Employees who decide to start on their own entrepreneurial journey often try to do everything required in running a business while starting up. They are their own administrative assistants, as well as the chiefs of marketing, the heads of operations and the lead salespeople.
A central aspect of coaching is learning how to delegate, how to allow someone else to manage the details so you can focus on building the business. At The Covenant Group, we often discusses the importance of delegation. In The 8 Best Practices of High-Performing Salespeople, I identify a three-step process:
1. Delegate to other people
2. Delegate to technology
3. Build an organization in which everyone has a role relative to their colleagues’ responsibilities.
Bringing on additional team members to fulfil specific roles and investing in technology that will enable you and your employees to be more efficient and effective are the first two steps. Then you must organize how those people and technological tools will work together to improve operations. Clearly define how each individual will collaborate with others in the company and build a hierarchy that explains workflow and responsibilities.
What processes have you developed to make sure every aspect of the business is managed and addressed? Have you defined everyone’s relationship to everyone else, and discussed their roles in terms of how they support and advance not only their own objectives, but those of their team members? Do you adjust this organizational map every time you adopt new software or bring on an additional employee?
As you define your organization, also make sure that you are communicating this structure to current and incoming employees. In particular, it is vital to clearly explain to newcomers how they fit into the existing organization and what is expected of them.
To do so, business owners may want to consider developing an onboarding process that helps recent hires become accustomed to the business. Randstad Canada, a recruiting company, recently issued a few tips for businesses that are bringing in additional workers.
“By properly planning and executing an onboarding program, it will help you retain the existing talent you’ve worked so hard to recruit, and pave the way towards developing motivated and engaged employees,” notes Leandra Harris, Randstad’s executive vice president of human resources.
It’s wise to assign one person who can be a mentor and guide new members through your company’s culture and policies. In past posts, I’ve explained the lengthy, time-consuming process of hiring new workers, so make sure you don’t damage the return on investment by not explaining to new and long-time employees exactly where they stand in the organization.
