View Past Issues
View in Browser
Oct
2016
Newsletter Archive | My Info | Resource Center | Ask The Expert | Our Blog
Feel Like You're

How and Why to Work On Your Business vs. In Your Business

Business moves fast.

Between the pile of responsibilities on your plate and the constant demands of leading a team, you may feel like you don't even have time to work on your business.

In order to lead well in today's complex, fast-paced society, however, finding time to think is exactly what you need most.

Sure, "getting stuff done" is essential -- at times. But without a clear goal in mind and a clear road map to get there, simply "doing things" might cost you and your team more than it gives.

Here's why -- and how -- to make time to work on your business.

Why Working on Your Business Matters

The popular media provides us images of business leaders as people with a lot of "hustle." As a result, we begin to believe that doing more is the same thing as accomplishing more. But is it?

When you spend time working on your business, you may find a way to conduct your business more efficiently. By focusing on solving chronic inefficiencies within your operation, one may find a way to gain maximum impact with a minimum application of time, money or effort. Abraham Lincoln reportedly once said, "Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." When you work on your business, you spend time sharpening your axe -- so when you start chopping down the tree, you can do it more quickly, more cleanly and with less effort.

How to Make Time

Working on your business is an essentially different mode of operation than action. While it can be combined with action -- some executives do it on the treadmill or bicycle -- whatever works best specifically to let your brain work to solve problems. Create time to work on your business by:

  1. Learning to say "no" and "please handle this."
  2. Delegating is important. When it comes to finding space to think, delegating is essential. Check your schedule for meetings and tasks you can say "no" to, and find ways to delegate items that must be done. This will help free you from the details, giving you time and space to look at the big picture and to think more strategically.
  3. Finding your quiet space.
  4. Virginia Woolf famously said that "a room of one's own" was essential for success as a writer. For success as a leader, a "quiet space of one's own" is just as essential. Focus on developing both a quiet "external" space in the form of an office with a closed door or a solo hike, and a quiet "internal" space with mindfulness practices like focusing on your breathing. When you quiet both the outside and inside noise, you improve the quality of your thought processes.
  5. Letting it bubble.
  6. The best ideas don't appear fully formed in their creators' heads. Instead, they arrive in pieces -- an idea here, a concept here, an insight on resources there. Use a journal or similar tool to keep track of ideas and to provide some perspective, so you can spend time considering how to fit the parts together.
  7. Being clear.
  8. Having an idea, mission or plan is half the battle. The other half is communicating it clearly to your team. Practice communicating your vision, ask for feedback and clarify where necessary so your team is as clear on the plan "on the ground" as you are during your quiet moments.
  9. Keep thinking.
  10. Once your thought processes have paid off by producing a new strategic plan or developing a new solution to a sticky problem, don't quit. Keep examining how the change is working and contemplating improvements. And stick to your "quiet time" -- practice will improve your ability to think deeply, which will continue to improve your business.

Think better when you can bounce ideas off another professional? Talk to your staffing partner about strategies for better hiring and retention.

Copyright CornerStone Staffing, 4500 Mercantile Plaza Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76137. All rights reserved.

We at CornerStone Staffing wish to clearly identify ourselves. We only send staffing and management related tips and ideas to our clients and others who have expressed interest in receiving our information. You have the right to opt-out of our mailing list at any time using the remove link found at the bottom of every newsletter. If you would be interested in specific staffing advice for your organization, please contact us at 1.888.419.4119.

This email was sent to:

REFER A FRIEND to help a friend find a job and/or add them to our mailing list
UPDATE your subscriber information and preferences
REMOVE yourself from this list and/or future mailings