COMPLEX SITUATIONS REQUIRE SIMPLE ACTIONS

Each job has its intricacies and idiosyncrasies, and so does mine. The business ownership issues I deal with can be quite complex, but the actions taken to resolve them are often quite simple. They tend to boil down some very simple choices my clients need to make and want to implement in their business.

The one common thread I have noticed across successful businesses is that they are quite well aware of what has made them successful. They know what their ‘formula’ is. So, they don’t need me to tell them how to be successful at what they do.

What they usually need help with is when they are trying to do something completely different. Take their business or situation to the next level. They are typically looking at making a substantial change – like exiting their business or stepping back in some way. Sometimes they might feel as if they are in a bit of a stalemate – they have their successful formula, but that doesn’t help, for example, when one of their co-owners needs to exit. Maybe it’s how to ensure that the next generation will be successful in a family-owned business.

It doesn’t mean that it is a negative situation; in fact, sometimes these are great situations to be in; it’s just that they might be or feel stuck.

It’s my job to help them see themselves and their business differently; understand value; figure out what the next steps are, how to go about them, and ultimately be comfortable and confident with the changes they are about to implement.

If a business is looking to buy or sell a business or even hire someone higher up, I can step in and take over. Likewise, if they need help understanding how to achieve substantial value increases in their business, I can provide an independent and market-based perspective to initiate that change.

The goal is to lead the business to do whatever is best for everybody involved.

It’s interesting to me when Owners and Management are reluctant to onboard changes. This is where the complexities arise within the interactions I have with clients. And perhaps I take the technical side for granted, but in my experience, it is the people side that makes all the difference in implementing positive change. There have been so many instances where business owners are holding back for some reason – maybe because they are trying to protect something instead of growing something. And usually, these reactions are emotional, and it’s a defence.

Sounds complex, right? How am I ever to find out where the emotional reaction is stemming from or what the trigger is if the client never brings it up?

Here’s where the simplification comes in; I put myself in their shoes, and try to figure out why they reacted the way they did, what could have caused it, why the reluctance to accept and implement change, and what would I have done if I was in their place?

It really comes down to breaking the complexities of the situation. Asking some targeted questions helps.

Complex situations don’t require complex solutions; complex situations require simple actions and solutions. Trying to solve complex problems with complex actions is like adding fuel to the fire. All that will do is exacerbate the fire. Similarly, if my clients are being emotional, I can’t be emotional like them (although, like everybody, sometimes I feel like yelling ‘f@#k!’). I need to take a step back, be level-headed, read into what they might be trying to say and simplify their problems.

Because at the end of the day, my job is to help them improve and achieve their desired goals.

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