We read with interest the New York Times blog article “Before You Blame Your Employees” that was written by Jay Goltz and posted April 12 of this year about entrepreneurs and managers who point to employees as the reason why they find themselves frustratingly working more on the front line of their business instead of guiding it and making it grow. The problem with this excuse is, it’s most likely the bosses fault more than anyone else. Here’s a gem of a quote that sums up a lot:
So what is the solution for owners who want to work on the business instead of in the business? It starts with realizing that if you can’t get out of the business, you are doing something wrong. Maybe you don’t have enough business to hire the right people. Maybe you don’t charge enough in order to pay enough to hire the right people. Maybe you don’t train your people well. Maybe you have unrealistic expectations of what your people are supposed to do.
If you have admirably built your business from the ground up or have taken it to the next level, you certainly know your company better than anyone. But that doesn’t mean it’s in your company’s best interests for you to be in the thick of the day-to-day and basic operations. Sometimes, what makes a person a successful entrepreneur can also make them a frustrated employer who thinks it is easier or better if they take care of ever decision or detail themselves. Because of this, the company’s staff might never be given the tools or training to do things autonomously, or employees become too nervous or self-conscious to function well with the boss intervening all the time. All of this can have a negative impact on productivity and performance.
Does any of this sound familiar? The bottom line is that your business needs you to lead and manage it. More often than not, it’s impossible to do that while your time is consumed with tasks your employees are supposed to do. So make sure you hire the right people for your team, then give them the tools, the training and the support they need to do their jobs well—without you standing right there.
Want to find out more about how to hire, train and enable your talent so that you can better run your business? Contact us today for a practical discussion about your human resources needs.
Tags: bosses, Employee Relations, entrepreneurs, ineffective leadership, manager, manager-employee relations, managing, New York Times
