The fundamental facts of growing a business

Far too often we find ourselves totally caught up in operational business issues and we fundamentally neglect the fact that as business owners, founders or leaders we fail to separate our actual role or responsibilities within our organisation. Frankly, we live and breathe everything we do. To build a successful, sustainable and, if we're honest with ourselves and our ultimate ambition, an autonomous and self functioning workplace where we can enjoy the fruits of our labour and vision and take some satisfaction, not just the pain that comes, from this place.

However in order to reap the benefits of our endeavour we need to learn a few basic principles about our management and ownership style. 

First and foremost, we need to learn and understand the principle of detachment. Of course it is our baby, something we have nurtured from an embryonic place. A concept that we have incubated in our minds and allowed predominantly to consume our waking hours and also contributed to our sleepless nights should not be neglected or disregarded in our mental hierarchy.

Notwithstanding these basic, fundamental facts it is important that we acknowledge that we are not necessarily the best, most competent or most qualified person to perform every function within our expanding business.

It is of course essential that we at least have an understanding of each function within our organisation on a macro level. 

I would always expect my senior managers to be on top of their brief and it is important to challenge them on this and demonstrate to them that you can't be bluffed by asking a few questions of them in the right environment.

When I say right environment, I mean merely that sometimes this is better done in 1 on 1 situations. It is not the right approach to embarrass a senior member of staff in front of his peers or even subordinates in a wider forum. You're not trying to humiliate them, you're trying to make them aware that you keep a close eye on your business and that you expect them to be on top of their brief at all times.

They need to own it, they need to feel it and embrace it as if it was their own business. If they don't frankly you have either failed in your role or you have recruited the wrong person for the position.

There is no middle ground on this and you should never make excuses or try to justify this to yourself. It will always be evident if the person is the right fit for your business. There is no catch all here. The recruitment process needs to be robust and informed. It is not even solely about the meritocratic abilities of a person in the selection process. You need to think more holistically than this, you need to work out whether this person, fits into a team, can lead a team, can grow a team. You need to make sure that your choice fits in with the essential dynamics of your business, can perform and lead but doesn't egotistically behave. You want to see people who are collaborative in their behaviours, who understand that the sum is greater than the parts and that they care about the underlying essence of your business and it's culture and heritage not about their place within it and their legacy therein.

To give an anecdotal example of this:

When Glenn Hoddle became England Football Manager he arrived at the first training session and proceeded to demonstrate to all his younger professional stars his football skills. He proceeded to do keepy-uppys and other drills to demonstrate how he was more skilled than any of them. They were unimpressed and in reality his tenure was short and marked by underachievement.

It should be a given in your business that you are knowledgeable and competent with every facet, you should not need to demonstrate this fact.

As your business grows it is of the utmost importance to recognise that we are not omnipotent. What's the purpose of employing people with particular skills if we don't empower them to do their job?

The most important fact when we start to analyse our role within our organisation is simple. If it was simplified into one sentence, I would phrase it like so "Your job is to direct, not to do"

It is your responsibility to lead, create a culture and empower who you employ to do their well remunerated job to the level that you expect and make them answerable by their performance against the benchmarks that you set as their sole measurable function.