Think BIG!

One of the things that most small business owners struggle with is thinking big enough. We all have to consciously work to expand our horizons and mentally move beyond what we know. But growing a business is not an accidental endeavor, so planning ahead and preparing your company to increase is size is a huge step in seeing your dreams become a reality.

Last month we addressed clarity of vision, which provides the foundation upon which your company is built. That vision will be the driving force behind step number two – thinking bigger than you are. You should have an idealized image in your mind of what you are working toward… what your company can look like five or ten or twenty years into the future. Although you naturally have to deal with lots of little day-to-day issues surrounding the organization you currently have, you should never lose sight of what you ultimately want to become.

Are you willing to make some changes today to transform into something magical tomorrow? Can you sacrifice what you are for what you can be?

If so, then begin to practice the following five principles that will help you think bigger:

1. Stop seeking external validation. While historical data, statistics and industry standards can be helpful, they shouldn’t be the bar by which you measure your present or your future. Ultimately the most successful companies break through barriers and forge pathways into uncharted territories, so if you need to see logical external validation for every move you make, you simply won’t be on the cutting edge of achieving rapid growth.

2. Always act on your intuition. Michael Burke said that, “Good instincts usually tell you what to do long before your head has figured it out.” I completely agree. How many times do we all look back and say, “Ach, I had a gut feeling about that and I didn’t act on it!” Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of safety in your business. If you play it too safe and can’t make a decision without a perfect case for WHY, then your company won’t be adaptable and competitive in today’s ever-shifting marketplace.

3. Plan ahead for MORE. I can’t stress this point enough when it comes to driving growth. In every decision, every task, every purchase you must think beyond the current size of your business and ask yourself, “Will this be big enough later on?” Companies waste billions of dollars annually scaling up systems that they just put in place to accommodate growth. Your goal should be to plan ahead and design systems that are capable of expanding, serving more customers, integrating more staff and lasting through the next phase of your organization’s life cycle.

4. Make big, bold promises. Promises are different from targets or goals or ideals. If you are an individual of integrity, promises are things that you are willing to commit to in stone. I see many business owners shirk from making lofty promises. They are willing to try, to work towards objectives and to dream - but they are not willing to simply commit to making something happen come ‘hell or high water’. Some of the greatest triumphs in the history of business have come because leaders made a rash promise that seemed unattainable and then found a way to miraculously follow through. As Epictetus sagely advised, “First say what you will be; and then do what you have to do.”

5. Take action now. Vision and planning and promises are great, but your business won’t grow if you don’t take action in the present moment. I urge you to translate your big dreams into small action steps that you can begin working on immediately. A walk of a thousand miles begins with a single step… so take the baby step today that will launch your epic journey of growth and success.

In closing, I want to acknowledge how very difficult it can be to hold an imaginary image of your company as a thriving conglomerate in your head, but that is what it takes to design processes and make long view decisions that will take you to the top. By always thinking beyond your present reality you can continually take the small steps required to thrive in the future.

Closure Crisis

Closing out projects cleanly and completely is a struggle for many consultants. In my years of working with business owners to transform their companies, I’ve realized that it’s a problem for most clients too. Maybe they have new policies and procedures to implement. Maybe they need to draft all new forms. Maybe the company website needs a complete overhaul. Whatever the internal ‘project’ might be - closure is critical to progress.

We’ve all been there… You’ve got a project on the table and things are moving along nicely. You made a plan, gathered materials, conducted research, created rough-drafts, reviewed a myriad of options with your team - you’re almost there! But, then things bog down. You can’t seem to get the final version complete. Or maybe you complete all the hard materials and can’t implement your new procedures and objectives. Whatever the roadblock is – you can’t seem to find closure. The project drags on and on until everyone loses interest altogether. You never see the results of your hard work because you couldn’t finish what you started.

It’s a common problem and there are concrete ways to set your team up to succeed. Here are some tips on fixing the ‘closure crisis’:

Set a timeline for completion when you start a project. This is critical! Most leaders don’t have the guts to put deadlines on little tasks and projects that are going on within their business. It’s tough to look at something simple like publishing an updated edition of the employee handbook and think that it won’t be complete in a few months, but without a clear goal in sight, it probably won’t get done. Create a mindset of closure from the outset by scheduling a wrap up meeting when you start a job. Keep the project end date in the forefront of everyone’s mind, and push toward that goal by monitoring progress at regular intervals as you move forward.

Recognize that delays (however subconscious) represent a resistance to change. Most leaders assume that delays are only due to time constraints, lack of knowledge, coordination issues or other simple glitches. But endless project delays are a subtle expression of fear of change. When leaders become complicit in allowing delays to sabotage necessary work, they become part of the problem and not part of the solution. Address fear of change and procrastination up front. Your team needs to feel secure and confident in order to achieve the goals you lay out for them.

Don’t be too flexible. A certain amount of flexibility is laudable. We obviously can’t walk through the world being completely rigid in our thinking and relationships. However, owners and managers often tolerate unacceptable delays simply to maintain goodwill, and that level of flexibility is a detriment to your business. It will sap your productivity and convey a message to your team that you don’t know how to close out an assignment. They will begin to assume that results don’t matter and they just need to look busy and show signs of progress to meet your approval. There comes a point where you need to draw a line in the sand and demand closure.

Make tough calls! Many small projects linger indefinitely because there are a few key decisions that no one will make. Almost all the work is done, but there are a couple of questions that are stumping the team so they shirk from closure. Minor undecided issues can prevent assignments from reaching completion, and destroy your team’s faith in you as a leader in the process. One of the most valuable traits of good leaders is that they call tough shots when no one else will. To avoid tension, annoyance and delays – make the tough calls.

In spite of superb planning and excellent leadership some jobs will take longer than expected, but there are clear steps you can take to give your projects the best chance for success. Work consciously through that last burst of activity that is required to hit your target end date. Use these simple tips to end sloppy endings to your projects and avoid the closure crisis.