173: How to Cope When Being the Boss Sucks

Leadership
Written By Michele Williams

173: How to Cope When Being the Boss Sucks

with Michele Williams

Today’s podcast is a request by more than one client of mine. You see, owning a business is not all roses and profits – it means owning the hard and sometimes yukky parts, too. Let’s dig in to learn some coping mechanisms and strategies for dealing with the parts of business that suck.

Topics Mentioned: 

  • 5 E-Strategy

  • Communication

  • Intention

  • Leadership

Listen to the Episode

I normally name my podcasts a bit more formally. But on this one, I thought, let’s just be really clear that there are parts of business that suck. In addition – this is the exact title my client recommended!  

The yuck part could be managing people, managing projects, giving bad news, clearing up miscommunication, and also managing parts of the business that are not in your wheelhouse (such as finances, marketing or HR). No matter what, we all have areas of our company or tasks that we would like to avoid. 

We are alike in that it is much easier to plan for, control and manage each aspect of our firm that we like, enjoy, and feel like we can be the most successful. I have thought before, I wish all the rest of this would go away and I can just do what I love to do. Maybe you have thought or said something similar as well. 

On today’s podcast let’s look at how to identify what sucks, how to analyze it, and how to change it. We will focus on the HR part, but the other areas can be assessed similarly. 

First, you may realize something is off or starting to weigh you down in your firm, but you are not 100% clear on what it is. And then one day – BAM*&%! – you feel like you were sucker punched and you realize that this part of business just sucks.  

The biggest area of difficulty as businesses grow is not just the financial burden and monitoring – but the people management. Becoming the human resources administrator is not an easy task. You may have heard the saying that “management would be so much easier without the people.” Why is this? Simply put, leading and managing a company takes time, effort, strategy and patience.  It also requires great communication skills.  

In the AIM with Intent™ methodology we use the 5-E strategy. Educate on the job and tasks needed. Equip your employee with all they need to get the job done well. Set clear expectations so they know what to do, when, how and in what format you want the deliverables. Empower them to get the job done, and encourage them along the way. This takes time and intention to do and to do well. When you see something going off the rails – stop and have a conversation then. Don’t make note and ignore it and harbor irritation over it. We all can only correct or fix what we know to be broken. Smaller encouragement along the way is more powerful than waiting for the annual or mid-year review where we share every concern at once. This practice of creating a continual feedback loop can be seen in frequent conversations, check-ins, acknowledgement of the work and how it is being done well and what improvements you both would like to see going forward. This creates a team environment where your team knows what your firm is trying to do and helps them understand their part in it. 

Here is another area around the people part of the company to consider- and most of you have heard this statement, “Hire slowly, fire fast.” This is truth. Some of the issues with your team could be around having the wrong person in the job. Prepare before hiring. Create a job description and an on-boarding plan. Couple that with the 5-E strategy. Have 30-60-90 day goals that you monitor towards.  And if you have a long-time employee that you are having difficulty with – go back to this. Go over the job description. Create a performance plan for 2-4 weeks that will monitor and measure improvement. And when you know that this is not going to work – let them go. This will be best for you, your company and ultimately – them. 

Another part of communication that sucks is with difficult customers or with giving difficult news to even good customers. Here are a few things to keep in mind: 

  1. Communicate often. Often can mean many things – but it really means share what needs to be shared when it needs to be shared. Don’t wait – it makes it worse for everyone. 

  2. Communicate clearly and kindly. As Brene’ Brown says, “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.” Share the facts at the level they need to be imparted. Don’t manipulate and don’t shelter if the details need to be told. 

  3. Create solutions. Don’t just give bad news – share what you are doing about it, even if monitoring it is the best you have. Let them know it matters to you as much as it does them. 

  4. Cultivate relationship. This means – show them you are a team working towards the same outcome. Don’t let your firm and your client be pitted against each other. Help them (and you) remember that. 

When we think about other difficulties outside of the teams we are building and working with, the other problems that arise seem to be focused on marketing and sales, finances, and operations. This is exactly why we work through being intentional about everything and creating repeatable processes to reduce stress in my coaching practice.  

Identify the challenges you have in these areas and get help. My three financial courses are meant to solve some of the financial challenges that businesses have. You can also hire someone to help you manage or create your marketing strategy. Finding the resources to supplement what you know and can do within the firm will help you get these other parts done and remove some of the yuck feelings around them. 

Ownership of anything comes with the good and the bad. Acknowledging that there could be areas of your firm that make you feel terrible or that you don’t like – or that just suck – is a good thing. Because what we own, we can change. Identify what is causing stress, analyze it, scheme to correct it. Try and try again. And don’t forget – there is help available. You can read books, listen to podcasts, hire a coach – but ultimately you must put action to it. Because action is what will solve the problem. In the show notes are some resources to assist you – make sure you check them out. 

Check out our AIM with Intent methodology by going to my Work With Me page on my website at www.scarletthreadconsulting.com . If it feels like a good fit for you, complete a Discovery Call form and let’s see if we are a fit. Great management and leadership are key to long-term success. Own even the sucky parts of the business – because doing so will increase your profits – and profit doesn’t happen by accident. 

 

 

Key Thoughts:

  • The biggest area of difficulty as businesses grow is not just the financial burden and monitoring – but the people management. Michele (3:10) 

     

  • Educate on the job and tasks needed. Equip your employee with all they need to get the job done well. Set clear expectations so they know what to do, when, how, and in what format you want the deliverables. Empower them to get the job done, and encourage them along the way. Michele (4:10) 

  • Another area around the people part of the company to consider- and most of you have heard this statement, “Hire slowly, fire fast.” This is truth. Michele (6:34) 

  • When we think about other difficulties outside of the teams we are building and working with, the other problems that arise seem to be focused on marketing and sales, finances, and operations. This is exactly why we work through being intentional about everything and creating repeatable processes to reduce stress in my coaching practice. Michele (9:08)

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References and Resources:

Michele Williams
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