4 Signs that you may be a micromanager

# 1 – You have a hard time beginning projects.  You procrastinate endlessly.  This could be because you feel that you are the only one that can get it done the way it needs to be done.   And there just aren’t enough of you to go around; so better not begin this particular project right now.

# 2 – You are a perfectionist.   A perfectionist tends to micromanage; because they really believe they are the only ones that can do “It” the way “it” needs to be done.  No two people see things exactly the same; so perfection is a matter of perception; and it can’t be delegated.  So you try and delegate the project but you soon take it back so it can be “perfectly done”.

#3 – You are always tired.  You show up for work but by mid-day you wish you could just take a nap.  Micromanagers are exhausted most of the time.  They have to be everywhere at all times and it just wears them out.  They try and delegate tasks, but when they aren’t taking them back; they are hovering over their employees to make sure it is done exactly the way they would do it.  It’s not just specific results that they need to control; they will also want to control the process by which those results are attained.

#4 – You have a hard time taking vacations.  Micromanagers believe that if they aren’t there everything will fall apart so they don’t go on vacation.  And when they do go somewhere; they are in constant contact with their people and they don’t stay gone for long.

The best way to get over being a micromanager is to make sure you have communicated and completed the following before you delegate:

The What – Have you communicated with your employee WHAT needs to be done?

The Why – Have you communicated WHY is it being done?

The Who – Have you ensured that WHO you delegate the task to; has been trained and is qualified to do the job?

If you have gotten all the above right; the employee you do choose to delegate the task to will take care of “The How”.  To see a Micromanger in action check out the youtube video below:

 

 

Be Honest Be Human Be Clear

This above all: To Thy Own Self Be True - Hamlet, Shakespeare

Everywhere I turn I am hearing the word “Authentic”.  I was speaking to someone the other day and we got talking about what does authenticity in business look like.  It got me thinking.  We have entered a time when the consumer is more educated and more likely to share their experiences with strangers via social media.  Nobody wants to see a tweet or a posting of any kind saying that they or their company is less than authentic. We are becoming more apparent every day.  We are all striving to create a brand that says we are the “Real Deal – Do Business with Us”.

So how do we avoid the automatic “I don’t trust advertising” knee jerk reaction of the typical consumer?  How do we create an “Authentic” brand?  I think the best way to approach this in business is the same way we approach it in our every day lives.

Start with being Honest.  We are living in very transparent times.  Your customer has more choice and more information than ever before.  So stop trying to trick them into doing business with you.  Loose the gimmicks and angles.  Most people can see through them anyways.  Remember the Used Car Salesman?

Determine what your “Customer Promise” is and promote it.   If it is bona fide; then they will come.  If it isn’t you will know sooner and you can make the modifications to get it right.  If your customer feels that you misrepresented yourself or your product, you will lose their trust and that is what they will share within their network.  Remember the “they will tell 10 people about something they are dissatisfied about” paradigm?  Well that just changed with social media to about 100.

Don’t forget to be Human.  We all make mistakes.  It isn’t the mistake that makes the biggest impact; it is what the person does two seconds after the mistake.  You need to own it by apologizing and immediately do whatever you can to rectify it.  This will send the message loud and clear; “You can trust me and I respect you”. 

On the other side of this be quick to forgive.  If someone makes an error and owns it you shouldn’t need to beat them over the head with it.  If the slip-up is one that has been ongoing then you should take a look at the root cause; deal with it and then move on.  If it is an employee then either step up the training or replace them.  If it is a misunderstanding with a supplier maybe you need to pay more to get a better service or a better supplier.  Whatever the root cause is deal with that instead of harping on the mistake itself.

Always be “Clear”.  Don’t muddy the water.  Make sure you understand and promote the “Why and What” of your offering (i.e. your “Customer Promise”).  This is the only way you will be in sync with your real intentions.  Once you are in sync you are very clear about what you are willing to commit to.  Your commitment will define your actions.  You can’t tell the customer that you will go the extra mile and focus on quality to secure their business.  And then turn around and use the cheapest materials or the least expensive labor you can find.  When you are clear you are in alignment with your “Customer Promise”.  This alignment translates into greater sales.

One of my favorite business blogs is Seth’s Godin’s Blog.  He did a great short piece last year on authenticy.  You should read it.

