I always like going on business trips. Usually the travel time gives me time to myself to think things through, which until recently I haven’t allowed myself to do often enough during normal working life.
I just spent 3 days in Ukraine, working, followed by a few days in Vienna with Abi on the return trip. This gave me plenty of time to unclutter my brain, and have an awesome mini-break too! Vienna is most definitely worth visiting for those that haven’t.
My time away re-enforced something I’ve known for a while. My business can operate without me, certainly for short periods. Over the years I have been guilty of spending way too much time deliberating over minor details. Nothing wrong with demanding high standards – but my time definitely needs to be spent worrying about the bigger picture as the day-to-day stuff is perfectly safe being looked after by the team I now have.
This all fits in nicely with the purpose to this trip to Ukraine. Rather than as usual spend a lot of the time reviewing very specific sets of tasks and answering questions (still very worthwhile). It was focused on getting to know the team, sharing my vision and putting a foundation in place for a company philosophy and culture. I spent time with each person to go through their job role, agree long term goals, put simple processes in place and document it all…. something I’m just doing now, well what parts we agreed I should do!
Yes, it is a little time consuming but the key is in it’s simplicity. Goals are agreed and documented for everyone, for them to read and re-read whenever they like. Each one is only a short paragraph or two along with notes on exactly how we measure the success of each goal. This way everyone knows how they are being reviewed, and more importantly can evaluate themselves. Key tasks are summed up in documents explaining the process itself. Everyone will have access to these. And we are constantly checking and updating them.
We have a new short, weekly meeting. To discuss progress + specific plans for the next week. A Management meeting each month to discuss companies overall progress and address any issues.
It’s not complicated stuff, and a lot of it is not new to what we were doing. But now is the time to just do it better. I have a very good team which I want to keep happy and motivated. I think them knowing exactly what they’re doing, how their performance is being reviewed and know in themselves if they are doing a good job or not should help!
I want to have a management system that allows us to grow easily but maintain the same clarity, culture and efficiency.
It may sound a bit ideal or simplistic, and to die hard old-school managers with accreditations in all sorts of management methodologies, it probably sounds like a pile of crap! But IMHO it’s perfectly possible, something I’ve wanted all along but it’s not something that just happens. So now I am more actively reviewing myself to make sure I focus more on this – and the bigger picture, the company as a whole, not so much in minor details.
The 1st step now I am rested and recuperated is to tidy my desk before it affects my peaceful state of mind!
Internet and Software Outsourcing Entrepreneur. Owner of Visiontech Software and Online Entertainment Ventures.
