Well, I’ve just had a rest having recently come back from holiday in beautiful Crete and now I’m about to implement change. No, I’m not emigrating to Crete, I’m not buying a property abroad nor am I retiring but I am looking forward to planned changes within my business.
A change is as good as a rest as they say. Personally, I like to do both on a frequent basis. As a business owner I believe it is important to reflect, to rest and to step back from your business to re-energise.
It’s not unusual though for a business owner to take fewer holidays than their staff. Is this you by any chance? I believe holidays should be seen as a catalyst for change.
I find that it helps me if I take some time out before I go on holiday and do a 360 critical appraisal of the business. I create a number of targeted points and empower my team to consider how we could do things better. On holiday I’m then relaxed in the knowledge that I have ‘downloaded’ my thoughts.
Towards the end of my holiday, instead of mourning the end of my time away, I’m fired up looking forward to what lies ahead. Arriving back at work this week I was pleased and excited at what one member of my team presented to me. A crystallisation of something we had discussed but had been struggling to implement: something that will have a huge positive impact on our client experience. A win-win for everyone.
In my opinion, when the boss gets out of the way, the creative energy can flow more freely and the team has the space to find new solutions. The added bonus is that you as the boss get to relax knowing that you and the team are driving positive change within the business.
Empower your team and reap the benefits as a business.
This strategy also reduces key person dependency and hopefully allows you as the business owner to take more frequent breaks. Done properly this is a great way of engendering a culture change within your business. It keeps everyone positive, creates impetus and drives innovation.
As all business owners know, we stand still at our peril.
