March 2005

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<I>March 2005</I></div> <div> <I>The following article was first published in the Eastern Daily Press' 'The Business'  on 1 March 2005</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Turning vision into reality</B></div> <div> It's increasingly common these days for businesses to display proudly to all and sundry their `mission statement' or `vision statement' - a brief description of where the business wants to go, or what it stands for.  The display might take the form of a poster on the wall of an office or factory, or the screen saver of employees' PC's.  I've seen the wise words printed on small cards which everyone keeps in their pockets or wallets - intended, presumably, to remind them daily of the underlying purpose and direction of the organisation for which they work.</div> <bR> <div> Whilst such a statement may be worthy, on its own it is also worthless.  Some organisations put an enormous amount of time and effort into developing their statements.  They involve their people, they hold workshops and brainstorming sessions to generate ideas, they employ consultants to help them (I've worked with clients before on such a basis) and then, when they finally get the words right, they publish it, display it and, all too often….. forget it.</div> <bR> <div> I'm not trying to suggest for a moment that having a vision for a business is a waste of time; that articulating a clear mission for an organisation is wrong - far from it.  Doing these things is very important, it's one of those activities that business owners and managers should do, and it's a good idea to review the statement from time to time to ensure it still means something.  What I'm concerned about is what you DO with the statement, once you've written it.</div> <bR> <div> But first, what should a good vision or mission statement contain?  And what is the difference between vision and mission?  Put simply, vision is about where you want the business to go - a beckoning symbol of what is possible for the organisation.  Mission more typically answers the questions: What is our purpose?  Why do we exist?  What do we want to achieve?   In terms of style, I believe that there are four fundamental qualities of a good vision or mission statement.  It should be:</div> <bR> <div> Inspirational</div> <div> Aspirational</div> <div> Memorable</div> <div> Future-oriented</div> <bR> <div> For memorable, you might substitute `concise'.   Long-winded documents espousing the purpose of a business or the future you desire for it are no use to anyone.  You and your people must be able to relate to the statement in such a way that it becomes a powerful resource to help you run your business.  In other words, what you DO with it.</div> <bR> <div> I recommend to all of my clients that, in order to make a vision or mission statement worthwhile, they should USE it every day to guide them in every aspect of running their business.  If a new product or service is on the cards, or if investment in a new piece of kit is being considered; if you are recruiting new members of the team or are thinking about setting in place new procedures - ask the question `Will doing this get us closer to our long-term goals, our vision for the business?'  Or, `Would this decision be in keeping with our purpose and the values set out in our mission statement?'  If the answer is `no' then you should think long and hard about proceeding.  Using your vision or mission statement in such a way, as a `litmus test' for new ideas, makes it a valuable, dynamic tool, and not just a poster on a wall, forgotten or ignored by everyone.</div> <bR> <div> <I>The following article was first published in the Eastern Daily Press' 'The Business'  on 29 March 2005</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Lettin' go is hard to do</B></div> <div> One of the most common issues I see small business owners struggling with is delegation.  Despite frequently being burdened with far too many tasks, and working suicidal hours, the owner is reluctant - often obsessively so - to pass an activity on to someone else.  I hear a number of excuses: `You can't get good people', `If you want a job done properly, do it yourself', `Nobody else has the necessary skills' or `I need to keep in touch with what's going on, so I do that job.'  Most of these mask an underlying lack of confidence in knowing why, when and how to delegate.  </div> <bR> <div> What, actually, is delegation?  The dictionary defines delegate thus: to assign responsibility or authority or to entrust a task to another person.  There are three key words contained in these definitions:  responsibility, authority and entrust.  Delegation is not just about telling someone else to do a job that you currently do, but it means, rather, that you cede ownership, including authority, to them.  Entrusting responsibility to another person also means that they must be prepared to be answerable for the proper completion of the task:  it's a two-way street, not merely one-way traffic.</div> <bR> <div> Some of you might ask `why should I delegate work to others?'  There are many reasons, but the most important include:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">for the workaholics among you, it might just be to reduce your workload to a more manageable one and one that provides a healthier work-life balance;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">for others it could free up time that you need to spend on more important  matters - to allow you more time to work `on' your business, not just `in' it;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">to start migrating your workload to others in preparation for retirement or sale of the business;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">very importantly, to reduce business risk - ask yourself what would happen to the business if such an indispensable person - you, perhaps - walked under the proverbial bus.</div> <bR> <div> So what can get in the way of successful delegation?  I've observed a few factors common in many businesses:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">the owner lacks confidence in people to whom tasks might be delegated;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">the owner enjoys doing something and doesn't want to give it up;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">the owner might simply be a control freak who feels the need to do everything himself;</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">the owner feels that he won't be able to justify or `fill up' the time that has been gained by delegating.</div> <bR> <div> One of the keys to effective delegation is to systemise the business to the extent that even complex tasks can be handed over with confidence to other members of your team.  We'll look at systemising your business in next month's column.</div> <bR> <div> Remember, the fundamental reason for delegation is so that, as the owner, you are able to spend the majority of your time working on the future growth of your business, not embroiled in the day-to-day minutiae.  But there are a number of other equally valuable effects of good delegation:  broadening and deepening the skill base of your organisation, reducing business risk, empowering your people by demonstrating your trust in them.  And perhaps, for the first time in ages, you might be able to get home at a reasonable time and enjoy your life outside the workplace. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width=180 BGCOLOR="#CC3333" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>