Develop Yourself

In this tenth article, we will examine the ninth in a series of 10 key challenges to growth and how successful owner-managers may overcome them.

In the last article, we observed how successful high-growth entrepreneurs focus on their people and on creating the right conditions to enable them to perform to their full potential. This time, we will look at how ambitious owner-managers should address their own development as business leaders.

We have already discussed the need to move into the strategist box and to spend less time either solving other people's problems (ie, being the hero) or interfering in their work (ie, meddling). Only through working on the business, are you likely to drive it forward. But, we know from experience that behavioral change is never easy! Below are four steps that will set you on the right path.

WHAT STEPS DO I TAKE?
Four little words: What would you do? Behavioral diagnostics tell us that most owner-managers display characteristics of both hero and meddler. As a first step, we advise resisting the temptation to solve problems brought to you—the classic hero response. Greet the request with the four little words previously mentioned, and the questioner will usually tell you exactly what they would do. If it is a routine inquiry, nine times out of 10, it is exactly what you would do, too. If you repeat this response often, people will soon get the overt message: Do not bother me with things that you already know the answer to. Fairly quickly, they will also get the implicit message: Take responsibility for matters within your discretion. The number of requests for heroic intervention will then gradually decline, until the problems that people bring genuinely are the exceptional ones.

Clarify roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities. It is not as easy to justify meddling if there is clarity over who is supposed to be doing what. Often, this is no more than a matter of writing things down, in consultation with key members of staff, so that everyone has a sharper understanding of their roles. This process frequently brings to light misunderstandings or ambiguities, so it is worth doing in its own right.

Delegate, do not abdicate. Do not try to move too far too fast. Instead, delegate a few simple things, be available to support your staff, and see how it goes. As their confidence builds, you can increase their responsibility. We know from research that owner-managers who successfully grow their businesses spend significant time coaching and mentoring their top teams.

Get out more. Yes, it is as simple as that. Spend less time getting into other people's hair. Divorce yourself from the daily routine so that you have more time and space in which to think. Many former participants in our programs tell us that their best ideas for developing and growing the business come to them on the golf course, over dinner, in the bath—anywhere but in the office. People who get out more invariably discover two things: (1) the business can, indeed, run without their permanent physical presence, and (2) people will not only embrace responsibility when they have to make decisions, but those with talent and commitment will positively enjoy it!

Next time, we will conclude this series when we look at how to work smarter, not harder.

For more information on Business Growth and Development Programme and Cranfield's other programs for owner-managers, visit www.som.cranfield.ac.uk/som/groups/enterprise/credo/index.asp.