When I begin working with a new client I always like to start with the basics…and the ABCs are about as basic as it gets. When it comes to business, family, friends, or just some plain ole time alone, your day is divided among 3 activities: Administering what you have, Building what you want, or Contending with crisis. Let’s talk about business.
Administering what you have is usually not something that business owners enjoy doing. What most business owners really enjoy is Building the business by launching new initiatives. Let’s face it, new initiatives are exciting and engaging. The rush of a new outreach or program has a near narcotic effect as it promises to be the ultimate achievement that will set all things right in your known universe.
Unfortunately, what usually happens is that the new initiative bites at your heels or even worse, causing you to stop in your tracks to Contend with crisis. Not only does the new initiative generate crisis, but many of your existing operations in the business seem to generate record levels as well. So what should you do when all of these crises threaten to completely overwhelm? But of course…start a new outreach or program to give you hope and deliver you from all of the chaos!
The Real Answer: If you want more time to Build your business, you must invest more time in Administering what you have. I know, I never said you would like it. But think about it, by investing a relatively small amount of additional time in Administering the business, you will deprive crisis of its fuel because everything runs smoother, which frees up the additional time and energy you need for Building the business. You might even have enough time to Do your work and still join family and friends for dinner at a reasonable hour.
If you are still not convinced that you should invest more time Administering your business, please, please, please, hire others who will, and identify and monitor a set of critical criteria that you can use to make sure they are doing just that. I promise you this additional upfront investment in Administering your business is well worth it. Your staff will thank you, your family will thank you, your friends will thank you, and what the heck, even I will thank you.
Have a great day!
Rick
note: This post draws heavily from the ABC Model created by Pamela and Harold Kurstedt Jr., which I was exposed to during my PhD training in Veterinary Informatics at Virginia Tech. Their three categories were Administer the Work and Management Process, Build the Business, and Cater to Crises.