Get Out Of Your Way!

I met a plumber the other day.  I was at an event for entrepreneurs and small businesses.  Everyone there was looking to build their business, to become more successful and to live the life they wanted to live, on their own terms.  Good place to be.

The plumber, let’s call him John, was no different to anyone else.  He has his dreams.  He dreams of a fleet of vans on the streets of his home town, emblazoned with his logo, rushing to the aid of home owners and business owners alike.  He has dreams for his family as well.  There’s only one problem.  He’s not going to achieve them.  At least, not if he carries on thinking the way he thinks right now.

You see, when we talked about the issues facing his business and what is stopping him getting where he wants to go, we hit an age old conundrum.

Listen in:

John:  ‘I don’t have the time to build the business because I’m out there doing jobs all the time.’
Us:  ‘Then why don’t you get some help.’

John: ‘Well, I can’t afford to.’
US:  ‘Just imagine for a moment that you could.’

John: ‘The trouble is no one will do the job as well as me and treat the customers the way I treat them.  I’m a very good plumber.’

I don’t think you need much more information, do you.  So what do you think the REAL issue is here?  Is it a matter of money or is something else getting in the way?

It’s not a matter of money.  The thing that’s getting in his way is John.  And that’s true for a lot of people, particularly entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses whose business is them.

We faced the same problem when we worked in the corporate sector.  ‘Oh, but Tim/Emma, we don’t want anyone else to do the work.  The reason we employ you is because of you.’  How flattering!  How seductive!  How marvellous to know we were the only ones they wanted!  Well, it makes sense, doesn’t it?  We are GOOD.  We are sooooooo GOOOD!  Obviously no one else could step into our shoes.

And these are the beginnings of the death rattle of a business.  This is the thinking that has limited the potential of so many businesses down the years.

Wake up call!  You are NOT indispensable.  You are NOT the only one who can deliver exceptional service.  You are NOT going to get the future you want if you continue to think this way.  And neither is John.

I remember seeing a speaker, who was addressing a group of very senior executives, ask for a volunteer to come onto the stage with him.  He put a bucket of water on a table and asked the volunteer to roll up his sleeve.  The volunteer complied.  The presenter then asked him to put his arm in the bucket of water and when he had done that, to take it out again.  Job done.  The presenter turned to the volunteer and said:

‘And the hole that you have left is a measure of your indispensability to your business!’

Worth remembering if you ever find yourself wondering how to grow and expand your business and feel stuck.

John’s stuck and the answer is staring him in the face.  He knows it too.  I’ll be interested to see if, next time we meet, he’s decided to get out of his way!