The Supersize Burger in the picture above, ‘neatly ‘ encapsulates the challenges that we, as SME Owners face, in allocating our time effectively and most productively. In effect, we try to ‘eat the elephant ‘ of our business in large bites, rather than digesting an appropriate amount or ‘sharing the burger’ with others.
We become accustomed to making every decision about everything because we can. We make even consider, that we have to.
We have a skill set or professional qualification that has helped us climb the ladder of an organisation as an employee. Now, we are ready to take the step of starting our own business. The key challenge to us is: How do I check my thinking, my decisions, and or, behaviours? The most critical time is when it just ourselves in our business. Quite often, our culture is set in stone at this point, so that as the business develops, ‘This is how we do things here’, becomes an established fact. We become accustomed to making every decision about everything because we can. We make even consider, that we have to. The role of a business coach can be of significant benefit to the business owner at this point.
A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear, who has you see what you don’t want to see, so you can be the person, you always knew you could be.
–Tom Landry
The coach, in effect, becomes the ‘Critical Friend’ of the business owner. The most precious resource we have is time. It is essential that it is spent wisely.
Leadership in the business is vital. The single person SME who develops authentic Leadership skills ( eg delegation )will be well placed to maximise the benefits of the next person who joins or partners that business.
