Become a Business Brain Surgeon
Author: Greg Chapman
Last Updated: 7/18/2009 4:05:20 PM
Summary
Are you working longer and taking home less than your staff? Are you working all hours of the day and night and still barely managing to keep your customers happy? Are you unable to delegate or outsource work to give you more time to work on your business? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, maybe its time you learnt what Brain Surgeons do
Article
Are you working longer and taking home less than your staff? Are
you working all hours of the day and night and still barely
managing to keep your customers happy? Are you unable to delegate
or outsource work to give you more time to work on your business?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, maybe its time you
learnt what Brain Surgeons do.
Most business owners we talk to believe almost everything they
do in their business, only they can do. They have learnt from
experience if they give work to someone else, they mess it up. And
then they spend twice as long fixing things. But this is not what
Brain Surgeons do. When they operate on a patient, they are not in
charge of the theatre- the theatre nurse is. They don't open up the
patient, or close. They leave that to a junior surgeon. Everything
is prepared for them, and someone else mops up the blood later. All
they do is the brain surgery. And some marketing before hand
(client needs), and afterwards (client satisfaction).
How is this possible?
Hospitals have very sophisticated systems, and everyone is
highly trained in their use. There are checks and counter-checks.
Nothing is left to chance. And the very expensive surgeon, the most
highly trained person in the theatre, only does what he or she has
been trained to do. They don't waste their time doing jobs others
can do. In other words they don't spend dollar time on penny jobs.
So the brain surgeon only does the brain surgery, and a bit of
marketing.
This is, of course, a rather simplistic description of a brain
surgeon's job. And I hasten to add an apology to any brain surgeons
reading this if they feel insulted (after all, you never know I
might need their services in the future - some might argue my need
is immediate!) The point of this for business owners is to
understand where the real brain surgery is in their business. The
part of their job that is most valuable to the business. The part
only they can do.
Examples of brain surgery are: the marketing of your business,
the relationships with your key customers, or if you are a
consultant, the analysis of the problem you have been asked to
solve. Not data entry, or possibly even data collection. And
not the bookkeeping. So the challenge for business owners is
to identify what part of their role is brain surgery.
Theoretically, everything else can and should be delegated or
outsourced.
A great theory, but how can you make this happen in the real
world?
Business Systems. When you delegate or outsource, you need to
document what the person who is doing the work will receive and
what they will return to you, complete with standards and the form
in which they will provide it to you. Then all involved need
training in the system. This takes some work, but for a small
investment in your time, the dividends are huge.
The theatre nurse does not know how to do brain surgery, but
they know before the operation, what equipment the surgeon will
need, and when they will need it. They will also know how the
theatre and patient are to be prepared. Detailed procedures will
have been developed so everyone in the theatre will know their
role, and the brain surgeon will have optimised his or her time
doing what they have been specifically trained to do.
When you know where the brain surgery is in your business, you
will be able to leverage your time. You will spend more time with
your customers, and more time working on your business, rather than
in it. Ultimately, you will have a business that runs without
you.
Author Bio Dr Greg Chapman assists small to medium sized
businesses with business planning, business systems and
marketing strategy. To find out how you can Multiply Your
Profits & Make Your Business Run without You, and to find out
How Good Your Business Really Is with a Free Online Business
Medical, go to Empower Business Solutions website at: www.empowersolutions.com.au Article
Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website
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Published on Midlands Business News, Business News
for the Midlands: 18/7/09