You know the usual “how I began my entrepreneurial journey” epistle. I woke up with a burning desire to solve a problem, to help my community, to change the world, and make it a better place for all of us. Yes, that story! What’s going on with it now? I bet that dream has been clouded with the gazillion fires you have to quench daily.
You started this great journey to solve a problem, the world noticed, paid attention and, started to purchase your product or recommend your service. It was starting to look like you had this path all figured out until the orders doubled, then tripled, then quadrupled and, went far beyond what your current operations could handle. Then the client’s complaints began trickling in, competition set in, you find yourself constantly digging into memo’s, invoices, employee matters like some random staff coming late to the office, pilfering, even queries, multiple “silo” cultures displayed in your formerly zen office, you find yourself hopping from one office meeting to another, sorting bills even PHCN bills. NO! this was not the dream you bargained for, this was not nearly the way you envisioned this urge that made you start this venture in the first place.
If this sounds remotely like your day-to-day….it’s time to consider Firing yourself.
I don’t mean this in the gloom and doom way, I mean it in the way that frees up space for you to purposely embark on that world-saving mission, you always dreamed of and access your new levels intentionally.
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Now that I have you all excited (I assume you are), here’s one word I need you to repeat throughout today “OPERATIONAL EASE”, (I almost heard you sigh with relief).
Whilst you are still repeating “operational ease” Here’s a pro-tip you can implement right now to begin your firing process.
Step 1: You need a big picture view of your current operations and it begins with you.
So, grab a simple excel sheet or google doc sheet and ensure everyone in your team is doing the same.
Also ensure that you and every single person on your team writes out the following information…
– Tasks they carry out on a daily basis
– The tasks they enjoy doing
– The tasks they don’t enjoy at all
– The tasks they should be doing but don’t have time or space to do
– The time they spend on all three
– The income/revenue generating tasks
– The other operational things that keep you all busy but are neither income-generating nor work your clients pay you for
Let me be upfront with you, this may seem like too much right now, but imagine being able to identify your process offenders, your time wasters, role mismatch, mundane task that could have been automated and lots more.
You should know by now, that what separates the big boys from the small boys, is not the size of their chiseled muscles but how effective they are in allocating tasks and resources within their team for effective operations, scaling and constantly meeting the clients’ needs.
Where were we on firing you again? Exactly! I’m glad you have come around to the concept of firing yourself and some of your team members from tasks that do not reflect your passion or your grand goals and vision as a business.
Speak soon.
Nnanke E.
About the writer
Nnanke is a HR professional and business consultant, with a decade’s worth of experience across major sub-fields within the talent management industry. She is passionate about improving the internal dynamics of organizations (people, processes and culture) to ensure their operations truly reflect their brand promise.
Over the years, she has developed, coordinated and led all Human Resources services including attraction and retention, learning and development, compensation and benefit, performance management and employee relations while supporting executive management in enhancing business processes. She has participated in strategy development, planning and implementation across the organization, serving as a touchpoint for all the people, process and culture needs. She has been instrumental in the development of shared services structures, cross-functional integration and dependence, talent management and career management systems. She has also improved work engagement and instituted a learning culture across the group. She has been recognised for capacity building, training, employee engagement, developing strategy and creating a solid learning and empowerment environment for entrepreneurs and mentees in her network.
She is the Lead Consultant at SiSa Method, a business improvement company, the founder of the stress free community and the owner of the operational ease method.
She is also a John Maxwell certified speaker, trainer and coach, a BPM specialist and a member of CIHRM and an NLP stage II practitioner.
