Welcome to the Momentum Business Coaching Newsletter for Small Business
November 2004

Can you separate the Owner in You from the Employee in You?

It doesn't matter whether you are a one-person business or have hundreds of employees; there are many different jobs to be carried out. If you answer the phone you are the receptionist, if you handle the bills and VAT returns, you are the administration clerk and if you draw up customer proposals, you are the sales person.

Your business must be prepared to constantly be moving towards your ideal company, your Vision. It does not matter if only one or two people are currently performing all of the duties for your business. You must:

• Keep focused on your ideal business
• Determine the different jobs or positions that exist for that ideal business
• Prepare an organisation chart for the business
• Write job descriptions for each position of your business

It has been shown in many studies, that lack of direction and clarity about a job role, will impact negatively on an employee's motivation, which will ultimately impact on productivity and profits. The organisation chart should not be designed to show 'who is important' in the business. Its purpose is to show accountability and accountability is as important to a small business as it is to a larger one.

Employees must know who can authorise action. What are they authorised to do? Can they be involved in defining what they can be accountable for at the outset?

Developing job descriptions is even more important if some or all the jobs are currently held by you the Business Owner!

• You should separate your responsibilities as owner from those you currently perform as a manager.
• You should separate your responsibilities as sales manager from those you perform as a sales person.
• You should prepare job descriptions for every position you see in your business of the future.
• You cannot successfully hire someone to take on a set of responsibilities if you have not defined what those responsibilities are.
• You cannot advance yourself into a 'true' Owner position, if you do not have that position defined!

While this may seem a lot of effort for you now, it will down the road, give you more time to work ON your business instead of IN your business, giving you more business profits and personal time.

For a more complete description on ''Seperating the Owner in You from the Employee in You'' or a free consultation, simply contact John Buckley of Momentum Business Coaching at
045-881888 or e-mail jbuckley@momentumcoach.ie or visit www.momentumcoach.ie