A Business Owner’s Work Is Never Done!
Posted on 25. May, 2010 by admin in Blog
When Do I Get A Vacation?
Most entrepreneurs don’t plan time away from their business because they are the business (or feel like they are the
business). Surprising things happen when one steps back from their business – It might actually grow! Because many business owners don’t think in terms of how well their team will function without them. There is a slight insecurity inherent in each of us, it seems. Surprisingly, as I found out when I took a 10 day vacation to an area where cell coverage was sparse, my small restaurant team performed very well! The team knew what to do and they executed. The key is in the planning. Planning begins now. About 6 months before I left, I began to groom an individual to take over my store so I could take the well needed vacation. Couple of key steps to take to insure you and your team are ready for you to be absent from the business:
- Look for tasks that only you do (as the business owner)
- Ask yourself, is it critical that I do these tasks?
- Identify who on the team can perform these tasks (can be an existing manager, might be someone else)
- Make sure someone is in charge – Always leave someone in charge (do I need to repeat that? Many owners fail to do this even when they run to the bank)
- Practice before you leave for a long time (vacation). Role play scenarios, situations, problems, and anything that might go wrong before leaving for vacation. Does your manager know where to go/what to do if someone is seriously hurt in the business? Besides the obvious 911, who do they need to call?
Between now and the time for vacation, ask a lot of questions of the team: “what would you do if…” type questions. Make it a game for yourself to ask that type of question once a day for 3 weeks. Lastly, every time a question or problem comes up, a good business owners should ask, “What would you do if you couldn’t get a hold of me like you just did?” Make them answer it. Make it a teachable moment!