So in summary, Be Honest, Be Human, Be Clear and you will be well on your way to achieving authenticity.   Businesses that find their own genuine voice will be the businesses that succeed.

“I fight for milk” – Jim Braddock

Jim Braddock - aka Cinderella Man

You may recall the movie “Cinderella Man”, the film about the actual 1930s boxer Jim Braddock (played by Russell Crowe).  Braddock is asked “What are you fighting for?” and he answers “I fight for milk”.  You see, it was the great depression and Jim wasn’t fighting for respect, or sparring with any inner demons.   Nope – quite simply, he was fighting for milk for his kids.  Like so many others, he was battling poverty, despair, and shame.  The shadowy foes of the Depression that threatened to swallow his family whole.  He had a goal (to knock out his opponent) and a strategy (he was known for his powerful right hand, granite chin, and his amazing ability to comeback), but what set him apart from the rest?  He had a cause.  He needed to feed his family.

We have plenty of evidence that the most successful entrepreneurs are ones who start their business because they want to share something they love that will make a difference in the lives of others.  Walt Disney didn’t just want to make a theme park that would make him rich – No he wanted to build a place where families could go and have fun with fantasy – “We evolved by necessity. We did not sit down and say to ourselves, ‘How can we make a big pile of dough?’ It just happened.” —Walt Disney

So do you have a cause?  Maybe it is your love of the automobile that caused you to open an automotive repair shop.  Or maybe it is your love of woodworking that actually drives that hammer.  Whatever it is; have you shared it with your customers and/or your employees?  If not – Why not?

When we share our passion with the people we are doing business with it; it creates a bond of trust and they feel good about doing business with us.  They want us to succeed.  In the movie “Cinderella Man”; everyone wanted Jim to win not because he was a better boxer.  But because he was fighting for a cause – he was fighting for milk.

Are you ready to cry UNCLE?

You know that feeling… you have tried everything and nothing works.  Your bottom line has been in the red so long you’ve gotten use to it.  And your top line looks like it did when you first began your business.  You have tried everything you can think of and nothing seems to work.  You are so frustrated at this point you would sell everything for a dollar and a dream.  Well don’t!

I have proof positive that there are companies making money in this recession; in just about every sector.  While they aren’t seeing the numbers they saw just a few years ago; they are making money.  Yes we have hit a reset button and anyone who is successful now has figured out how to do business in the new economy.

First and foremost stop whining.  Yes you are angry and you are discouraged; but crying about it isn’t going to get you anywhere.  Life has never been fair and it never will be.  Besides are you so sure you would fare better if some entity showed up with the fair stick and waved it your way.  The only way you will move forward is if you stop looking for reasons to be offended and start being grateful for the business you have.  The universe will give you more of what you focus on.  It is simple physics.  So if you think your business sucks well then it will.  Look for the opportunities in every situation you encounter and you will begin to see them more clearly.  Depending on how far down this rabbit hole of negativity you have climbed will depend on how soon you get to see daylight again.

You might have to find someone else to make the necessary changes in your business.  If you have been at this awhile; you have probably become myopic in your thinking about what will work.  It can be a very subtle thing; so don’t be surprised if you don’t see it.  Far be it from me to state the obvious; however, if what you thought had worked…. you wouldn’t be in this position.  See if you can’t hand some of the decision making over to someone else while you focus on operations for a while.  Don’t look at this as a failure or weakness.  It actually means you are smart enough to know when to stop digging and courageous enough to bring someone in to help get you out of the hole you are in. 

If bringing in some outside help isn’t feasible; then join a group that will provide some mentoring.  We have a formal business mentoring program that we facilitate for businesses; but you could do something a little less structured to get started.  Just make sure you have a lot of outside influence to get you out of the box and into the new economy.  Be careful of joining groups that have been around for a while and are industry specific.  They tend to insist on the old paradigms and keep doing the exact things that got you into this position to begin with.

Success means change and change is difficult.  But it is doable.  You can’t redo the beginning or anything you have done so far; but you can change the ending.  So get up, get positive, and get going; because this ISN’T a dress rehearsal!

Why Strategies Fail

One of my all time favorite books is “Strategy and The Fat Smoker” by David Maister.  David is a business advisor whose clients are primarily law firms.  However, I find most of his advice to be applicable to just about any business type.  Dave believes that instead of asking “What do I need or want to do to improve my business?” you should be asking “What I am willing to do to improve my business?”

