| In the beginning it's all hands to the pump. You | | | | the engine room. Because you feel comfortable |
| probably start off with a few staff. Sometimes | | | | down there. It's your ship. It's easier to keep |
| it's just you and maybe one other who has a | | | | close to what you know than it is to lead people. |
| dream to create a product or a service. You go | | | | To lead an organisation. But lead it you must. |
| through the usual pain of finding that initial funding, | | | | An organisation that's growing needs direction, |
| that elusive investor that will help your dream | | | | strategy and leadership. When you employ a |
| come true. Like most entrepreneurs you work | | | | management team, you must empower them to |
| slavishly at getting your business off the ground. | | | | manage. Give them responsibility and authority for |
| Twenty fours hours a day, always connected to | | | | the results of their team. In our Star Trek |
| e-mail and your mobile phone. | | | | example, Captain Kirk needs to know if there are |
| Then the excitement of your first client, your | | | | any engine problems. He needs to know how the |
| first sale. And your business is off and running. It's | | | | engines perform. He doesn't need to be involved |
| starting to grow. And it grows and grows. That | | | | with the doing, with running the engine room. It's |
| growth is good news. When you have so much | | | | not easy being a leader of people. You can have |
| to do and not enough staff to do it, it's a nice | | | | a natural ability or you can teach yourself. |
| problem to have. We would all love to have | | | | Through books, seminars, learning. |
| business growing pains. But be careful. That | | | | Another thing to bear in mind is that as you grow |
| growth can kill your business. Growth without | | | | your business, surround yourself with great |
| control, without leadership will result in chaos. | | | | people. Don't be scared of other people's |
| And so you hire staff, and then you hire | | | | intelligence and skill. Everyone has something to |
| managers to manage those staff. You are now | | | | contribute. You started the business from nothing. |
| creating an organisational structure. Levels within | | | | You can't know it all. So when you hire |
| the organisation that have responsibility to you | | | | management, hire those that know. That's the |
| and the organisation for performance and results. | | | | only way for your skill and knowledge and |
| The issue comes when you don't step out of | | | | ultimately your leadership ability to develop. |
| your comfort zone. Don't step away from what | | | | If you run a mining company, you can't be at the |
| you know best. The service, the product you've | | | | coal face with the crew digging the coal. You need |
| created. | | | | to be up above leading the crew in the direction |
| Do you micro manage? Do you delegate tasks | | | | the tunnel should be going. |
| and responsibilities? Do you trust your workforce? | | | | And here's something else. The staff don't expect |
| Micromanagement is a business style whereby | | | | to see you at the front end. They are there to |
| you constantly check and manage those tasks | | | | do a job. And they expect you to do yours, |
| as-signed to your staff. It's not a particularly | | | | which is lead them. Having said that, don't lock |
| healthy style of management. It inhibits | | | | yourself away in your ivory tower and never |
| development growth of your people. It makes | | | | come out.! You see it's not an easy role. You |
| them nervous and uneasy. Like someone is | | | | need to find a balance. |
| constantly watching over them. A lot of small | | | | Everyone needs someone to look up to. When I |
| business and new business owners micromanage. | | | | was a region director, I had full autonomy to |
| They started the business, most often on their | | | | manage the region. I was a big boy!. Didn't need |
| own or maybe with a small team. And in those | | | | handholding. As you'd expect that that level of |
| early days as the business grew they had to do | | | | management anyway. But I did want to look up |
| everything. They were involved in all aspects of | | | | to my boss. Everyone needs to respect and learn |
| the business. | | | | from their boss. This won't be bestowed upon |
| If you know or like the TV series Star Trek, you'll | | | | you if you don't step back from the day to day |
| understand this. If not, I hope you get the picture | | | | management, let you managers, run their |
| anyway. | | | | departments and stay focused on leading the |
| Captain Kirk, who commands an entire Star ship | | | | organisation. |
| of some 1000 people can only do so from the | | | | So how do you step back.? |
| captain's chair on the bridge. But yet I often see | | | | First stage is to decide on exactly what you need |
| Captain Kirk down below in the engine room | | | | to know from your teams in order to know your |
| watching what the Chief Engineer, Scotty, is doing. | | | | business. By stepping back, you are not |
| You can't tell Scotty what to do with dilithium | | | | abandoning the business. Quite the opposite. You |
| crystals (Google it). He knows because he's the | | | | must know what's going on. But the difference is |
| chief engineer. He's there because you gave him | | | | in being a leader; you act on information about the |
| that trust. You hired him because he's a subject | | | | business. Your management team provide that |
| matter expert in engineering. So why are you in | | | | information and are measured by it. |