When Things Slow Down

If you own a business, you are most likely busy, well-occupied and moving at a fast pace the majority of the time your eyes are open on any given day. There are things to do, people to see and problems to solve. Some days you don't see clearly which direction you are moving, because you have many irons in the fire, you have customers and employees seeking your input and solutions, and there are simply many "to-dos" on your list to accomplish within the 24 hours you've been given to get stuff done. Sound familiar?

If what I've described defines the common day of a business owner, I've got a question to ask. Do you want to have a better day working on your business?

By better, I mean a focused, objective, prioritized day that allows you space to think, plan, strategize and act with confidence, direction and knowledge to make decisions and get better results in your business. If the answer to my question is yes, read on.

Recently, when meeting with business owners, I've had a couple of "reasons" thrown my way relative to why NOW is not the best time to discuss challenges in any given business. A few of my favorites are: "When Things Slow Down I Can Meet", "Can You Follow Up With Me In a Couple Weeks?" and "I'm Not Sure That I Want to Grow My Business". Sound familiar?

I wanted to write a bit about this because I see these reasons as self-imposed barriers to growing ourselves and moving forward to learn what we need to learn so we can take action and have ownership over our business results. Often, when faced with an opportunity to change and adjust how we approach how we do what we do, it can be uncomfortable and we might not be ready to move in a new direction.

Out of the reasons listed above, the one that fires me up the most is "When Things Slow Down I Can Meet." Here are some questions around this one:

• Do you really expect your business to slow down to allow a meeting to talk about why your business is slowing down? Regardless of how you answer, NOW is the time to address a business that is not growing.
• Do you want your business to slow down? If not, NOW is the time to talk about that!
• If you are waiting for your schedule to clear and your list of to-dos in your business to fix itself, it's most likely not going to unless something about how you operate changes. Wouldn't you want to operate better if only you knew a way?
• Do any of us want our businesses to slow down? Why is it ok for us to think we should be slowing down? Our potential and impact is greater when our business is growing.

What do you think? What reasons have you told yourself as a business owner that allow you to stay "stuck" in your business? I'll use the proverbial story of a person drowning at sea when a boat comes along and throws the person a life preserver. Would you take it if offered, or pass it by because you think you can swim to shore on your own? Does accepting help and the services of others who can help you grow make you less of a business owner?

At the end of the day, if you are happy with the crazy day, the chaos of disorganization, the lack of clarity about where you are headed and the troubleshooting that occurs routinely, that is your choice. However, if you want your business life to reap a better result, there needs to be a new outlook and vision on how you move forward to achieve the result you desire. So next time someone offers to help you in your business, what can you do to make the time to learn from them? Maybe you just need to say yes to a quick conversation or cup of coffee, Maybe you need to ask yourself whether or not you want a change. Or maybe just being open to the possibilities is a place to start.

I hope you find the answer and I welcome your thoughts and comments. If your business is not performing and you'd like to make a change, let's connect and get you the help you need. It's all possible.

More information on ActionCOACH and our firm can be found here. Feel free to email me direct at [email protected]