I subscribe to the Grammarly blog. I think words are fun and interesting and find these posts are always a good read. One that I recently read was titled “10 Biggest Leadership Mistakes You Really Should Avoid”,
( https://www.grammarly.com/blog/leadership-mistakes/) a 2017 GlassDoor post. It piqued my interest and upon reading it I couldn’t help but notice several of the items are applicable to my preferred client, the very small business owner. Folks who have less than 10 employees or just themselves.
The one that jumped out at me was number 2, “Forgetting about the details”.
It isn’t that most small business owners forget about the details, it’s that they just don’t have the time to get organized enough to identify those tasks that should be handed off, or hand off tasks but don’t schedule a time to sit down with the task owner to review the process or get an update.
Sometimes in an effort to build our business or maintain our business, we forget that it is our business. It is a temptation to put complete trust in the person who handles your week-to-week administrative responsibilities. You’ve worked hard to get to where you are, you’re ready to take the next step. You find the right person or company and even if they don’t understand the service or product you provide, they have a clear understanding of the administrative needs and the skills to get to get you where you want to go.
Now comes that big sigh of relief. There is someone else to help you share the burden of getting those tasks done: bill paying, invoicing, payroll, HR support, office supply or inventory stocking and all those other pesky tasks. You can get back to the computer or in the field or on the phone and do that thing that you do best and for which you are well compensated (or will be soon because you have taken that next step). Or even better, you can start having some personal time in your life again, (no worries – I’m not linking to my Joy blog post).
Here’s the thing; you need to make sure that you schedule the time to stay on top of the tasks you handed off. You don’t have to micro-manage, just remain aware of the status of things and be available for questions. It is your business and if you are a very small business it is likely that you have been doing it all. That makes you the greatest resource for information about your processes. It doesn’t necessarily need to be face-to-face; although I recommend a face-to-face meeting at least once a month or quarter depending on the type of work being done by your new administrative support staff, you should make sure there is a regular communication channel available.
It may not feel like it when you starting your workday with a 7 am meeting with your bookkeeper or office manager or spend part of your evening reviewing a report requesting answers to missing information or the Deeds and Needs email sent for your reading pleasure, but the time needed to stay in touch with your support staff goes a very long way towards the success of your business.
Just a thought.
KC Solutions Bookkeeping 