What does the organisational structure of your business look like? This is a great follow-up question I ask business owners when they have told me they work 60 plus hours a week in their business. They also tell me this as if 60 hours a week is a badge of honour. They are proud they work those long hours.
No matter that their spouse is fed up with this situation, and that quite often they are the poorest paid person in their business based on an hourly rate.
Invariably, the 60 plus hour a week business owner is at the centre of their business. Everything comes down to him. The structure is like a wheel where all the spokes point directly at the centre – the business owner.
It’s highly stressful and next to impossible to grow the business beyond a certain size. Despite that the business owner sees himself as indispensable and is deluded into believing he is vital to the success of his business.
To overcome this thinking, I ask business owners to draw out an organisational structure based on roles and tasks rather than people. Just assume that people and work are free – like the NHS free at the point of delivery. It’s amazing how much clarity this brings to what is important and what can be done by team members. You can then follow this up with documentation on the procedures and processes to follow to make sure your business runs efficiently.
Lastly, don’t forget to involve your team in this process
