I don't know, man. I always step in to do the job, whether it's mine or not. I usually just roam around hospitals and walk into random operating theaters. If I see a patient under full anaesthesia, I grab a scalpel and get right to work.
I'm proud to say, not a single one of my patients has ever complained.
I might add that if you're an owner, interested in a good business that outlives you, you had better get out of the habit of "fixing" things when they go wrong.
When the system starts to break, it's your job to find out why that's happening and put a permanent solution in place, not to bad-aid it.
Great point. It is one of the failures of small businesses that want to sell. Sell what? You don't have documented processes, the product is the grit and knowledge of the owner, and the owner wants to retire.
One of my favorite questions to ask (if I'm consulting or just talking about ideas to improve someone's business) is to ask them if they pay themselves a salary. The next 2 or 3 minutes involve the slow realization that salary and distributions are very different things. Eventually, they will understand that the distributions very much determine how much the business would be worth to someone else, but that someone would need to be paid to do the job they're doing.
If you have the ability to pay someone to run the thing, you have a business. If you are a one person show, you do not.
Actually, the problem with saying, "That's not my job" is that it makes people think you're a jerk. There are ways of saying it that don't seem quite so jerkish. "That sounds more like <insert someone else's name> role. I wouldn't like to step on his toes with this." Or even, "Sure, if you need me to, temporarily. How long before you think we can transition it to <name> where it belongs."
Or my favorite, "I'd be glad to do that. What thing that I'm already doing are you willing to defer so I'll have time?"
Totally agree. The thing is, instead of correcting a terse and 'jerkish' phrasing, it ends up being expected that there would no pushback whatsoever on ensuring the right people and priorities are being leveraged.
I've walked into organizations where they brag that 'we never say that's not my job.' and they should be doing exactly what you say but take it to the other extreme.
I don't know, man. I always step in to do the job, whether it's mine or not. I usually just roam around hospitals and walk into random operating theaters. If I see a patient under full anaesthesia, I grab a scalpel and get right to work.
I'm proud to say, not a single one of my patients has ever complained.
Love the example. 😜
This is key for me at the moment as a design team of 3 who consistently get asked to do work that Purchasing and sales should be doing
Happens all the time. Thing is, they could probably get it done better.
Very true
I might add that if you're an owner, interested in a good business that outlives you, you had better get out of the habit of "fixing" things when they go wrong.
When the system starts to break, it's your job to find out why that's happening and put a permanent solution in place, not to bad-aid it.
Great point. It is one of the failures of small businesses that want to sell. Sell what? You don't have documented processes, the product is the grit and knowledge of the owner, and the owner wants to retire.
One of my favorite questions to ask (if I'm consulting or just talking about ideas to improve someone's business) is to ask them if they pay themselves a salary. The next 2 or 3 minutes involve the slow realization that salary and distributions are very different things. Eventually, they will understand that the distributions very much determine how much the business would be worth to someone else, but that someone would need to be paid to do the job they're doing.
If you have the ability to pay someone to run the thing, you have a business. If you are a one person show, you do not.
That's a very good point. If I can hire someone to replace myself and it is still profitable, that's a business.
Actually, the problem with saying, "That's not my job" is that it makes people think you're a jerk. There are ways of saying it that don't seem quite so jerkish. "That sounds more like <insert someone else's name> role. I wouldn't like to step on his toes with this." Or even, "Sure, if you need me to, temporarily. How long before you think we can transition it to <name> where it belongs."
Or my favorite, "I'd be glad to do that. What thing that I'm already doing are you willing to defer so I'll have time?"
Totally agree. The thing is, instead of correcting a terse and 'jerkish' phrasing, it ends up being expected that there would no pushback whatsoever on ensuring the right people and priorities are being leveraged.
I've walked into organizations where they brag that 'we never say that's not my job.' and they should be doing exactly what you say but take it to the other extreme.