Why Bottlenecking May be Killing Your Business (and You)
To those who think “If you want something done, you have to do it yourself,” respectfully…
Think again.
Trying to do it all on your own isn’t getting you where you want to go.
Managing projects, tracking finances, and being the only approver or decision maker are just a few of the responsibilities that can throw off your business’ workflow.
And unfortunately, keeping it all going is moving you farther away from what you loved in the first place:
Creating amazing solutions for your clients.
Sound familiar?
What you have is a bottleneck problem.
If you’re not familiar with the term, a bottleneck is a cog in any process that slows down or ceases production.
And sometimes that cog is you.
The good news is that the first step to changing is understanding the mindset that leads to it.
Understanding the Bottleneck Mindset
The bottleneck mindset is the belief that YOU’RE the only one who can do things right or efficiently. This often comes from values like self-sufficiency and responsibility, or an overactive empathetic streak that gets in the way of delegation.
More sneakily, it can be caused by a fear of losing control, a lack of trust in your team, or a tendency toward perfectionism.
It’s never a good sign when there’s constantly a line outside your office and you’re busy providing answers all day like you’re a human Google Search bar.
Being the only one who knows what kind of toilet paper the septic system can handle and how many sodas and snacks should be stocked seems extreme…
But these are real examples of clients who have come to me because they’re bogged down by daily details and decisions, instead of being the visionary their business needs to grow.
Five Steps to Break Free from the Bottleneck Mindset
To overcome this, it’s important to:
- Take something off your plate: Identify something you can immediately hand to someone else. It can be anything that you dislike doing, are slower at, or do less well than someone who excels in this area.
- Increase your self awareness: Use the time you gain to remember what you’re great at and what gives you energy! This is where you will focus in the future. The idea of doing more of what you love will fuel further delegation.
- Check your ego: Even though you’re the founder of your business, you can’t execute at a high level in all areas for the long term. Who on your team is better and faster at some of the other things you don’t like to do?
- Empower others to decide: Identify 3 areas where you can specify the needed outcome and let your team decide how to get there. If they ask you to make a decision it’s a chance to turn the question around and be a mentor instead of an approver.
- Prepare for additional delegation: Make a list of other responsibilities you can let go of and set a date to release them to others. Make it a priority to find a responsible “whos” to give the work to knowing the change will be beneficial for you and your business.
Overcoming Obstacles
Breaking free from the bottleneck mindset will require doing things differently.
You may encounter resistance from your team, or you may feel like you’re losing control.
It’s important to remember that this is a natural part of the process and that delegating doesn’t mean giving up; it means empowering your team to succeed.
Are you the bottleneck in your business? What are you going to do about it?
Until next time,
Laurie
