I don’t know what to do. I’m struggling. One of my managers said to me the other day, ‘I don’t know what you want! Tell me what you want and I’ll help you do it. We’ve got to stop running around like our hair’s on fire.’ The embarrassing thing is, I don’t know what I want, I have no vision, and I own the business.
Skyler has owned his maintenance firm for almost 23 years. In that time, he’s built a well-respected name for his business, he’s employed several employees, created a loyal client base, and he’s basically run himself ragged. Skyler’s built a livelihood for himself and his employees; he’s not built a business.
As we talked a bit more, it became clear, he was trying to manage his business but he wasn’t leading it as a strategic business owner should. He had no vision of what he wanted for his company, its future, or his own future. However, when I asked him, “Tell me, would you like to retire some day?” His response was, “Hell yeah!”
“Could you retire now and maintain your lifestyle?”
“No. At this point, I don’t have anyone on my team who could take over the business and run it and I don’t know how much I’d get for the business if I tried to sell it.”
“Well then, I guess we need to create a game plan and put out a few fires. Let’s get control of your business, clarify what you and your team need to do, and develop your business into one that will enable you to retire. Is that what you want?”
“That’s exactly what I want.”
“Then that’s what you tell your team so they can help. Congratulations: You now have a vision.”
Copyright MMXIV – Liz Weber, CMC, CSP – Weber Business Services, LLC – www.WBSLLC.com +1.717.597.8890
Liz supports clients with strategic and succession planning, as well as leadership training and executive coaching. Learn more about Liz on LinkedIn!
