DEAR COACH

With Tom Foley

 

Dear Coach:

My business has begun to pick up and I don't have the time to do it all. I'd like to hire some part-time help, but how can I trust someone to do things as well as I do?

						Peter
						St. Augustine, FL

Dear Peter:

You have what is commonly called "The Lone Ranger" syndrome. This is the belief that no one can do the work as well as you. It's usually an issue of control rather than the absence of good employees. You may need to let loose of the stronghold you have on your business. It's not only short-sighted, but it will probably restrict the growth of your business in the long run. And you and I both know that there are hundreds of well-qualified people out there who could help you develop your business.

I'd like for you to consider a different perspective. Think of your business as growing in stages. Each stage requires you take a different role than the previous one. In the early stages, you work alone (or with relatively few employees) while you build a customer base. At this point in your business, doing the work yourself is manageable because your business is small.

However, a critical juncture is reached when the business grows and your time begins to stretch thin. At this point, your role needs to change&emdash;from owner/operator to leader/manager. It's a natural progression. While Bill Gates may have done everything in his business at one time, it would be ludicrous from him to try to do so now. In fact, his success is in large part because he recognized the need to place good people in key positions. Microsoft would never have developed as it did if Bill Gates was unable to let go of the reins.

You, too, can grow with your business. However, you'll need to develop your managerial/leadership skills to retain employees and evoke top performance from them. With more of your time free, you'll be able to put your energy into more productive aspects of your business&emdash;marketing, increasing your client base, creating new products, or improving customer relationships. Because you're able to focus on more important aspects of your business, you actually gain more control rather than lose it. So lose the "Lone Ranger Mentality" and move forward!!! 

Tom Foley is a personal coach, seminar leader, and licensed clinical psychologist who has shared the concepts of "coaching" with hundreds of people. This background, coupled with his former career as a professional musician, has allowed him to utilize his creative spirit to help people achieve their goals and pursue their life dreams. He works with people from a variety of backgrounds, including artists, writers, people in transition, and entrepreneurs.

Coaching, which is conducted by telephone, is an extremely convenient process, and Tom's fee options make it affordable for most people. For information about personal coaching sessions, classes or workshops, call Tom at (425) 482-3022 or visit his website: http://www.lifequest.net

Questions for the "Dear Coach" column may be sent to him via email: indialogue@aol.com