As a business leader, your attention is likely always demanded by different things every single day. Sometimes it’s a new report that you need to review, other times it’s some kind of dispute between your staff members that you need to settle. Either way, it can feel like you’re being stretched thin and pulled in so many different directions that you’re not sure where to focus.

Two main things you definitely do need to focus on that will help you put out those small fires every day are your people and your processes. Once you’ve adequately attended to these two things, those small, daily problems will lessen and you’ll be able to focus on building your practice.

There’s a “people vs. process” conundrum that can affect organisations and senior executives can lean on one more than the other without realising it. Sometimes you put too much pressure on your staff, other times you pay so much attention to how you run things that your staff’s satisfaction is no longer your priority.

To get your firm running at its most efficient, you need to ensure that both are performing optimally. Becoming aware of this conundrum will help you understand that both people and processes evolve together. It’ll allow you to improve your practice and implement efficiencies that benefit both.

Why your staff needs your attention

When you’ve hired staff members that are efficient and perform well, you might be tempted to leave them to their own devices as they seem self-sufficient. However, this is a common mistake that business leaders make.

Every staff member, regardless of how stellar they are, needs guidance, warmth and support in their professional growth. To keep them productive and engaged, you need to show that you care for their career trajectory and how they’re faring in terms of work. 

It’s important to keep the human element intact in a professional practice as it helps promote employee productivity and positive relationships amongst your team. When you turn to automation and chatbots, your team can feel isolated and more prone to burnout because they lack the social element of work, which boosts their morale. 

When you pay attention to your staff and their needs, you become more of an inspiring leader and not just a boss to your staff. You want to lead them and make them feel like you’re someone to follow, not someone to be afraid of when you’re barking orders. 

Why you need to pay attention to your processes

Your processes need to evolve alongside your firm. If you want your practice to grow, you have to capitalise on new process opportunities and what they can do to optimise productivity and efficiency. Technology evolves and your competitors are sure to jump on those changes, increasing the likelihood of leaving you behind. 

Industry trends always change depending on customer demand, so your processes need to be able to accommodate those changes. 

There are four stages of growth you can expect to experience as your practice develops. Each stage will come with different challenges and growing pains so it’s important to have the right processes in place.

These four stages are:

1. The start-up stage – This is the stage where you focus on perfecting your product or service. You need to put your energy in design, generating sales and product delivery. Once you’ve got that down, focus on growing your staff. 
2. The build stage – This stage is when you start securing your staff and people you trust to keep the business running. They will help you lock in processes and boost your efforts in getting your firm’s name out there. This stage is where you start to get regular clientele and bring in revenue, even if it’s not always stable. The processes you implement at the start-up stage might not necessarily be as effective when you move on to the build or scale stage, so you need to implement improvements that will allow you to adapt.
3. The scale stage – When your business is continuing to grow but profitability starts plateauing, it’s time to scale. Scalability is important because it helps you expand rapidly without having to take on more work or put more pressure on your workers. Adjusting systems to increase turnover without having to put more on your staff’s plate will help you supercharge your growth. 
4. The leverage stage – This stage is when you’re stable with everything and comfortable with taking calculated risks and making new plans for further growth without having to worry about momentary dips in revenue–you’re so secure with your finances that you can handle a few setbacks, empowering you to make bigger decisions.

With these four stages of business growth in mind, you can start to navigate your way around how you can shape your business practices. Here are just a few ways you can improve them:

• Streamline your processes to reduce overall costs
• Improve the revenue side of your business by focusing on customer experience
• Make sure your processes are repeatable so you avoid risks that come with constantly shifting approaches
• Simplify your systems to make business management more straightforward

How to balance your attention between your people and your business processes

Having to focus your attention on two things at once can seem impossible, but it really isn’t. Giving both aspects of your practice the focus they deserve, and in equal doses, is doable with these three tips.

1. Implement a schedule for different tasks 

Having to juggle different tasks and concerns is just a day in the life of a business leader. Different tasks will need your attention every day, so setting a schedule will definitely help you sort through which tasks are urgent or high-priority and which ones can wait a little longer.

Doing this will also allow you to set a timeline for developing certain areas in your practice’s processes and identify how you can help your staff improve. A schedule that allows time for your staff to approach you and lets you tweak processes as you go through each stage of growth is one that you can optimise for success. 

2. Prioritise management innovation

Management innovation allows you to improve and optimise your management processes, ensuring that the day-to-day tasks of your managers are efficient and effective. Prioritising management innovation allows you to make systemic changes and build on the processes you already have in place. 

Some processes you can transform are:

• Setting goals
• Coordinating activities
• Allocating resources
• Building and nurturing relationships

It may be hard to think of creative ways to manage your team and processes, but here are a few methods:

• Learn new paradigms or principles that can introduce new approaches you can implement
• Carefully deconstruct the business conventions and dogma that constrain creative thinking
• Identify examples and analogies that redefine what’s possible to achieve with your business

Management innovation pushes your staff to be more creative while generating new systems that will expedite your production. 

3. Get feedback for improvement

Without feedback, you never know what parts of your business or your approach you need to improve or work on. When you get insight into how the people in your organisation are growing and how you can support them, you can establish practices that will empower them and boost their morale. 

Feedback from your team and from senior executives or even coaches will give you a better idea of what to do and which steps to take next. Business mentors and coaches have walked the walk and know how to handle different situations and will help you predict the best outcome. 

When you feel like you need to choose between your people or your processes, you don’t have to worry. There are ways for you to prioritise both and give them adequate attention. When you iron out all the details, eliminate any unnecessary distractions and optimise your systems, you can show your staff you care about them while working on processes to make them the best they can be.
If you want to learn more about how you can show your staff and your processes the same amount of care to maximise efficiency and promise success, give us a call.