The Top 3 Reasons Working Alone Isn't Working
By VICKY BROWN
Let me start by saying that everyone is different, and every business is different. And, not everyone wants to have a team, some people really want to be, and stay, one of one. And if that’s you – then do what works for you.
But for most of us, being one of one does limit our ability to grow the business.
In fact, here are three of the top reasons that working alone may not be working for you.
Who should really do this? Let’s face it – when you’re running a business, there’s a ton of things to get done. Marketing your services, selling those services, billing, accounting, providing the services to the client, and countless other things.
So sure, there’s a lot to get done, but how do you know what you should be doing – and what you shouldn’t?
Think of things in three circles. There are things you are good at; things you like to do and things that sit squarely in your job description – you know, the CEO things.
In fact, you should only be doing the things in the part of the circles that all intersect. You know, you’re good at them, you like them, and they’re squarely in your responsibilities. It’s important to understand where all three circles intersect because you may like something, but be awful at it. Or you may be really good at something, but hate doing it. Or, and this is a tough one, you may be good at something, like doing it, but it shouldn’t be part of your responsibilities. It’s not worth it to the company – your time is more valuable spent on something else.
And to add insult to injury – your performance probably suffers – even on the things you’re normally good at, when you’re overburdened with tasks. Listen, we both know that you’re not at your best, or producing your best work, when you’re slammed, overwhelmed, and rushing just trying to get it all done on time.
Mistakes start to creep in. You’re exhausting yourself by working all hours of the day and night just to get it all done. It becomes easy to get resentful, and start questioning your choices -wasn’t this supposed to be easier?
All that, is why the golden intersection is so important. Things that fall outside the golden intersection, should be done by someone else. Both for your sanity, and the success of the business.
You can’t be creative and expand your thinking. Entrepreneurship is an exercise in constant problem solving. And that takes creativity, and looking at things from a different perspective. It takes (I hate to say it, but it’s true) it takes out of the box thinking – and being innovative. You have to come up with fresh ideas, and new ways of getting through the client’s problem. It’s not enough to fix the problem the same way everyone else does; you need to fix it in such a way that the solution makes the client’s business better.
“… for most of us, being one of one does limit our ability to grow the business.“
If you’re slogging through running payroll, you can’t do that. If you’re trying to optimize your blog post, you can’t do that. If you’re fixing that technology issue, you can’t do that.
Anything that takes you away from creativity and innovative thinking, is just in the way and slowing you down.
And oh, one more thing – two heads are better than one. Bouncing ideas off someone, collaborating – that’s the bread and butter of innovation. When you’re just turning the same thoughts and ideas over and over in your head – it just becomes an echo chamber. The same noise, over and over. You need to get something fresh in the mix – and that’s where getting input from someone else can be so important.
Don’t forget – having a team isn’t a subtraction from your profit, or time or whatever other story you might be telling yourself. A team is an addition. More ideas, more talent, more experience – a team brings more to the party.
Your primary job is to hold the vision of the company and make it rain. That’s it. Everything else you do should be in service of those two things. And in fact, the rain part might even eventually be done by someone else (although you know what they say – no one sells like the founder).
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But the holding of the vision – well, without that, the company can languish.
You see, the vision informs everything. What the business stands for – who you are, or aspire to be. The kind of client you accept, the services you provide and how you provide them. The company culture. How and who you hire and develop.
And one of the biggest, and most important, parts of your job is to hold that vision strong. Communicate it to everyone, inside and outside the company. Reinforce it as a litmus test for all decisions. Be a champion for it – and infuse it in everything the company does.
I’ll tell you a secret – holding the vision may be my favorite part of the job.
And here’s a bonus 4th reason to have a team – they’ll make you feel better. When things go wrong, or I’m just not quite feeling up to snuff – there’s nothing like my team to lift my spirits. Knowing we’re all in it together, we have one another’s backs, we’re all working toward one huge goal – that’s energizing beyond belief.
They’re funny, they’re engaging, and they’re surprising. They’re good (really good) at their jobs, they’re talented, and they have a variety of backgrounds, experiences and opinions…in a word, they’re lively.
Listen, entrepreneurship can be an isolating existence – but when you have a team (even if it’s a team of one other person), you’ll feel less alone. And that support can make all the difference in the world.