I’ve said from day-one; “my job is to make myself irrelevant“, but that has proved tougher then I originally thought.

I’ve spent the last week away on vacation; as detached as my iPhone will allow me to get. Being out of the loop on the day-to-day team dialog and hands-on involvement has really given me a better appreciation and perspective of our office and our team’s capabilities. It’s reassured me that it’s OK to let go, bruised knees are just part of the learning process.

Owners of small businesses wear many hats but others need to try on those hats from time to time if you plan on growing as a company. Take for instance the sales process. For the last 7 years this has been part of my domain. I have a very established way of doing things which has worked very well for ME and Imulus. I was reluctant about leaving the sales process up to the rest of our office while I was gone. I believed I hadn’t trained them enough; I didn’t give them the necessary time with the training wheels on.

Thankfully with the lead of our Project Manager Stephanie, the office strongly pushed back on the notion they weren’t up to the task. I tucked away my fears and took a seat in the back. Over the next few days I watched the dialog between us and two perspective clients. I was impressed by what I learned. They deeply engaged with the prospects, were exceedingly quick to respond and thorough beyond my standards. Not only did they live up to the task but they taught me what I needed to do to improve my sales process.

I emphasize process because this term gets a bad rap, yet it’s critical to running a successful company. I think it’s important to stress a key principal at Imulus before I continue. We don’t grow for the sake of growing; to maximize profits; or to add extra personal to drum up our size. Nope, we’re not that shallow. Instead our growth is aimed at creating a better company. One that is enjoyable to work at, for and with. Everytime we add someone it’s because we want greater specialization and expertise. Process gives us constraints and structures to be creative within; as opposed stifling creativity.

My tip
Step away from the office and watch your team work. Take notes, refine and re-implement your process. The key is to let your team drive the company’s process rather then just the owner(s). Look at your process as the joint brain trust of the kick-ass people you’ve hired. Have the faith and confidence in your team. It will go a long way to improving your small business.