I recently met an entrepreneur who recently discovered long-term planning. I don’t say this to make fun of them. I say this because it’s great and because some of you might be in the same spot with your team.
The conversation started with “The first time I ever thought more than four weeks ahead was today.” (in the context of their business)
If you’re thinking, “That’s not me, I have plans at least 90 days out” yet your team doesn’t know the details, it IS you.
This person’s business is growing and profitable, but their past sounded a bit chaotic. They commented that projects, and internal alignment were all over the place. Why? The plans, project ideas, and thoughts driving the business are all in the owner’s head – and nowhere else.
Yours might be too. You and your team might be burning time and money at a rate that isn’t necessary. If even productive days feel like chaos to your team, it IS you. Once you discover this, frustrated team members are no longer a surprise.
Old mindset, new mindset
They’ve left their “hustle” phase and now lead their business. Their discovery, not my assertion. They understand they were making execution as a team difficult and frustrating. It wasn’t intentional. They hadn’t learned what the team needed.
Most of us must learn this ourselves.
Until we do, we have false beliefs like:
- Only I can do this work.
- If only I work more and harder, things will change.
- I must keep plans and ideas to myself until it’s time to do the work because no one will understand.
- Unless I’m out in front leading the charge, nothing happens.
That last one… ever notice that the best leaders are at the rear?
They aren’t at the rear because they shy away from the action. It’s not easy for most to step back. Most entrepreneurs love to be right out there “at the front, in the teeth of the battle”.
The best leaders know that the well-prepared team takes the lead. Well-prepared teams know the mission, their purpose, the plan, and the expected outcome. Well-prepared teams don’t need you to get their work done.
Like a bottle rocket
We see the “hustle vibe” that some project. “Work longer and harder than the rest and you’ll get there.” Sometimes that’s true. Usually it isn’t.
Some project it to get “want-to-preneurs” off the couch. They enjoy guiding others to find their own independence. Many have something to sell. A few are charlatans.
“Hustle” too long and you end up like a bottle rocket. Burn all your fuel to get to apogee in seconds. Then what? An uncontrolled free-fall to Earth. Great for the Fourth of July. Not so great for your mortgage payment.
Many survive their hustle phase and figure out a better approach. Despite burning a lot of fuel (time and money) to get off the ground early on, they create a sustainable business.
None of the successful people projecting the hustle vibe work 18 hour days seven days a week. None of them work with no staff, no contractors, no leadership, and no shared mission / plan.
NOT ONE.
They still work hard… as a team. A group of people capable of functioning as a team does so when it has a leader rather than a VP of Team Chaos.
The VP of Team Chaos
Wondering why your team doesn’t seem to know what to do from one day to the next? Are they frustrated despite getting the work done? Do they hesitate until they get direction from you?
If you ask them “Are productive work days often chaotic and frustrating to you and the team?” is their answer “Yes”? You might be the VP of Team Chaos.
Want a recipe for chaos and frustration?
Mix the following ingredients:
- 1 business owner
- 1 team
- “The plans, project ideas, and thoughts driving the business are all in my head” or similar
The entrepreneur is often the primary source of chaos. This doesn’t mean we’re bad business people. We tend to feed off the “chaos of battle”. Thing is, teams don’t. Chaos makes teams miserable even when they believe in the company and their work.
We have to lead. If that’s not us, we must find a leader and make it clear they have the authority to do so.
Work is a lot more productive, easier, and fun on a well-prepared team.
Mark Riffey is an investor and advisor to small business owners. Want to learn more about Mark or ask him to write about a strategic, operations or marketing problem? See Mark’s site, contact him on LinkedIn or Twitter, or email him at [email protected].