“I’m tired of this business running ME. I want this business to RUN.”
I was sitting with a client, listening to all the issues they’d been working through over the last several months: being short-handed, their warehouse not looking the way they wanted it to look, fork trucks getting bumped into the building causing dents, and an employee attitude seemingly apathetic.
Not only that, but as the owner, he was the one who was often out to make deliveries when employees called in. There were so many things on his wish list for the business that he wanted – clear definitions of roles, daily checklists so employees could just get the work done instead of having to be told, etc. – so that he wasn’t always the way to solve issues and problems.
He was tired. He was frustrated. He was ready to see change.
Conversations like this aren’t unique. I haven’t yet found a pocket of the country that hasn’t experienced some version of this exasperation. As if simply owning a business wasn’t fretful on its own.
Remember in Batman, how someone just needed to send the Bat Signal into the sky so that they can get help? It would be pretty incredible to have something like that in our business, wouldn’t it? I’m not claiming to be a superhero, by any stretch. That said, our monthly blogs are intended to be a way to share support and ideas (until we can find a real-life Bat Signal!).
Send us your employee, management business questions
In our monthly blog, our goal is to dig into some of these challenges we hear from business owners in ag. We want to hear from you, and to make this as relevant as possible for you. When we work with cooperatives, ag retailers, feed manufacturers, and other businesses, we focus on the simple, practical things that businesses can do to make an impact.
What are the things that have been on your wish list? Defining who does what in the business (so you don’t have to make all the decisions)? Setting clear expectations and goals (and making sure they happen)?
Submit your questions and ideas to me directly at [email protected], and you might just see yours end up in a future article!
