Business Changing

Profit and Growth Specialist

Reasons why most businesses do not become a big success

by Leave a Comment

There are many reasons why most businesses do not become a big success. The most recurring reason I see as to why they do not succeed is due to how they are run. We all want to be seen as an effective leader and manager yet so many leaders in business are sabotaging themselves by performing as a ‘C Grade’ leader. If only they would do some of the harder things that the best leaders do.

 

Here are a few tips on what I see the leaders of successful businesses do, day in, day out.

 

The most successful businesses have strong leaders who are able to make hard decisions and follow through on them in a timely manner. Many leaders have been sitting on their hands for too long on things and turn a blind eye. It’s likely your team will be looking to you to help fix this situation. What decisions and things in your business have you been turning a blind eye to? Are you strong enough to do something about them this week? Or stick with status quo and continue to ignore?

 

Most leaders are too busy fighting fires today. Good leaders free their time up from such fire fighting and have more time to be future focused. So they have a good to great idea of where they are going to end up a few years from now business wise and how to get there. They put time into the challenges that might arise in the future and work out how to get around them. They get their team really excited about where the business is heading. Get them to come along for the ride and you will have such a better chance of getting to that great future place. Human beings love being a part of something future focused, bigger than themselves. If you do not know where you are heading, then wherever you end up will do – and you could have achieved so much more if you had of thought about it a few years earlier!

 

Many leaders are doing things that they do not enjoy nor are they good at. Everyone has their own personal unique abilities. A leaders time is worth a lot of money per hour. The best leaders have built their team so that they are able to focus on the things that make the big profits for the business. Some people say to me “I cannot afford more resource to take some of the work off my shoulders”. I say to them “You will be able to pay for the extra resource by putting your freed up time into growing your business meaning this new cost has a positive ROI”. If you use your time wisely, you can afford the help. The impact can be massive when you are able to get to those things that will make all the difference for your business.

 

The best leaders I see are those who hold their team and individuals accountable. Accountable means that you have those hard conversations and equally ensure that your people are delivering to their responsibilities. Who are you not holding accountable in your business? What will you do about it? Speaking of you holding others accountable, the best leaders openly ask their team how they can improve as a leader. When was the last time you asked someone in your team what you could do to improve as a leader?

 

Being an effective leader will make all the difference to your business and teams performance. Great leaders make the hard decisions needed and put their time into the things that will make their business successful in the medium to long term. If your business or team is not going as well as it could, how much of that is due to your performance as a leader?

 

As originally published in the Sunday Star Times and on Stuff.co.nz on April 16, 2017.

 

Zac de Silva is an award winning business coach who owns www.businesschanging.com as well as being the co-founder of the Nurture Change Business Retreat in Fiji (www.nurturechange.com). If you like the questions that Zac poses, check out www.accme.co which will get you thinking on how to run a better business and be a better leader.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • "Great two-day workshop that gives you a chance to reflect on your business, and focus on key points that need to be addressed to maximize your effectiveness and outcomes. The workshop was both entertaining and informative and really helped us to think about how we might navigate Covid / post-Covid, and plan out our next few years to guide the direction of the business. Food and hospitality was also great. Highly recommended!"
    Nelson Raynor, Isle of Eden
  • "The business planning workshop run by Zac is a great opportunity to challenge existing thinking in your business and take results to the next level. The workshop was well thought out and provided a structured environment to channel ideas and ambitions. Zac has the perfect presenting style allowing for plenty of interaction amongst your team and networking with other business from a variety of backgrounds. Highly recommended"
    Gray Borell, Novii
  • "Zac’s business workshop totally exceeded my expectations. The two days are well planned out to ensure your thought process takes you through the various stages needed to question why you are in business, where your business currently is at and where you want your business to be. Provoking questions, explanations, stories, presentations from successful entrepreneurs and of course Zac’s personal attention ensure you walk away with a clear and dynamic business plan. The venue was perfect, the lunch and refreshments sublime."
    Rachel Kann, IQ Property Management
  • "Transformational… Revolutionary… Awesome… Take your pick! Our business looks nothing like it did just three months ago – our brand is visible in the market, there’s a buzz about what we are doing, doors are opening and our heads are in the game. Business Changing changes business for the better… I’m very very thankful we met – my only regret is that we didn’t seek you out sooner!"
    Nick Brown, Huffman Sauces
  • "Zac has given myself and the business a real sense of clarity, and a better sense of day-to-day achievement for myself and the team. Zac’s ability to ask questions that are relative and beneficial have helped me grow the business and my self-awareness and create a more enjoyable workplace. Give Zac an inch and he’ll take you a mile!”
    Mathew Phelan, New World Churton Park
  • "Zac has also become a key enabler and contributor to us working towards the development of both our employee engagement and customer experience roadmaps. Kotahi is a new and fast-paced environment and it has been great to have Zac as a trusted advisor to both myself and the CEO. He has a no-nonsense and solid experience-based approach to his consulting style. I have enjoyed working with Zac and look forward to continuing on our engagement journey with the support of Business Changing”
    Jay Padden, HR General Manager, Kotahi
  • "Zac is incredibly insightful, inspiring and has been absolutely vital in contributing to the growth of my business. He's made me think beyond my goals and really given me the push my business has strived for."
    Bex Riley, Tosca Salome