Dr Mike Ashby’s Post

Are you the bottleneck in your business? One critical issue I see frequently with founders struggling to scale is the difficulty in letting go of control. It’s a common trap that can stifle your company’s potential to grow. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐟𝐮𝐥. In the early days, it makes sense to oversee all aspects of your business. However, as your company expands, micromanaging can actually hinder progress. When every decision hinges on your approval, and every task requires your input, you risk becoming the very bottleneck that limits your business. 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐤: • 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐲. If your team can't make decisions without you, your influence might be more restrictive than beneficial. • 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞. When all ideas must be approved by you, it discourages your team from being proactive and creative. • 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡.. If your business growth has plateaued, it’s worth considering whether your need for control is a contributing factor. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐬: So, how can you start to loosen your grip and empower your business to thrive? • 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦. Begin by delegating low-risk tasks and gradually increase their responsibility based on successes. Publicly recognise these achievements to build confidence and trust. • 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬. Set up systems that ensure tasks meet your standards without your direct involvement in every step. • 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭. Invest in your team’s development with training and workshops to foster a culture of trust and respect. • 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭. Allow yourself to step back from day-to-day operations to focus on broader business opportunities. As a business leader, your goal is to guide your team to success, not to control every detail. Transitioning from a doer to a strategic thinker enhances your effectiveness and promotes a healthier, more adaptive business environment. Are you ready to let go a little to grow a lot? Consider one area you can begin delegating this week and observe the impact. Share your experiences in the comments below - I’m eager to hear about your journey. Thanks for reading 🙏 • Interested in scaling your business? 👉 bit.ly/3vwXdr3 • Follow James Longley for more content like this • Found this post helpful? Repost ♻️ and pass it forward 

The hardest part about scaling a business that no one talks about? Letting go. 🌟 As your business grows, the way you work needs to change. The habits and hands-on approach that helped you build your company can start holding it back. Letting go means: - Delegating decisions to others, even if they don’t do things exactly like you—and being okay with it. - Trusting your leadership team to take charge of major areas so you can focus on the bigger picture. - Avoiding the urge to jump in and fix problems, giving your team the space to solve them instead. Here are simple steps to help you step back: 🛠️ 🗝️ Define the key functional roles that your business needs to run effectively - with clear Goals, KPI's, and ONE person accountable for the function. ⚙️ Write down the 8-10 key processes that keep your business running effectively - Assign an owner to each process who is accountable for improving them — making them faster, cheaper, or better. 🎯 Set clear quarterly goals that tie into your 1-year and 3-year plans. 🎉 Celebrate wins every quarter—even small gestures can go a long way to acknowledge the team’s hard work. 🗓️ Schedule regular check-ins to support your team without micromanaging. Think of yourself as a coach, not a manager. When you create systems and empower your team, the business thrives without needing constant oversight. This gives you more time to focus on strategy and long-term growth. 🚀 What small step can you take today to let go and empower your team? Share your thoughts below! 👇

Decades after its release, Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People still offers timeless lessons for business owners to stay focused and thrive in today’s fast-paced world. Here’s how to bring these habits to life in your business. https://lnkd.in/gkHf4Arj

Working with business owners every day, I believe #1 and #4 are keys to success.

Scaling New Heights: Navigating the Challenges of Business Expansion Scaling a business is a significant milestone for any CEO, but it comes with a unique set of challenges that can test even the most seasoned leaders. Understanding these challenges is key to successfully navigating them. Here are some of the common hurdles you might face when scaling your business and strategies to overcome them. 1. Maintaining Company Culture: As your organization grows, preserving the core values and culture that define your company can become increasingly difficult. It's crucial to deliberately integrate your culture into every new location and team. Implement consistent training programs, regular team-building activities, and open lines of communication to ensure that your culture scales along with your business. 2. Managing Increased Complexity: Scaling often introduces complexity in operations, management, and strategy. To manage this, streamline processes and consider implementing advanced management tools or systems. It's also important to delegate effectively, empowering capable leaders within your organization to take on more responsibility. 3. Ensuring Customer Satisfaction: As operations expand, maintaining the quality of your product or service for every customer can become challenging. Focus on scaling your customer service capabilities to match your growth, and invest in quality control systems to ensure that your standards remain high regardless of volume increase. 4. Financial Hurdles: Securing financing to support expansion is another critical challenge. It’s important to have a solid financial plan in place that can support your growth objectives. Consider various financing options like venture capital, loans, or reinvesting profits back into the business. Maintaining strong cash flow management during this phase is also crucial. 5. Attracting and Retaining Talent: As you grow, attracting and retaining the right talent becomes more crucial. Develop a robust recruitment strategy that not only attracts skilled individuals but also fits well with your company culture. Invest in your employees' development to retain top talent and reduce turnover. Scaling a business is no small feat—it requires careful planning, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of your business’s capabilities and market conditions. By anticipating these challenges and preparing accordingly, you can ensure that your business not only grows in size but also in capability and influence. Embrace these challenges as opportunities to refine your strategy, strengthen your operations, and solidify your market presence. #BusinessScaling #Leadership #GrowthChallenges #StrategicPlanning #CEOInsights

