Can Your Business Run Without You

Well, it finally happened. I got COVID. We’d just returned from a family vacation and something was literally in the air. But even as I was isolating at home, resting and recovering from the effects of this flu-like virus, I wasn’t worried about my business. Why? Because I have great confidence in my team. They know what to do, even when I’m not there.

We’ve put systems and procedures in place to ensure that (almost) whatever the situation, the people in the office and the field know who is in charge of what, who knows the answers to certain tricky questions, and where to look for information. Here are some tips to ensure that your team can carry on without you, when necessary.

Know the Team: Your team is a puzzle full of pieces. There are lots of ways to put them together. Each way yields a result, and some ways give better results. When you get to know your team, you get to understand their needs. Knowing your team means investing the time to understand what motivates them, how they think and how to get the best from them. By embracing the different personalities, you get the best from them.

Clearly Define Roles & Responsibilities: Everyone on the team needs to understand their roles, responsibilities and how they fit into the larger picture. A maverick salesperson may work best on his or her own with little supervision, while others thrive in a group environment where feedback comes regularly from the group. This is absolutely fine when everyone knows what is expected of them and where they fit in the puzzle. When all the pieces fit, each individual’s unique strengths unite to make the team a powerhouse. 

Remind the Team of Their Purpose: Constant feedback keeps any team on track. The act of reminding the team of how and what they can be doing better, and receiving feedback from them as to how they could improve the process is important. Don’t wait until a problem occurs to make a course correction. Your team should meet regularly (whatever regularly means to your team) to discuss progress toward its goals. Every team is different, so reminding the team of their purpose and receiving updates from them doesn’t need to be formal or overly structured. A quick check in each day and a team meeting once a week is often just right for some teams. Other teams may need less frequent check-ins. All teams need someone to keep them on track. That’s the leader’s job. 

Reward the Team: Acknowledgement and reward is a way to honor the work of the team. People love recognition, so take time to give your team the rewards they deserve. Don’t take performance for granted, even if you believe the team is just doing their job. They could be doing the job anywhere, and remain loyal to leaders and companies that they feel respect their skills and effort. Remember to be genuine as you recognize them, though. Bring in lunch during a busy or stressful point in a project, or arrange for a team outing to build camaraderie. 

Celebrate Success: Celebration at the end of a project or reaching a goal is different from a reward. Celebrations are about reflecting on the process and what your team has done well, as well as what it could improve. By taking the time to remember what allowed you to reach your goal, you celebrate the success of the team (not of the leader) that often demanded tremendous effort. 

Be a Great Leader: Great leadership builds great teams – leaders make decisions (often difficult ones), set high standards and look for ways to improve. Leaders are only as successful as their teams and the great ones know that with the right team dynamics, decisions and diverse personalities, everyone wins in the end. Building great teams is a balancing act between finding the right people, giving them enough direction and freedom to experiment, fail and (hopefully) succeed.

And successful teams require attention. When your team members feel like they are part something larger than themselves, their collective energy can result in extraordinary results. If your team isn’t delivering, ask yourself why. Are you, as the leader, too much involved? Could you be gone for a week or two weeks without the team falling apart or losing focus? Just sayin’. 

Published: New Mexico Apartment News Magazine – September/October issue 2022