is your business? If you don’t have an effective business system, you are the system. Instead of having a business, you have a glorified job. You will never escape the technical trenches of your business. You will always be “busy being busy.”
Your business should not depend upon your presence, personality, problem solving or perspiration for its daily survival. If so, your business does not work – you do! You’ll always remain a prisoner to your business. What are you doing to free yourself?
Spend some of your leisure time contemplating these questions and then have the courage to implement your new ideas.
John S. Benjamin is the Owner of The Growth Coach.
For more information, questions or comments go to www.frontrangecoaching.com, e-mail j.benjamin@thegrowthcoach.com or call (970)
346-0101
© 2007
John S. Benjamin - All Rights Reserved - http://www.FrontRangeCoaching.com
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