We all must analyze our strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats but we can’t stop there.  If we aren’t willing to do what we need to do; to get where we want to go then we won’t get there.  We must change either the goal or the will.  The title of Dave’s book speaks to this very conundrum.

How many times have you heard from someone that they won’t quit smoking because they are afraid they might gain weight?  In order for this logic to be true there shouldn’t be any “Fat Smokers”.  Yet obviously there is plenty of empirical data that proves just the opposite.  In fact, there is no direct correlation between weight gain and not smoking.

The truth is the smokers are not willing to commit to the behavioral changes that will be required in order for them to be successful at quitting.  So the weight argument becomes the excuse they use to avoid the lack of will.  If they dealt with the lack of will instead; they might actual find a path to success.

I see this played out all the time in business.  The business owner will spend all their time focused on the strategy of the goal and spend no time on the behavioral changes that are required to carry out the objectives to achieve the goal.  Then when one of those changes is something they aren’t willing to carry out; they fail. 

Had they been realistic in the beginning and focused on the potential obstacles presented by the behavioral changes and lack of will they could have planned another course of action and increased their chances of success.  Maybe outsourced some of the things that they could not bring themselves to do or that they lacked the expertise to carry out.

However, in business when a commitment is left to die it can actually be quite harmful to the overall health of a company. If you have made a promise to yourself and your employees in the form of a strategic goal (i.e. increase in sales volume) and you lack the will to do the things that you will need to do (networking, cold calls, etc.) then you are actually worse off for having made the commitment. 

Not having the fortitude to do what was necessary has sent a demoralizing message to yourself and your employees.  It has also sent a message loud and clear that you can’t be trusted to follow through on your promises.  It makes it tougher to get anything done down the road because your employees will be less likely to buy in to your vision and follow you.

So in summary, choose your strategic goals wisely.  Make sure you have completely considered everything that will be required to achieve that goal before you commit to it.  Remember the experts say goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound.  I would add to that list “something you are willing to commit to” and then go for it.

Too Many Experts

"Hurry Hurry Hurry.. Get Your Expert Here!"

A favorite saying of my Dad’s was “Don’t put the dog on”.  For those of you who are not familiar with this old saying it came into use after the civil war.  Back then lap dogs were a social status symbol among the wealthy.  So anyone who was considered being flashy was jokingly said to be “putting the dog on”.

I often think of this saying when I see some of the spam emails I get.  So many people claiming to be able to solve so many problems just by you clicking on and listening to their podcasts or following them on some twitter feed.  They are arrogant enough to believe they can solve your problems without ever having met you.

I even fell for one of those.  I signed up for a monthly podcast program that had what I believe to be some of the top thinkers in the world involved.  At least that was the way they hooked me in.  Turns out all I got was interviews filled with platitudes and stale stories of how these people all had achieved their success.  If I would just do what they had done I too could have their level of success!

Today’s problems in business are complex and not easily solved, we can no longer expect a cookie cutter solution to any of them.  If you have two people you have two entirely different problems.  However, it is not a hopeless situation, there are things you can do to get your answers and they won’t take up so much of your time or money. 

• Share your situation with someone you know in your line of work or industry.  It has been my experience that people like to help.  So don’t be afraid to ask as many as you need too until you feel you have an answer that will work for you. 
• Try a brainstorming session.  Get a bunch of people together for a dinner or cook out (maybe hold the beer and wine for later!) and present them with your issue and ask for some ideas.  The key is they have to be familiar with you or your type of business.  Ideally you would have a good mix with someone besides you facilitating the conversation. 
• Read one of the great business books available.  If you don’t like to read try one of the audio versions.  Stick with the New York Times or Amazon’s best seller list.

 Anyone of these ideas should give you a better shot at solving your problem.

I’m not saying that some of the traditional theories can’t be applied and that some of these consultants don’t know these theories inside and out.   I am saying be wary of anyone who claims to be an expert.  They may know how to solve some one’s problem but until they spend some time with you – it isn’t yours.

