Do this right now

Last week I was speaking with a business owner who may do some work on my house. On asking what I did as a strategy consultant, he responded that he really needed to step back and develop a strategy for his business. He then stopped, and for the briefest of moments he stepped back from his business and even had a wistful smile on his face as he appeared to imagine doing just that. He then quickly snapped out of it and got back to figuring out the work involved.

His family-run business that had been around for years isn’t struggling but actually doing very well. His challenge is actually how to take it to the next level.

I agreed that with the demands from your people and from customers, stepping back can be the hardest of things to do but that if he didn’t then sooner or later he would likely veer off course and his business suffer. I suggested that when he was back in his office he look at his calendar or diary and set aside a day to step back and think about his business.

I said he shouldn’t allow any appointments or the demands of others to take that day away from him. I suggested he go away from his business, even if it’s the local coffee shop, with a pad and pen and just think about his business, write and draw. And I suggested he repeat the process every month around the same time. I hope he does it.

I wrote a post last year on why you must step back from your business. If you struggle, like this business owner, then set a day each month in your diary to think about your business, how it’s progressing against your plan and what you need to do to stay on course.

Go away from any interruptions and don’t let anyone take that day from you. Your business will be so much better for it.
Contact me if you want help to develop the right strategies, stay on course and lead from the front.

Image courtesy: Mark Weiss