STOP Working on Your Business

Today's BED Talk message is simple -- STOP working on your business. In Michael Gerber's amazing book, The E-Myth, he posited this great advice: Stop working in your business, Start working on your business. And it's still fabulous advice, but with all the focus on working on your business leaders are failing to work on the most important element when it comes to leadership -- themselves.

Yes, leaders need to get out of the weeds and stop working in the business and, yes, it's important for leaders to work on the business (e.g. strategy, planning, action plans, innovation, etc.). But leadership is what creates the outcomes from those plans and strategies.

In my speaking and coaching work, I sometimes have leaders tell me that they need to work on becoming a better leader. More often, they tell me someone on their team needs to lead better or team members tell me that they need better leaders and leadership. It's sad, but that's what I hear most often from teams ... our issue is our leaders.

So my call to action is simple ... yes, stop working in the business but instead of working on the business, commit to work on yourself! While working on your business is important, without your improved leadership you'll lack engagement, collaboration, team work, effective communication and all the things that assure your desired outcomes.

And if you have to choose between working on the business and working on yourself, I say choose yourself. These disruptive times especially call for unprecedented leadership and impactful leaders. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yxQiOtZljI