We are strong because we struggle

America The Beautiful – Land of the Free and Brave

I am deviating from my usual blog post today because I feel very compelled to share with all of you something I feel very strongly about.  I love this country very much and I am deeply concerned for my fellow citizens.  As we get ready to celebrate our day of Independence, “The Fourth of July”; I want you to think about this.

Everywhere you look today there seems to be another calamity that we as Americans must deal with.  These trials and tribulations have caused a great deal of stress for a lot of people.  All around me I see a lot of anger.  But that isn’t what really concerns me.  What really concerns me is the feeling that many more are hopeless.  And that is why I am writing this post today.

I recently viewed a documentary on HBO about the terrorist’s attacks in Mumbai, India.  Some of you might recall this tragic event.  Or maybe you have seen the documentary.  What shocked me so about this event; was the utter acceptance of the people involved of their fate.  Whether it was the police aimlessly wandering around, the victims not fighting back, or the terrorist themselves just going along with what they were told to do even though they didn’t want to.  I couldn’t imagine that ever happening in this country.

This country was founded on struggle.  And it is within our struggle that we gained our strength.  We are scrappers and we fight back.  I am not prone to jingoistic hyperbole (nationalistic overstatement).  I worry that sometimes people use it to control the emotions of others.  I am a pragmatist at heart.   But this needs to be said.

We as a country have made many mistakes.  But when we figure out the right path we are not afraid to take it.  We are also not afraid to face our mistakes and acknowledge our shortcomings.  It may take us longer than some like but we do get there.

We are a people of action.  We do not sit by complacently and just let things happen.  We make them happen.  It is against our nature to be bystanders.

Because we endeavor to be the best we can we face our fear and push through our pain.  We expect that of each other so we get it.  Our country was founded on this very principle.  We despise tyrants and could never stand for a dictatorship.  We are independent to our core.

We are problem solvers.  Our different faiths or political parties do not stop us from finding a way to unite for the common good.  We embrace our challenges and rise above our petty differences to meet them.

So please take heart America.  Our governments will get reformed, our economy will recover, the oil spill will be cleaned up and the wars will end.  And we as Americans will be stronger and more united because we did not give in to the fear but faced it head on.  And we will succeed not in spite of our struggles but because of them.

Why go it alone? Mom & Pops Unite!

It has always been next to impossible for small business to compete with big business.  They have never had the resources to withstand any direct attack from the larger companies.  That is until now.  The internet has leveled the playing field dramatically.

I recently stumbled upon a group of individuals who have harnessed the power of the internet to enable them to compete against the larger corporations.  These people design and build “Small Houses”; and I mean small!   Their strategy for dealing with the bigger competitors in construction is very compelling.

They found each other on the internet and decided to collaborate with each other instead of competing.  They advertise on each other’s sites and send work to each other when it is appropriate.  Here is the link to one of the companies http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/.  The founder is Jay Shafer and his company is “Tumbleweed Tiny House Company”.

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company - Jay Shafer

So have you explored your options?  Networking is a great way of getting more business locally; but what if you formed a strategic alliance with someone who would normally be your competition but is located too far away to matter?  You know “Think Global Act Local”.  Or you line up with someone locally who does something that is a little different than you and actually compliments your product/service.

All you need to do is decide what it is you will specialize in and then line up with someone who can provide the additional items that maybe needed for the consumer product/service to be completely satisfied.  You would set up your own horizontal channels based on what your company lacked.  Some examples could be small banks align with companies that provide business services.  Flower shop aligns with a gift basket company.  Some of the collaboration could be done via websites and online (via, an eblast, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.).  This is a relatively easy way to get access to a larger market place with relatively low risk.  Big businesses have been doing this kind of stuff for years.

What really intrigues me is the scale of this.  Why couldn’t a small accounting company form a loose partnership with a small accounting company in Ireland or New Zealand?  How about a gift basket company selling products from Denmark exclusively; that they get from a small Mom & Pop store?

You wouldn’t have to make it really elaborate.  It could be a “let’s see how this works out first” kind of thing.  I have recently done this with a business coach.  We have a loose alliance that provides us the ability to bring to the small to medium size business community access to the concept of monthly business roundtables at a price point that makes sense for them.  It has worked great for us and we both have gotten alot out of it.

So what do you think?  I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this?  Please share?

Are you suffering from the “To Big To Care” bug?

