Editor's Note: This is the second in our 2007 series of The Business Owner Toolbox written by our regular columnist, George Hedley. Each article is written to provide you with practical, immediately applicable business management tools to assist you on your path to building a successful, growing business. To read the previous article, click here. To read the next article in the series, click here.
Several years ago, I made a New Year's resolution to take charge of my business life, put my priorities first and focus on building loyal customer relationships. I committed to:
- Work smarter, get organized and in-control
- Focus on the 20 percent that produces 80 percent of the results
- Delegate as much as possible to my employees
- Spend 33 percent of my time with customers
- Get home at a decent time!
When the next work day rolled around, I was excited to go to the office. I got to work at 6 A.M. and made a list of all the things I had to do. I prioritized these tasks into three categories:
1. "must do"
2. "should do"
3. "don't have to do"
But at 8:30 A.M., I started to get calls, faxes and e-mails putting demands on my time-meetings, customer problems needing attention, project superintendents with problem subcontractors and a broken-down truck putting the concrete crew on hold. So, I went out and attempted to fix everyone else's problems for them.
When I finally got back to the office at 4 P.M., I realized I had missed lunch and my desk was piled with at least twenty-five new requests, notes, faxes, invoices, call slips and files requiring my immediate attention-so much for getting to my priorities. Then my best customer called and asked me to play golf with him at his private country club the next morning. He wanted to introduce me to his banker and talk about his next project. How could I play golf? I didn't have enough time in the day.
If you're like most construction business owners or managers, this scenario is familiar. You have good intentions and want to change the way you operate everyday, but don't.
- What's on your "must do" list?
- What's your top priority?
- What's your No. 1 focus?
- What will make your company successful?
You Do What You Do!
People live their real priorities. Actions speak louder than words. A balanced and "on-purpose" business life is never built with unfulfilled, good intentions. It happens when the business owner or manager stays focused on what really matters to insure long-term success of the company. As you observe successful construction business owners who have their act together, think about the following:
- What characteristics set them apart?
- What do you admire about them?
- What is their primary focus?
- How do they spend their time?
- Do they get to their priorities?
- Why are they successful?
- What do they do that you don't?
- What don't they do that you do?
When you look at successful people, you find they are living their priorities. I have a very successful business friend I admire. He owns a major construction company. It is recognized repeatedly as the best in its marketplace. He makes lots of money and still has lots of time for his family, friends and customers. He surrounds himself with a top management team. His business is based on quality, loyal customer relationships and he makes customers his top business priority. I see him at the golf course weekly with a new foursome of well-known business executives. He hosts numerous customer trips to Alaska fishing spots, the Rose Bowl game, big sporting events and golfing outings annually. In addition, he takes several extended vacations with family, friends and plans romantic weekends
