The first business I helped get off the ground was a temporary employment agency. It was a great learning experience especially when it came to all the information that flowed in. The temps were all “great” administrative assistants. I was good at getting systems set up but the flow of paper and files became daunting, since I was not schooled in handling clutter. What a wake up call when I couldn’t put my hands on a very important document.
Our success in business comes down to the difference between managing our work or letting our work manage us. We have to decide what’s it going to be? As I soon realized, the biggest contributors to clutter are those good old fashion letters, junk mail, memos, e-mail printouts and sticky notes,
So how do you sort through all the junk and all the distractions and concentrate only on the things that are important to you and your business? In business ownership and management, as in war and other activities, you are only as good as your last success. Just as you always have to be on the lookout for the next opportunity, you also have to be on the alert for the next crisis. That is what being organized is all about. You don’t want to waste your time on useless trivia when important issues that have significant impact on your customers or your organization deserve your attention.
Delegation is an ideal way that allows you to work on important tasks. As your business grows, your responsibilities normally grow past the point where you can cope with all the duties which must be handled. As this process of growth occurs, you must begin to delegate specific duties to insure that all necessary tasks are carried out. This means hiring someone on a full or part time basis and properly training them. It is important to have performance guidelines with proper follow up procedures for the delegated assignments. In some instances people who do outside services can take up the slack.
Remember, a well managed business achieves results. Good management requires passing down the authority to get the job done and allows you to get on with the high priority, high payoff activities of your business.
One of the most important steps in the Mind Masters program is planning. A business plan requires an action plan that will have specific and measurable results. Here is a suggested proven planning method that if you are truly committed to improving your management skills you can become a planning master overnight. What would it mean to you if you planned every business day on paper prior to the day starting?
- Block 30 minutes each week to review the week and your Quarterly plan and determine the actions you will need to take that week to achieve those results.
- Block 10-14 minutes daily to plan the day. No cell phone, no e-mail, no distractions, just planning.
- With your goals in front of you ask yourself if the activities you listed will help you achieve those goals.
- Prioritize your action items for the day. Put an asterisk next to your 5 most important (valuable) action items.
I challenge you to prepare for business growth through better organization, delegation and time management. Remember as a business owner setting a standard of consistent behaviors leads you to achieve results that carry over to all areas of your life.
The Challenge: Choose one area that needs organization and either schedule time to work on it or delegate it to someone who can.