Are you currently running your business, or is it running you? Every business has processes, whether they are documented and communicated or not. But if they’re not… you’re likely not running your business, it’s probably running you. And, if that’s the case, the busier you get and the more your company grows, the less fun you have. Can you relate? Don’t you want to have fun in your business again? Well then, you need to document and communicate your processes. Sounds boring, and like the opposite of fun, right? Wrong.
I’ve been working alongside business leaders for 15 years, and one thing I’ve observed is that it usually looks as if they run on defense. As if there have been little to no offensive plays established. Unless, of course, they’ve defined and documented the right plays, practice them daily, and run them like they’re playing in the World Cup.
Do you want to have a business where your people feel empowered to make decisions? A company where improving, optimizing, and staying ahead of industry trends is easier than it’s ever been? Do you want to create a positive impact for the people you serve, ensuring that their happiness is your number one goal, while also maintaining the margins that keep your business profitable? Do you want to lead your organization and your people well, while not only maintaining your sanity but also having some fun in the process? I know I do.
Many people — like me — that join fast-growing companies are thrown into the job with only minimal training and very few documented processes. And those processes are either incomplete or so tedious they’re impossible to follow. That is, if they can even be located on the server… or wherever Sally, Jim, or the last guy that left months ago stored them. If you just let out a little sigh while reading that, I know you know what I’m talking about. The wasted hours in the abyss of the mismanaged filing system. Imagine all the fun you could have had with the cumulated hours lost trying to find those dang processes! Think about that next time you go to find that thing you know someone wrote up some time ago and put somewhere…
So then, do we need to spend months or years documenting every single how-to in our business so everyone operates with the exact same mechanics and there is never any room for error or new ideas?
The answer, in my experience, is no. Or rather, heck no!
You simply need to understand how your company operates from a high level and make sure everyone grasps the critical steps that affect the entire business system and knows which teams run them. When you don’t define and document your processes, and then lead with them, your business has no choice but to operate inefficiently. And once you do define and document those processes… you need to do something about sharing them and communicating them. Even if you hate the thought of process, this is a necessary feature your business cannot avoid.
This blog series is an answer to the management challenge. How do you hold people accountable? How do you ensure proper communication channels throughout the organization? How do you minimize inefficiencies and innovate as quickly as possible? And how do you ensure your customers have the type of experience that makes them want to keep coming back and refer others to your business? Process. Document processes, manage by process, continuously optimize your processes, and repeat. That’s it. With process, your business will become so clear to you and everyone else in the organization that people will know exactly what they’re responsible for, how and who to communicate to and for what, what steps are waste that can be eliminated or automated or improved immediately, and how to ensure a great customer experience, each and every time. That’s the process solution. If you’re running without clear processes, clear owners, and clear outcomes of each process, you’re letting your business run you. Doesn’t sound like much fun, huh?
This five-part series shares why you must document your core processes, how to build them, and how to manage by them so your team can lead themselves. These posts offer a step-by-step process anyone can follow to get their processes documented, run their business by those processes, and stop letting their business run them.