Too many business owners are winging their team development (and it shows).
Hi y’all,
Your position as a business owner is a collection of outputs from your team (not an OG thought — from High Output Management. Have you read it yet? This is my not-so-subtle hint that it’s a must-read for high-performing managers and leaders).
So if you’re going into busy season without intentionally prepping your team, you’re not setting your business up for success.
Here’s what being intentional actually looks like:
Figure out who your leaders are now. And I don’t mean who has the fanciest title. In my opinion, leadership is rarely “official,” but deputizing leaders on your team is a must. Look at your team and identify who can handle more when things get crazy. Your ability to delegate during crunch time depends entirely on this.
Stop making promotions a mystery. While leadership doesn’t have to equate to a promotion, it’s important to know which of your employees it matters to (for their happiness and longevity with your business!). When someone comes to you wanting a raise or more responsibility, give them the roadmap. “Great – here’s exactly what you need to show me this busy season to prove you’re ready for that.” For my team, follow-through and proactivity are two important green flags. If they can’t take action without my direction, they’re not ready for bigger responsibilities.
Be honest about task-relevant maturity. What was highly complex when you were a team of three looks different when you’re a team of eight. Do a real audit of who can handle what level of complexity and importance. Not everyone is ready for everything, and that’s fine.
Embrace being a broken record. You’re going to repeat yourself constantly about priorities and standards. Your team isn’t being dense — they just don’t have your bird’s-eye view. They’re not in all the same meetings as you, they don’t have the overview of finances that you do. So yeah, you’re going to be the chief repeater officer.
If you want different results this busy season, you can’t just hope your team magically steps up. You have to be deliberate about who you’re developing and what you’re asking them to own.
See you next Monday,
Mallory Mullen
Goodshuffle
