For too many business owners today, the idea of jumping ship and heading out the door for a week’s vacation is unheard of. After all, there’s a business to run and that’s already a full-time job and a half! Somebody’s got to make sure the cars go out, the money comes in, the bills get paid, and the uniform man gets handled along with the plumber, the oil distributor, and the tool guy, too! So, how can it be possible to drop everything and take some time off?
Let’s take a peek at your true circumstance and make some evaluations. Do you wish you could take more serious time off? Can you trust your employees to do the job you need done? Do they work well together and with customers? Are they dependable and loyal? Are they self motivated and do they work through directives and tasks executed through the strategies of a self-directed team?
For owners with shops operating through a self-directed team, taking time off on a moment’s notice is a reality enjoyed more often than you’d think. For those driven to bless every move made in your business every day, however, here’s the good news and bad: The good news is that, sure enough, with you at the helm, business stands a good chance of moving right along the way you’d like. The bad news is that, in your zeal to master it all yourself, you’ve exchanged that victory for the chance to bask in the sun with the special people in your life - the personal time so desperately important in maintaining a healthy attitude today.
Is the idea of taking time off for a personal life truly unrealistic? Here it is in a nutshell: Self-directed team operations can be as much a reality in your shop as they are in shops just like yours. Your business is not unique - neither are your circumstances with it, problems and all. The difference is that others have taken the time to make the conversion that you haven’t. Maybe it’s time you did.
Consider transferring your responsibilities as a self-driven business operator to a strong self-directed team instead. Act on the following:
1) Most employees, even those who enjoy working independently, want to believe that they are part of a team working toward common goals. They need reassurance that they are valued members of a team.
2) Employees want to feel you are thinking of their welfare. They want to know you care about what’s going on in your own business, right along with what’s going on in their personal and professional lives. You must acknowledge the positive with as much zeal as you notice the negative in employees’ contributions.
3) Team members want to feel employers listen to them. They like being a part of your business and feel ignored when you don’t listen to and act on their recommendations. Poor communication is the number one problem in employee / employer relationships. Employees are the biggest part of your business and it’s wise to listen to what your business is saying.
4) Team members want to feel special, not easily replaceable. They each want to feel like they are your best choice for what they do for you, and that takes complimenting their performance often and sincerely.
5) Team members want to be informed about your business. Inadequate or lack of communication about business expectations affects productivity too greatly to not inform employees about what’s going on.
6) Team members want to work for an employer who works efficiently and confidently. The character and performance employers display either inspire the actions of employees or discourage them. As team members experience the positive in you, they will easier take the action needed to be successful inside of business goals.
Although there is a continuous process of refining team strategies and performance to gain what the business needs, to seriously consider the reality of a self-directed team in operation is my biggest recommendation to increase odds to succeed.