I think many people confuse leadership with management. In working with business owners for a very long time, I often ask them to define and rate their leadership styles. I then talk to their teams, and guess what? They’re typically not viewed the way they think they are.
What they (and most people) often fail to realize is that leaders empower people. They work to make their people self-sufficient, determine and share the results they expect, identify the metrics that define success, and pinpoint the process or the map to achieve success. Most importantly, they provide their team members with opportunities to grow.
Let’s do a quick exercise.
First, I want you to write down the business you would like to have in two years. How much revenue would it generate? What would your profit be? How many customers and employees would you have? Then, think about what your role would need to be to run that company. What would your responsibilities be? How would you need to spend your time? What would you expect from your team?
Next, track how you spend your time today. For a week, track what you’re working on in one or two-hour increments each day. Then, compare your role today with the one you would need to have in two years to reach your business goals. What do you see?
There are differences, aren’t there? (If there aren’t any differences, then you’re not thinking big enough!)
The most common thing I see with MSP leaders is that they want a better business and think they can get there by doing more of the same. Every week I hear, “I’m too busy to attend an accountability call or prepare for a meeting.”
What you really mean is the following: “I’m too busy to succeed.”
So, try the exercise I outlined above, and then put a plan together to define your role in the business based on where you want to be.
