Get help

If you’re an A.D.D. entrepreneur, you better have people around you who have a surplus of focus and time.

If you’re an introvert, you should have some extroverts on your team. 

Fill your weaknesses (and yes you have them) with other people who are strong in those areas.  

Point of Reference

In every Olympics, they should have an average person compete in the events so we can have a point of reference and appreciate the athletes more.

I put together and support contractor dealer networks.  The point of reference is the average plain vanilla contractor.  

There’s always lots of room for improvement, but I’d say we are world-class in reference to the average.

How are you doing in reference to the average?

How leaders get things done.

Through other people.

Other people are the game.

Get the best on your team.  Get them in the right positions for their unique talents.  

Communicate.  Create Clarity.  Incentivize.  Recognize.  Communicate more.

Watch them go.  Help them get better.

Delegating what you don't understand

Delegation is critical for leaders.  Those that try to do everything themselves are doomed to workaholism and getting stuck as a small business.

But there are key functions in a business – Marketing, Sales, Production, Service, Accounting, etc.  Leaders need to delegate these functions so they can grow. 

But here’s my observation:

Delegate what you don’t understand at your peril.  You see, if I delegate marketing or accounting or sales to a manager, and I don’t understand marketing or accounting or sales, I am putting a critical function of my business in the hands, skills, and judgment of someone else.  If they mess this up or just aren’t very good at it, I will never know it.  If I suspect it, I won’t know what to tell them to do about it.

Become an expert in the critical functions – so that you can then effectively delegate that which you understand.

A good leader attracts good people

A good leader attracts good people and chases away bad ones. 

A bad leader chases away good people and is left with the bad ones.

Which are you?

Leaders get paid for what others do

Not what they do.

Sales are contingent on the salesperson

Get salespeople who can make it happen.  Train them incredibly well.  Make them feel supported and give them everything they need.

Sales are contingent on the salesperson, not the prospect.

Sales Crisis?

Have sales training every day.  

Don’t have someone to train the sales team who knows what they are doing?  

Someone in the building has to know how to sell well and train the others.  Make it so.

Don’t let a sales crisis continue.

#1 Investment – Training

If payroll is my number one expense, week after week and paycheck after paycheck, doesn’t it make sense to ensure I am getting the best results from it?

“Train them so they can leave.  Treat them in a way so they don’t want to.” – Richard Branson

Hire Nice People

A visitor commented on the team members during the tour of the company.

“How do you train all these people to be so nice?” he asked his guide.

“We don’t.  We hire nice people and train them to do the job”.