MANAGEMENT
Time to
step up How to transition from working “in” the business to working “on” the business. Words David Grossman
R
unning a business is very challenging, in part because there are so many tasks needed to make it function. These activities range from buying supplies and repairing equipment to managing workers and doing collections—not to mention performing the work and winning new customers. As the owner of the company, it can seem overwhelming just to tread water, let alone grow the business. Successful leaders learn to delegate day-to-day operations so they can focus on the highest-value activities, namely, sales and customer service. 54 INCLEAN NEW ZEALAND May 2022
When a business is small with only a handful of customers, the leader will often roll up her sleeves and perform the work alongside her few employees. By doing so, she will save the business money by not hiring more staff, and she may feel like she has more control over the execution of the jobs. However, a problem arises when inevitably a customer is lost or an employee leaves. The leader then becomes trapped on the rapidly ever-increasing treadmill of daily operations. The business does not grow but instead shrinks.