I knew someone in business who loved to stress that he rarely took vacations, worked 14 hours a day and thought of work around the clock. He wore his workaholic behavior as a badge of honor. Instead, I saw him as a struggling business owner – unable to delegate, lacking trust in his team, and endlessly chained to his business. Now don’t get me wrong, entrepreneurs are not shy to hard work! But working endless hours is not the same as working efficiently. For example, readers don’t judge the quality of a book by how long it took the author to write. They judge it by the story – the outcome (results) is what matters. Hard work without strategic planning can often result in the “hamster in the wheel” syndrome: lots of activity but no movement forward.
Why I Like OHIO
Only Handle It Once (OHIO) is the concept of dealing with a matter at the onset versus going back multiple times. Let’s look at emails: Say you get an email to attend a webinar that piques your interest. You review it quickly, then set it aside in your inbox. A few days later, you recall the email but can’t recall the sender, so you spend time scrolling back through your emails to find it. Once you do, you must read it again. More wasted time.
With OHIO, you’d open the email, check your calendar to see if you were free for the date, and decide then and there to sign up and attend – or not – and move on. Boom!
Don’t Let “Perfect” Get in the Way of “Done”
Perfectionism often turns into procrastination, meaning that we can keep working on something with the notion of “getting it perfect,” until the project/idea/task becomes obsolete. Not everything has to be done at the highest level; sometimes, it is best to roll out a concept and adjust it over time. I’m not advocating to release sloppy projects; I am saying that there are times when “good enough” is, indeed, good enough. Adjustments and enhancements often can be incorporated quickly and bring a “good enough to be released” project up to the level of “excellent.”
Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM)
Let’s go back to the person I used as an example at the beginning of this article: the man who was a self-proclaimed workaholic and felt that was a statement of honor. One day I asked him if he had considered if his behavior was sending the wrong message to his team, that he was implying they could not do things as well as he, and that he didn’t trust them to carry out the responsibilities of their job. He considered what I had said, and then with a deep sigh, he asked, “But what would I do with my time?”
Some entrepreneurs see their business as their “baby,” and they can be overprotective to a fault, just as a parent can be. But the truth is, a business can’t scale up without empowered personnel, as there are only so many hours in a day, and a business owner can’t be everywhere nor do all things. The same is true with a child: A parent plays a vital role, of course, but a child will also learn and develop from teachers, coaches, mentors, friends, etc. The parent, as good-intentioned as he or she may be, can’t be all things to their child. Neither can an entrepreneur be all things to his or her business.
Successful entrepreneurs know that working smart is a key to growth, longevity, and achieving happiness from their business, both for themselves and their team. It’s the way to have a happy ending for all.
– Alesia Visconti
Alesia Visconti, CFC, is the CEO/Publisher of Franchise Dictionary Magazine and the CEO of FranServe Inc., the world’s largest franchise consulting and expansion organization. She has 20 years of experience as a C-level executive, driving organizational development and taking companies to the next level. An author, professional speaker, and entrepreneur, her motto in life is “Work hard, play hard, help others, repeat.” As a self-proclaimed nerd, Alesia loves all things “superhero.”