THE KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS –
ARE YOU WORKING TOO HARD?
“Keys to Your Success” is presented to improve your business, build your profit and grow your
sales. This article is designed to help you place the right people in the right functions to make
the best impact on your business. Implement this concept to work, reduce stress, and earn more
profit.
It’s an age-old question. Can you work smarter, not harder? For most of us, the answer is a
resounding YES. This does not mean that you haven’t tried to work smarter. This does not
mean that you’re not productive. And, this is not an article intended to make you feel bad about
your daily habits.
The first truth is that we often get caught up in the daily operations of the company and work in
areas beyond our greatest skill. When this happens, we allow everyday events to steal our
energy and make us work harder than necessary. So if you’re an owner or a key decision-maker,
then read on. Because the second truth is that the owner of the company almost never allows
employees to fall into the trap that owners face every day in every company. So, ask yourself
this question: if you shield your employees from falling into this black hole of negative energy,
then why not use the same process to shield yourself so you can work smarter, not harder?
Core Business Functions
Every profitable company must address the three basic daily functions represented by the points
of a triangle:
1. Marketing – the ability to generate sales. Marketing includes sales, public relations,
social media and advertising. Some organizations do not include all four areas of
marketing, but all companies implement at least one form of marketing to generate
revenue.
2. Administration –activity that keeps the organization effective. Administration includes
bookkeeping, payroll, bill paying, insurance renewal, tax compliance, etc.
Administration is considered a compliance activity, so these duties are required in order
to stay in business.
3. Operations – the thing that you do. Operations typically include all of the direct effort to
deliver your products and services to the market. It can include manufacturing,
warehousing, delivery, or service performance.
Ultimate Success Function
Companies that want to grow also perform some level of strategic planning as represented by a
circle that surrounds the above referenced triangle of daily functions. If you do today the same
activities that you did last year, you can probably expect the same results as the prior year.
Therefore, if you want to grow, you must perform some level of strategic planning so that the
company is prepared to change and improve. Strategic planning may not occur every day, but it
must be performed in advance for a successful implementation.
The third truth is that no one person is good at more than two of the four functional areas. Ever
see a sales expert who likes to deal with paper, processes, or routines? Ever see a payroll clerk
who defines success by the number of employees they meet? Each of the functional areas attracts
a different set of personality traits. When you hire an employee who “is not a good fit,” it is often
because the person is not well-suited for the work activity.
Strategic planning is almost always part of the owner’s activities because it requires decisions to
spend money. Most owners are reluctant to delegate strategic planning because the owner is not
willing to allow employees to decide when to buy new trucks, when to move to larger offices, or
when to upgrade the logo, stationary, website, and corporate direction.
So, given that no one is good at more than two of the four functional areas, and recognizing that
the owner is required to handle strategic planning, what is the second area that you, as the owner,
define as your strongest skill set? Once you answer that question, decide how you will delegate
the other two areas of your business and you will instantly move to working smarter, not harder.
The most difficult step is the recognition that you should not work “in” your business and that
your growth begins when you work “on” your business.
Don’t have enough employees to cover the other areas? Consider outsourcing, hiring
independent contractors, or hiring temporary workers as an immediate solution until you can
justify hiring permanent staff. Your company will never be larger than you if you do not hire the
right people and delegate appropriately. The sooner you decide to add staff, the faster you can
grow. If you are don’t have the time to build that strategic plan to outline your growth steps, you
can outsource most parts of this process as well.
782 words
Richard Melancon CPA, author of Integrity-based Leadership, has helped companies to grow
and improve profit in any economy for over 25 years,. Own a business? Want to own a
business? Ready to make meaningful contributions to your current organization? Richard works
directly with your company or he can address your next conference with impactful insight and
vision. Phone: (504) 780-909, E-mail: richard@ramcpa.com Website: www.ramcpa.com.