Building a business is not just about making money, it is about staying true to your business values, vision and mission. Being able to constantly provide what you promise or what you are supposed to deliver. It is easy to lose track of what your business is really about when you manage it from a “High up” office where you are surrounded by the best air conditioner in town, the best carpet, the best chairs and desks, and your parking area is sorted for you. In the end all you ever see are the numbers on excel or word and that is how you rate your business.
There are five things that every CEO, business founder or Managing Director must do to say with in touch with their business
1. Use your own service without favour
Be like Mark Zukerberg, or Bill Gates, make sure you are found using your own service. If it is a restaurant sit in there and be served just like the way other clients are served. Sit in the same chairs so that you understand how your clients feel when they sit in their waiting room if you are a doctor. If it is a bank then use the service as well, go to the teller and experience the service that your bank gives. Far to often the “big” people forget why they are in business, “To provide solutions for clients”. Don’t expect favors if you are the boss, be just like any other client, subscribe to the TV service that you are providing.
2. Meet everyone once in a while
We tend to like power and be the mysterious boss or be the person that everyone never sees in time. The more reclusive you are the more people will not identify with what it is that you want them to represent. Remember as the CEO or boss of the company people look up to you as the ultimate brand, and they need to be able to see this. You must be available once in a while so that people see who you are and what you want to build or maintain. Don’t hide, but don’t be over available, just be there once in while, let everyone know you are in this together.
3. Visit your own operational areas
Some CEOs have no idea what their data centre looks like, or their kitchen areas are like, or the safe rooms look like because they limit their movement to their office. They normally take the express elevator to their top office and after that you only know they have left after the light is switched off. They don’t know the state of the operation area that is being used to bring them business. As a business owner take time to visit your operation area once in a while. Surprise visits will always give you the best impression about the state of the business.
4. Take leave and travel
The only way you can ever know if your business is heading in the right direction is if you personally experience the competition as well. Travel in other airlines, experience their service, be away for some time so that you know what others are doing. If you are so consumed in your business all you will ever know is what you do and not what others do. Look from the outside to truly understand what your company is about. Don’t stay in, stay out for a period to experience the outside. Reports are good to read but seeing from outside is good for you.
5. Attend training and workshops
Clearly when you are busy being the boss the other below you are busy aspiring to be in your position, so they will be learning new things because they want to be as good as you or better. As a CEO or business owner, learn new things as well. Start a new Masters or degree program. Sometimes education helps to think of new things. It could be one paragraph in a module where they are 20 courses that help you to discover a new product. Attend at least three training per year, find time to be in workshops. Don’t try to do everything where you work, you will lose time to learn new things. It is not just about you learning new things, it is about you being able to appreciate new ideas when your employees bring them over.
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