There’s a massive difference between working hard and working smartly and for many owners or managers, growth and success can be a double-edged sword as the everyday tasks become overwhelming. An outside eye can bring a fresh perspective and allow you to see how and where change is possible to help take the company forward. Here, Vanessa Reed from Roboris Solutions, looks at the typical journey of a frazzled boss and adds her advice for each step on that journey.
The first part of the journey is for Vanessa to have a Discovery Session with ‘the frazzled boss’. During this meeting Vanessa would start to get to know them and how they think and feel about the situation they are in and how they retain information and learn. Together, they would talk about the business, where it currently is, where it should be and where the owner wants it to go. Specific problem areas would also be discussed. From this meeting Vanessa would write up a business review and proposal as to how she can help.
The Boss
Business is good, orders are coming in, two new members of staff have joined and need contracts, the marketing team needs a plan of action, the insurance needs renewing, there are three customer queries to deal with and there aren’t enough hours in the day. In the midst of all this is an owner or managing director who wants to concentrate on their core business but can’t quite work out how to do that with everything else that needs doing
Roboris Solutions: Firstly, recognise that you can’t do everything. Bringing in help is a sign of strength, not weakness. It takes a lot to delegate tasks to someone else, but the increased efficiency and reduced stress speak for themselves. So, where can you find help?
The Staff
Just outside the boss’s office is an admin team feeling under-utilised and undervalued. With the right training and advice, they could be answering some of the mountain of emails. They could be updating diaries and booking meetings or speaking to the HR team about the details of those two new contracts. A deeper understanding of the process and they could be calling customers and making short work of answering any queries.
Down the corridor are the sales and marketing teams. Both teams are doing well but they’re not working together. The boss hasn’t got time to brief one about what the other is doing or the direction the company is heading. So, the marketing team is spending time and money targeting one area and the sales team is targeting another. If the two sides don’t come together, they’ll never come up with a cohesive plan that fits with the vision of the firm as a whole.
Tucked away in their office are the designers, while the production team get on with making the actual product. The designers have great ideas, but they don’t always work in practice. The production team could have pointed out a minor tweak to make things work better, but the two hardly ever communicate directly. Everyone is frustrated and, inevitably, someone complains to the boss.
Roboris Solutions: We’re back to delegation – we look at the people you have on board and really think about what their strengths and weaknesses are and how they can be developed. The admin team can’t do everything, but they can sift out the emails and calls you don’t need to deal with and leave you with the ones you do.
Processes that bring team leaders together to communicate and plan will get everyone moving the right direction. Working, in turn, with the admin team, they can implement streamlined working practices so that you have fewer issues to deal with.
Teamwork
Everyone may be busy, but do they feel valued? They’re on the ground, seeing things from the inside, but do they get a chance to share their ideas or opinions? Do they feel like they’re part of the future of the company? Do they even know what the future of the company looks like? Have they been there so long, in the same role, that no one ever thinks to question whether they have strengths and skills that could be better used in other areas?
Roboris Solutions: When an employee feels valued and listened to, they feel empowered. One good idea coming from someone who spends all day on the factory floor or in the showroom is worth its weight in gold, but it only works if they feel they can talk to you, you have time to listen, and not shut them out. If they get no recognition or feedback, they will stop trying.
Customers
One of the most important assets of any business, but are they ever neglected, taken for granted? When you’re busy, it’s easy to overlook the personal touches, to engage with customers and understand how their firms or organisations are developing and what you need to do, and what they need you to do, to stay relevant and on message.
Roboris Solutions: Once you’ve found ways to alleviate some of the day-to-day pressure, you can start to build better customer relationships. You can network, place calls or arrange face-to-face meetings knowing everything is running smoothly in your absence.
Communication
The already frazzled boss is too busy to communicate, wrapped up as they are in the day-to-day running of the company while at the same time juggling all the tasks that come with employing staff, the upkeep of a building, the bills and the changes in legislation. With no time in the day to communicate, the boss, often without knowing it, pushes people away, leaving them to carry on with their daily tasks with no information about how things are going, what’s working well and what the ultimate goal of the company might be.
Roboris Solutions: By freeing yourself from the tasks you don’t want to be doing, you’ll find that you have time to do what you’re passionate about, building your company and realising your vision. And when you do that, and that drive and enthusiasm filters through to your employees, you may well find many of them share the same passion.
Roboris Solutions supports business owners and their teams to implement clear, workable and effective solutions that overcome the barriers to the next phase of business growth. No two businesses are the same, so there are no off-the-shelf solutions.
Roboris Solutions’ free Discovery Call offers a preliminary chat to identify where support is needed. After that, a Discovery Session goes into the business and how it operates in more depth, encouraging open and in-depth conversations about what needs to be done.
Discovery Sessions cost £250 but Roboris Solutions is offering a 25% discount to All Things Business readers, just quote ATB03 when booking.
For more information or to arrange a Discovery Call or book a Discovery Session, call 07376 956756 or visit www.roborissolutions.co.uk
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