I am an avid reader of Seth Godin’s daily blog, and a recent one struck a chord with me. Seth talked about the gap that is created as organizations grow from one or two employees to larger corporations with multiple employees.
This is a common phenomenon I see in the companies I partner with. I have seen many company founders who, even though they hired employees, continue to wear all the hats. As a result, the founder struggles to grow their company.
As companies evolve, it is imperative that the founder create extensions of themselves. Doing so frees them up to work in their “sweet spot” – regardless of what that is. Their sweet spot could be building culture, creating an extraordinary marketing program, or creating the next version of the company’s product or service.
The key here is for the founder to look at everything they do daily and make a list of those tasks for at least a week. At the end of the week, they should circle the tasks they dislike doing the most.
For me, it was always financial stuff. Oh, sure, I can handle the financial aspect of my companies, but I didn’t like to do it. Spending time creating the P&L statement or reconciling the bank accounts was not my idea of a good time. So as soon as I could afford to hire a bookkeeper, I did so! That was my new best friend!
The next step is to review the list of circled items and determine who else in the company could take on that task. Chat with the person, make sure they have the bandwidth to assume the task, and give them the necessary coaching and resources to succeed. It is entirely possible the task will fit what that person loves to do and actually help them grow in their position.
Now the founder can get back to what they do best, the gap is closed, and the company can continue to flourish.
If you need help identifying your “sweet spot” or figuring out how to best delegate tasks to others on your leadership team, I can help. Simply fill out the consult form below, and we can get started. Together we can figure out what you do best!
