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Managing a business should be about direction, planning and development – not about focusing on day-to-day operations. However, if you are struggling with urgent work, stress and no personal life, it is time to take your life back.
Here are 10 powerful strategies to ensure you are in control of your business and not the other way around.
Related: Is Your Work Life Dominating Your Personal Life? Here’s What It Really Takes To Change That.
1. Clarify roles and goals
The first key to regaining control of your business is making sure each team member clearly understands what is expected of them and what the milestones are. When the roles and objectives of the people involved are clearly defined, there is reduced confusion, fewer mistakes and improved responsibility. It also allows your team to own their work, so they make more decisions without communicating with you.
Practical understanding: From time to time, you should always look at your roles and goals and decide if they are still relevant to your business. Make sure everyone stays on the same page in terms of the company’s goals and objectives.
2. Make unrealistic plans
Business plans are the foundation of any successful organization. If you don’t have them, you will be going from one problem to another. Eliminating waste in these areas means you are able to cut out potential mistakes in important tasks such as hiring new employees or managing customers.
Practical understanding: Look for activity patterns, and automate the processes that contain them. It is recommended that you document these processes and look for ways to improve them as much as possible.
3. Delegate responsibilities, not just tasks
Delegation is not just about delegating work; it’s about empowering people to take responsibility and be accountable for results. Delegation of responsibility involves delegating full authority to your team members and allowing them to work on tasks independently from start to finish. This not only relieves your burden but also contributes to strengthening your team and its confidence.
Practical understanding: Start with small assignments, and give your team members as much support as possible to ensure they succeed. Delegate as many responsibilities as possible, and empower your team to solve problems themselves.
4. Empower decision making
If you find that your business cannot function properly without your intervention, it is time to hand over responsibilities. This does not mean giving up responsibility completely, but it does mean delegating decision-making authority to employees. Decision-making protocols also improve efficiency as they eliminate time-wasting processes.
Practical understanding: Encourage only people involved in decision-making to come to meetings, explain the purpose and scope of the meeting in advance, and use project management tools to share information with other members without reporting them.
Related: How to Change Your Business Without Losing Control
5. Measure what’s important
Not all parameters can be compared with others or with existing standards. To set your business on the right track, always pay attention to key KPIs that are relevant to your performance. These should be directly related to your business goals and should provide information that can inform your business performance.
Practical understanding: Select only a few strategic KPIs that must be met to achieve the set goals. Track these metrics to analyze progress and make necessary changes in strategy.
6. Adjust the connection
Communication is important, but if it is overdone, it is detrimental to your business growth. Unplanned communication through daily meetings, extended email threads and constant back-and-forth hinders productivity and creativity. Therefore, effective communication means removing all that is unnecessary and leaving only what is relevant.
Practical understanding: Avoid inviting unnecessary people, be specific about what needs to be discussed and decided during the meeting, and ensure that everyone who should be on the road is updated using project management software instead of calling a meeting for that purpose.
7. Encourage innovation
Innovation is necessary to remain viable in the market, but it is not a process that can be left to itself. You need to create an environment where your team members are encouraged to come up with new ideas and solutions. If innovation is the goal, there is an opportunity to change and move forward in business.
Practical understanding: Encourage risk-taking and learning from mistakes to build a culture of innovation. Encourage creative thinking, and provide the tools and guidance needed to make such ideas a reality.
8. Set up regular checkpoints
Despite great plans and a great team, it’s important to have regular meetings to ensure everyone is on track. These are not small control checkpoints but to make sure you are on track to achieve your goals and make adjustments where needed.
Practical understanding: Organize meetings between all team members so they can discuss their progress and concerns. These are great opportunities to effectively discuss issues and remind everyone of the project’s goals and priorities.
9. Take time to plan
The biggest mistake that any entrepreneur can make is to get consumed by the work of the business and end up not having time to think about the future. If there are no strategic goals, your business will likely lose its way. To manage your business successfully, you need to set aside some time to focus on long-term strategic planning.
Practical understanding: Schedule time for creative thinking, and avoid filling the entire day with meetings and other activities. This is the time for you to look at your business and consider new ways and possibilities for the future.
Related: Managing Every Task Alone Is A Trap For Business Owners – Here’s How I Went From Doing Everything to Doing What Matters
10. Lean back
Finally, it’s important to trust your team and let them get the job done. This is often the most challenging part of the entire process for many business owners, but it is essential to sustainability. When you delegate, you free yourself up to focus on more strategic tasks that will help grow your business.
Practical understanding: First, move the extra load, and gradually start to distance yourself from the daily management. Believe that your colleagues can accomplish tasks without your intervention.
The idea of running a business is to be able to lead, create and develop – far from making you feel overwhelmed by work and pressure. By following these ten steps, you’ll be able to take back control of your business and build a culture that empowers your team, grows your business and allows you the stress-free time and space to enjoy the process. Just as a reminder, your business is there to support you and not the other way around.
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