Website Rebuilt

[Steve]

I think we should first try to do it ourselves but if we are treading water we need to look at what the issue may be. If you have someone on staff that can sell, let them loose and go do something else, I have staff that can run certain gear better than I can, does that bother me??? Not at all more power to them, glad to have them on board and I won't go near their machine. I think that is one of the toughest things to do, not only in business but in life. Reflecting on yourself and looking at what you are good or bad at. No one likes to admit where they are weak and I think that tends to lead us all down a path of either mediocrity or failure. We also don't like having people around that are better than us in ways we will admit. I think that tends to be due to a feeling of being inferior and no boss or owner wants to feel inferior. However, like you said, if you want to grow, you need to hire people who are better at things than you are. Then you need to rise above it all and look towards the future.

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Originally Posted by Steve However, like you said, if you want to grow, you need to hire people who are better at things than you are. Then you need to rise above it all and look towards the future. Many years ago when I was promoted to my first management position at the bank, I will never forget the words of the Regional V. P. whom I felt the world about, he said "Andy, if you want to rise to the top at the bank and in life let me give you some advise going into your first management job, you always want people under you that want your job and you want people under you that are better than you. You are a very young man and it will take you some time to accept and learn this but when you do, your career and life will take off" He was right, it took a few years in my case as I was a pretty proud person and thought I could do a better job than my staff as I wanted to be in control however I finally got it gave in and many things took off including my career. I wanted to work outside the box but I realized one day I wasn't letting my staff work outside the box, yes we had audit guidelines to work within but man when I got it and let some of them loose, we really made some of the upper end people take notice. Today never call me boss, well I will let you get away with it once, we are a team, let's think baseball, I am the pitcher and you are the catcher, can we do each others job? heck no, can we play a game without each other? Not a chance, I may own the company or gear but I want and will be treated like everyone else, our success depends on us working as a team and I really mean and stick to this.

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Andy
Halifax, Nova Scotia

[Steve]

you always want people under you that want your job and you want people under you that are better than you.

It is very possible that one of the main reasons that keep small businesses small is the thinking that you may want people that are smart as your staff but not smarter than you. I think the reasoning goes that you don't want them thinking they don't need you and can do this without you.

When you are in constant fear an employee will leave and start their own business to compete with you, I think you tend to fear teaching them what they need to know to really do the job well. You also tend to fail at handing over to them the responsibilities to free you up to run the business.

Do you feel this is the case too? How can one overcome this?

Having such a fear is very difficult to overcome.

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Originally Posted by Steve

It is very possible that one of the main reasons that keep small businesses small is the thinking that you may want people that are smart as your staff but not smarter than you. I think the reasoning goes that you don't want them thinking they don't need you and can do this without you.

When you are in constant fear an employee will leave and start their own business to compete with you, I think you tend to fear teaching them what they need to know to really do the job well. You also tend to fail at handing over to them the responsibilities to free you up to run the business.

Do you feel this is the case too? How can one overcome this?

Having such a fear is very difficult to overcome.

Do you want to eat hot dogs for the rest of your life or the best steak money can buy, I know what I want.

I love having people that are smarter than I am, good lord how can I continue to learn if I just hire people that are at or below my level, my companies will never rise to the top.

There is a guy in my workshop right now turning pens, I am a professional wood turner and I taught him pen turning, OMG he is far better than I am, I think this is excellent!

Why would you be scared to have staff smarter than you, in many ways most of mine are in various areas as they are all University Students and to the best of my knowledge they all are on the Dean's list as it's a competition between them to get the highest marks.

I realized quickly in May that the engineering students were amazing at building retaining walls and inter locking walkways, I let them loose, they designed, sold and did the work, just used my company name and vehicles, now everything went through the company but I paid them top dollar as they were bringing in amazing bucks and loved what they were doing, I would look at their work and think, we did that???? I sure as heck would not have figured many things out like they did, it's great!

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I was thinking about your reply as I was putting supper on, name me one coach in any professional sport that is as good a player as anyone on his team, there isn't one. As a business owner we are nothing more than the coach, we have to realize that is we want a winning team and as we all know the winning team makes the most money in every sport I can think of, a business is no different.

[justin_time]

What's a BOLG ?

[Steve]

I was thinking about your reply as I was putting supper on, name me one coach in any professional sport that is as good a player as anyone on his team, there isn't one. As a business owner we are nothing more than the coach, we have to realize that is we want a winning team and as we all know the winning team makes the most money in every sport I can think of, a business is no different.

I never thought about it in that light. I think that is excellent.