I screwed up, and they may lose their business...

A message came through over the weekend from a small business owner I’ve been chatting with over the past few months. They have been going through the very common challenge of what it looks like as they grow and expand, and how to define each partner's role within the business. Clarity of direction has been difficult to agree on and communication has been tough for everyone.

I’ve given bits of input here and there when asked but anyone that knows me knows the last thing I do is coach people unsolicited or badger people into hiring me. I want you to come to me when YOU are ready, not just because I talked you into it. So even though I knew I could help, I never pushed...and it never went past an occasional conversation.

And then I got the message that they had an internal meeting to brainstorm roles and vision moving forward and...it took a hard left turn to the point that the business may be fractured beyond repair. Interpretations were made and conclusions jumped to that may lead to the business being lost forever.

I felt sick

And not just because my heart went out to some good people with good intentions who are getting hurt...but because I wonder if I could have helped.

Now I am not so arrogant to assume that I could automatically have kept this from happening but I AM certain of 2 things.

#1: The skill set of running a profitable business and the skill set of leading people through growth and change are NOT automatically connected. You do NOT want me managing investment funds, building houses, programming code, or baking cakes. Helping walk leaders through tough conversations? THAT I can do. Asking the right questions to help you dig into what you REALLY want next for you and your business? That I can do….and I do it WELL.

Need to explore strengths/weaknesses and how it fits into the vision of the business while making sure it’s productive and beneficial instead of full of hurt feelings and misunderstandings? Making sure people feel valued and respected without it turning into a hollow ignorance of what’s not working?

It’s not something that comes naturally to most people and it definitely isn’t automatic when you get to the point of needing to grow or pivot.

#2: My own PERSONAL takeaway from this news though, is that there are times I should be more direct when I KNOW it’s an area that sits smack in the middle of my expertise. I will NEVER be that guy to hound you with phone calls or be a broken record of “hire me”! But the next stage of my own growth is not letting situations like this happen again.

I still refuse to coach somebody on the fly at a networking event, in the same way you wouldn’t ask a surgeon to whip out his scalpel at a dinner party...but if I see warning signs (and I do ALL the time) you better be ready for me to give you a heads up!