If you own an SME and have already been through the first phase of growth from startup to micro company, then you need to be prepared to make some changes if you want to grow further. And the biggest change will start with you.
The inability or lack of desire to change is what limits the vast majority of micro businesses from going on to become small businesses (10 to 49 employees).The single biggest thing that you need to do is to give up control and learn to delegate – and that’s much easier said than done. The perfectionists out there will really struggle with this one as they will be afraid of people making mistakes and not delivering the 110% that they do.
We need to understand, however, that 110% is not sustainable and cannot be expected from our employees. And you know what? Most of the time 95% is ok, it gets the job done, can be expected and is sustainable and guess what? Your business will survive.
There is no point in being half-hearted with delegation. If you want to empower your staff, then do not micro-manage them. Back off and allow them to get on with it. Ask yourself how you would feel if you had someone looking over your shoulder checking on your every move?
In order to relinquish some control and delegate, you need to move from the flat line approach of everyone reporting to you and, create a hierarchy. This could be a step too far for many, who love their informal reporting systems, but the simple fact is that your staff deserve more. Having managers looking after a maximum of six people will allow them to spend proper time supporting your staff, which is much better than you trying to give people a minute of your time.
The next thing that needs to be re-written is all of your controls and processes, the very things that you have crafted, honed and have come to depend on over the years. Yes they worked well for phase one, but they will not be suitable for phase two. The sooner you embrace this and put new practices in place, the less likely you are to be caught out with shortfalls in your original systems.
What works for an almost-family unit of 10 does not work for the more business-like team of 30. So I ask you – do you really want to grow? And if the answer is still yes, find yourself a great number two, preferably someone who has a different skill set to you. Next, be brave and hand over the day-to-day running of the company to them, ensuring that you explain to your team what you are doing and why, as it is really important to get their buy-in when making such a major change. Then it’s time to re-programme yourself, because your job in the company has now changed.
Amanda Ball is the managing director of Ad Sprinklers
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