ABACUS

1 comment Tuesday 13th 2011

The Small Business Time Trap

As the newest member of Abacus, I am in the process of finding my feet and figuring out how I fit in to the grand scheme of things. My background relates to helping people see connections between systems, processes communication styles and people -so my musing will most likely about how business owners can affect their bottom line through how they interact with their people. You’d be amazed at how much you say, don’t say, or think you’re saying affects the delivery of your products and/or services. For example…

Many small businesses start out with a single person who knows they have skills to offer and decide to go into business for themselves. If they find themselves in the enviable situation that their skills are in demand and the business grows quickly, they begin to take on other staff to help them cope.

All of a sudden, the business begins to take on an entitly all of its own and people are pulling at you left right and centre to get your advice or decisions on things. If you find yourself in this position, you will start to feel stretched and worn thin very quickly. In addition to risking your sanity, odds are that you’re not getting the most from your staff either. They will be chasing you around, trying co catch information that is buzzing around in your head.

So, when you do look up for a moment and find yourself in this situation, what do you do? Well, the first and most natural thing to do is to have a little panic. Its a perfectly normal response, most likely brought on because a loved one or close friend has finally hit the limit of not having their alloted amount of attention. You’ve missed one to many dance recitals or left boiling milk on the stove and nearly burned down the kitchen because you’re too exhausted to think properly.

After you’ve had your panic (have a good solid moment of chaos and frustration, but just a little one - remember you do have to get on with things after all) and then take a deep breath. The next thing to do is to write down all the things that you should be doing but don’t quite get to. Steel yourself, this may be a long list (and resist the urge for more panic). Now step away from the list and make yourself a cup of tea. Even getting all those things on paper is worth a little reward.

Now, have a look at all the things on that list and ask yourself these questions:

One: Does this really need to be done (what happens if I don’t do it)? If the world wouldn’t crumble away if it was missed, then cross it off. If it crops up again down the track you can consider it again.

Two: If it does need to be done, the next question is: do you personally have to do it? If not, delegate it. But remeber, delegate doesn’t mean dump. Make time to talk through why it needs to be done, by when and if there is anything else the person needs to know about what the outcome should be. Note that I didn’t say to tell them HOW to do it. If you give staff your expected outcomes and give them some lee-way for solving the task themselves two things will happen: they will feel more confident in their skills and satisfied in their job and they will stop relying on you to provide so many details. Just getting this right will set free about 20% of your stress.

Three: Anything left on your list needs that you personally have to do goes straight in your calendar. If it doesn’t fit, it will not happen. You need to either move it to next week or shift something else. Be realistic about how long things take though. If something seems quick but involves a chatty client, allow time for that. The last thing you want is to rush a client out the door because you have overbooked yourself. And create space between appointments. Give yourself 20 minutes after a meeting to make notes, follow up new tasks and to book in new activities that came out of the meeting. Ensure you also have time before the next meeting to prepare. You will come across grounded and in control -even better, you will BE in control.

You would never let someone bully you into excessive overtime and constantly being on the back foot. So why would you do it to yourself?

Essentially, when you feel things getting out of control: stop, take a moment, and sort it out. Ask your staff to stop with you and help get things back on track. It sounds counter-intuitive when you’re flat out. But the only way to change things is to regroup, prioritise and make a plan that lets you have some breathing space.

Contributed by Anita Gisch

Categories: A Word to the Wise, Mini MBA

Tags: Management, MBA, Stress, Time