“This business would be easy…if it weren’t for the staff” I’ve heard it countless times. And it’s not that CEOs and MDs don’t value their teams—they absolutely do. But leading a team can be one of the most challenging, time-consuming parts of running a business. If your team relies too heavily on you... You can find yourself feeling like you're “firefighting” instead of driving growth. The thing is, a business can only grow smoothly when the team handles the operation independently. Without that, sustainable growth becomes impossible because you end up as ⤷ the bottleneck ⤷ the backstop ⤷ the constant safety net for decisions and issues Instead of your team thinking ahead and proactively handling challenges Everything lands on your plate. When you’re constantly pulled into daily issues, you lose the space to plan, push new ideas, and really lead your business Growth stalls because, instead of identifying growth opportunities, building strategic partnerships, and finding ways to increase efficiency and profitability You're dealing with recurring issues Imagine if your managers "actually managed" If your team handled day-to-day issues without constantly involving you. And you having time to focus on what truly drives growth. If this sounds like the change you’re ready for, join my upcoming free masterclass: “How to Get Your Managers to Actually Manage and Save 8+ Hours of Fire-Fighting Every Week.” I’ll be sharing proven steps to help you build a team that operates smoothly, freeing you to focus on what matters most. Reserve your spot here: https://lnkd.in/ejQkysxC

Slow progress in business can be frustrating, but it's important to remember that growth and success often take time. Here are some potential reasons for slow progress in business: 1. Lack of clear goals or strategy: Without a clear direction, progress may be slow. 2. Insufficient planning: Poor planning can lead to inefficiencies and slow growth. 3. Limited resources: Inadequate funding, talent, or infrastructure can hinder progress. 4. Market conditions: Economic downturns, intense competition, or changing market trends can slow growth. 5. Inefficient operations: Inefficient processes, systems, or workflows can slow progress. 6. Lack of innovation: Failing to innovate or adapt to changing market conditions can lead to stagnation. 7. Poor leadership or management: Ineffective leadership or management can hinder progress. 8. Talent acquisition and retention: Difficulty attracting and retaining top talent can slow growth. To overcome slow progress, consider: 1. Re-evaluating goals and strategy 2. Seeking mentorship or consulting 3. Investing in resources and talent 4. Improving operations and efficiency 5. Encouraging innovation and experimentation 6. Developing leadership and management skills 7. Fostering a positive company culture Remember, slow progress is not a failure. It's an opportunity to reassess and adapt to achieve long-term success.

10 visuals that will alter how you do business: 1. Great business owners cultivate success by investing in their people and the work they’re already committed to. It isn’t about chasing what’s next; it’s about building momentum where you stand, and maximizing every moment. 2. It's tempting to push for more – more efficiency, more results, more momentum. But success in business is a marathon, not a sprint. 3. Quit building alone. Sure, you can get quick wins by taking matters into your own hands. But leaders who consistently go it alone may find themselves burning out or, worse, disconnected from their team. 4. True leadership requires courage – the willingness to leave behind what’s familiar and take the helm in uncertain conditions. It’s where you discover what you and your team are truly capable of. 5. As a leader, your role isn’t just about defining the end goal – it's about guiding your team through the complexities that arise along the way. The true test of leadership is how well you manage the chaos in between. 6. Sometimes consistency looks like showing up with the same energy and focus every day, driving the team forward. Other times, it’s being flexible – responding to changing circumstances while maintaining the core values and vision. 7. It’s easy to wish for smooth sailing and clear skies, but without the storms, we wouldn’t develop the resilience and strength necessary to lead through tough times. Business works the same way – it’s in the difficult moments that we learn, grow, and refine our skills. 8. The best leaders don’t let problems grow out of proportion. They pause, take a breath, and put the challenge in context to simplify it for the team. 9. Leaders who recognize that they’re part of something bigger know that investing in others only makes the whole team stronger. When everyone is thriving, the organization becomes unstoppable. 10. One wrong decision, one breach of trust, and the reputation you’ve spent years building can collapse in an instant. PS: Don't forget to share with a friend if you found value in these images like I did. ------------------- ----------- ------ And don't forget to throw me a follow if you're looking for more content like this. Miles Welch

SMART objectives benefit business planning by providing clear, measurable, and time-bound goals. They enhance decision-making, accountability, focus, and team motivation. By setting specific, achievable targets, businesses can better align their strategies and track progress effectively. https://lnkd.in/d_6npfvN

Attributes of Business Owners:   ·     Aspirational: 1.    Mis-Hires, gets easily influenced 2.    Fires people but gets it done from his employees 3.    Hard Working 4.    Does not chase numbers 5.    Easy in meetings 6.    Takes care of employees 7.    Easily accessible 8.    Culture driven, tries to retain people 9.    Makes impulsive decisions 10. Micromanages   ·     Freestyle: 1.    Mis-Hires, no ability to judge 2.    No culture driven 3.    Easily accessible 4.    Does not chase numbers 5.    Easy in meetings 6.    Never Fires 7.    Makes impulsive decisions 8.    Trusts and empowers his team but cannot assess their limitations and capabilities 9.    Seems to have a great vision but lacks execution 10. Does business only in a team   ·     Cunning: 1.    Mis-Hires 2.    Chases numbers 3.    Micromanages 4.    No culture driven 5.    Difficult in meetings 6.    Fires people abruptly 7.    Makes impulsive decisions without any consultations 8.    Does not trust people, loses best people and does not care 9.    Always finds reasons to mistrust and mishandle and create chaos 10. Gets success in some ventures as such leader is good in chasing numbers   ·     Carefree: 1.    Mis-Hires but tries to get best fit 2.    Delusional 3.    Seems to have a great vision but lacks execution 4.    Trusts and empowers his team but cannot assess their limitations and capabilities 5.    No culture driven 6.    Does not feel importance of meetings 7.    Makes impulsive decisions without any consultations 8.    Does not get successful as such leader lacks framework 9.    Has no idea how to chase numbers 10. Hard working