Most business owners tend to TOIL more than they ever imagined! They spend their time working long hours, putting out fires, dealing with recurring mistakes, and finding themselves too worn out to enjoy the fruit of their labor.
Maybe you are familiar with the story of Adam and Eve, how “In the beginning” God gave them instructions to take care of a garden. What a gift! A turnkey operation—all systems perfectly designed. The entire world was suddenly theirs and the only thing they were required to do was TEND, or take care of, it—not to work themselves into the ground.
I believe our assignment, as today’s business owners and managers, is the same: end “the curse”—what some call “business as usual”—for the sake of our customers, our employees and our families.
You may be thinking, “Uh...what do Adam and Eve fave to do with business?” If you’ll indulge me for a few minutes, I believe their story has some broader implications.
Business owners and managers tend to hold meetings over and over, rehashing the same old problems with employees, trying to keep everyone on the same page. All the while, they endure constant interruptions from others who seek information so they can do their jobs—because there are no systems or standard processes to keep them on track.
The Curse? Business as usual?
I call those frustrations “System Busters!”
Now, let’s look a little closer at our Garden of Eden story to understand why Adam and Eve were told only to “tend” the garden. A great system—a great network of systems—had already been created to manage the garden’s day-to-day issues and upkeep. So, given that perfect system, Adam and Eve might have just enjoyed “tending” the garden, without the constant frustration of pests, drought and other things that can cause chaos in a garden. However, much like modern human beings, they proved capable of botching up a two-person Apple Festival.
OK, so let’s replace “tend the garden” with “tend the business.” Granted, most businesses begin with a less-than-perfect situation, with few—if any—carefully considered processes for running day-to-day operations. It’s not surprising then when things go wrong; and, for all the dust we might kick up in an unkempt “garden,” things tend to get worse.
Now for the good news!
Our toil—our work—was never meant to be a chaotic, overwhelming burden. So, what if we spend some of that “toiling” time developing sustainable systems that will manage and actually STOP most of the chaos we deal with every day?
With the right systems in place, your business, like a well-kept garden, might only need a little pruning here and there. Or, you can just keep fighting the weeds!
I say, we need to toil smarter and seek out better systems, so all we have to do is tend to our business and enjoy watching it grow!
Read more about “The Cure for CHAOS!” (PDF)
Did I mention—Great systems work!
Philip Beyer, founder/president of Ebiz Products LLC and founder of Beyer Printing Inc. in Nashville Tenn., is a chronic entrepreneur, business systems analyst and consultant. Author of "System Busters: How to Stop Them in Your Business" and recipient of an InterTech Technology Award for the design and development of System100 business process management software. Beyer speaks to business owners across the country on how to bring lean, sustainable order to their businesses. Contact him at (615) 425-2652.