We have all worked with that person, the one who is just phoning it in until they are no longer required to show up every day.  They are either just hanging around for retirement or they took the job just to get a paycheck.  Getting them engaged in the work is next to impossible because they really don’t belong in that job.  These people are littered throughout corporate America and have been factored into the cost of doing business.  But that isn’t the only place they show up.  Some small businesses have to deal with this quandary as well.

Take the professional that no longer cares about the service side of their business.  They just want to make the money and go home.  Get while the getting is good so to speak.  Some of these people have just stayed to long.  There was a time that they felt real passion for their work and were quite good at it.  But now they aren’t concerned with growing just maintaining status quo.   They take too long to return phone calls and they seem to no longer care how you are doing.

Some of these business professionals never really had a great passion for the work in the first place.  They just didn’t want to work for someone else.  These people just want to make a living and aren’t really concerned with expanding their business or yours.

Another day at another time these people would have fared just fine; but not now.  We have entered a time when transparency and downward pressure on price has made it next to impossible to remain mediocre.  The competition is fierce and you had better be ready to compete or don’t bother leaving the house.

Consider the current situation that attorneys now face.  The consumer now has the choice to use legalzoom.com or hire a paralegal for minor legal work for a fraction of the cost.  Both of these options are satisfactory and very cost effective.  The internet along with the various government agencies have made certain legal filings very easy to do online.  You can incorporate your business online for a fraction of the cost it would take to use an attorney.  So if your experience with the legal profession has been less than stellar you now have an option and probably for less cost.

What about the CPA industry.  Once again accounting software along with the ability of providing data and transactions over the internet seamlessly has given the consumer a plethora of options.  They can now manage their own accounting throughout the year and hire a tax professional to add the final touches.  In addition, in a very short time everything will need to be filed electronically.  This will further simplify the accounting process.  So if your accountant isn’t returning your phone calls when you need him/her too and your business dealings are fairly routine you may now question their fee.

Web developers are not immune from these changes either.  I just spent some time looking into getting my website refreshed and I was shocked at the quality and low price of some of the web templates that are out there.  These templates have already been developed and do allow for some customization.  A new service sector has developed that incorporates the template module with some additional tools (portals, forms, etc.) as well as the ability to host with them and get some technical help on an as needed basis.  These website templates have been written in such a way that you can do your own editing.  This is great news for the do it yourselfers; but what about the web developer?

Now more than ever it is important for the service sector to establish a great customer service attitude and make that their differentiator.  Because “A sale is not something you pursue; it is something that happens while you are immersed in serving your customer.”  Author Unknown.

So if you have been suffering from the “To Big To Care” bug…… don’t worry it won’t last.

Relax

Relax; it’s only business.  That’s right, take it easy, and goof off once in awhile.  Your employees will thank you and your business will be better for it. 

I just got off the phone with my husband who is a successful restaurateur.  He has taken a little time off with our youngest son.  They are on a Father Son trip that began in New Orleans.  The trip took them to Mexico and then back to New Orleans for the Jazz Festival.  For 7 whole days!  I could tell he was feeling a little unsettled about being gone so long.  But 7 days is not a long time.  Not really.  And he knows everything is running fine.  He also knows he has great employees who have been with him for a long time.

So what is that thing that makes us feel that if we disconnect for a time something bad will happen.  Things can go wrong with our without us present.  Problems will always be with us.

The truth is most of us never disconnecting from our work anymore.  We take our laptops and blackberries wherever we go.  We say it makes things easier.  We believe it makes us more productive.  We can immediately deal with issues as they come up. 

But I don’t believe that.  Maybe we do it because it allows us to not have to trust or depend on anyone else to handle problems for us.  You know that thing – “If I want it done right I might as well do it myself”.  Or maybe we think if we don’t answer that phone call, email or text right now the sender will move on to someone who is more available.

I was working on a deal recently and was having a conversation with someone who was a key player.  As it turned out he was still working on this deal while he was on vacation!  Thanks to his blackberry.  Bet his family was really happy!  The thing is everything I needed could have waited until he returned.

I know it is hard to turn off the gadgets and allow ourselves to take a real break these days.  But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it.  If we don’t delegate our roles once in awhile we will burn out.  And being burned out isn’t good for anyone or thing; even business.

So shut it down, turn it off and relax….. “it’s all good – they got it”