I know what you’re thinking. Disruption is all the rage, and surely we need someone focussing on how we can reshape the market, or gain an advantage. Coming up with a new Uber or AirBnB that disrupts the value chain, or cuts out the middle man. Brilliant. Except this is not the kind of disruption I mean.
I mean the founder who hires skilled and experienced people to manage and lead, and then doesn’t let them do it, or disrupts them when they do.
You know, surfing around the office interrupting people indiscriminately, or taking client calls and committing to works without consulting production, or doing love jobs that weren’t programmed.
Often the reason this happens is that when an employer gets off the tools and elevates themselves to a strategic role (CEO), they feel lost and unsure what to do, so they ‘play’ in operations, under the guise of keeping their ‘finger on the pulse’.
Without realising it, they create excuses and dramatize mistakes as evidence that the team is not ready, not focussed or not able to run the engine room without them. I call the role they play the CDO, Chief Disruption Officer!
They go slow on reviewing emails or reports, slow down decision making, and become an energy block in their own business. All this reinforces the belief that the business can’t function without them, and that they are still needed. Frustration builds within their key staff, and retention and staff turnover becomes a challenge. This kind of disruption can be more threatening than competitor behaviour!
Rather than disrupting internally, the business owner needs to focus on making themselves redundant, and on building a business that truly doesn’t need them. This can be scary, but with the help of the coach, can be addressed and reframed to refocus the owner on unlocking the most value possible.
Remember, a truly successful, sustainable business is one
- that can survive the exit of the founder,
- where business comes to the brand and not the owner,
- where everyone knows their role and acts responsibly,
- where information systems support prompt decision making, and
- where succession and retention is well developed