Evolution Magazine December 2013 8 | Page 15

To make this change, he needed to take a few steps back, trust his staff, and guide them more strategically than he’d previously done. This change required Michael to do two things. First, he needed to educate his team using his vast knowledge. Second, he needed to give them the opportunity to learn from failure. As a business owner, you are of course highly attached to “doing it right every time.” Unfortunately, this wasn’t how you learned to be as skilled or successful. You learned from failing, too. When you are training someone to step up to greater tasks, you need to find a balance between letting them fail and guiding them toward better results. By letting his team fail periodically, Michael was increasing their opportunity to grow, learn, and succeed without his constant supervision. Be Committed The third step Michael needed to make for this transition was included in his first statement. He was “ready” to make the leap. As a business owner, making this change from being the business to managing the business can be slightly terrifying. Up until now Michael had retained control of everything that went out the door. He’d approved designs, contracts, sales presentations, and everything else. He hadn’t been ready to relinquish control and trust his staff. In order to make this business change, he needed to be committed to trusting his staff, providing the guidance necessary, and getting out of the way. The last one is often the hardest for business owners. Michael was proud of his accomplishments, had a well- deserved reputation for excellence, and was well-liked by his clients. To create the change he wanted, he not only needed to be willing to risk all of that, but he had to be fully committed to supporting his team in reaching that same level of success. With this one simple admission, Michael had opened the door to taking the leap. He became committed to doing what was necessary to achieve his goal. This is the most critical step of all. Without commitment, nothing else will work. As a business owner, you already know that commitment is critical to success. What is holding you back from being fully committed to achieving your dream results? Take a moment right now to ask yourself what you want to accomplish and what commitment will be necessary. Add your thoughts into the comment section below. I’d love to hear them! If you know another business owner that could use a little support in making the leap to creating a cash-flow-machine, then share this article with them. *Names and details, are changed, generalized, or combined and are intended for illustrative purposes only. Evolution Magazine Submit your Business, Technology and Lifestyle content [email protected] www.evomag.co 15