You had a great idea for a new product or service and you started selling it to anyone you could find that would buy. Your business took off and one by one you picked up a decent customer list. You thought you were successful in chasing your dream. Then after a couple of years you find yourself stalled. After all these months, you seem to have hit a wall.

No matter how hard you work, you can’t seem to break through. How do you make this business grow? What happened? Many new business owners reach this stalled position believing they need to control every aspect of every activity in their company. Over-controlling everything severely restricts any sense of empowerment from the team whom they depend on to execute.

Start with your attitude and the habits you adopt along the way. Adjust your attitude to separate you from your business vision, or dream. You [personally] are not your dream. You must become the steward of your business vision. You can then develop a more objective and balanced perspective on the real potential for your business. That will help you assess the resources and expertise you need to make it happen.

If you keep tying yourself to the dream, you will constantly create limitations on what you are willing, or believe you are able, to do to pursue the dream. You will probably over-control it and constrain it from growing. Worse yet, the vision may overwhelm you as it expands in scope and size.

Develop a clear and objective vision for your business before you begin the strategic planning process. This work is essential and perhaps the most important work that you, as leader of the business, can do. With a clear vision, or statement about the future you want your business to create, you can confidently begin planning. Establish long term goals. Gain the commitment of key people inside and outside of your business. Plan the activities and deliverables and milestones needed to accomplish the plan. Estimate the revenues, costs, resources, time, and capital needed to accomplish your vision.

The planning process includes short term plans for the next 90 to 120 days that lead progress toward the long term. Having a clear vision allows each of these initiatives and the people you depend on to develop and execute plan to appropriately align with a common purpose. Following these steps will dramatically reduce the complexity of your vision and clarifies for you how it can be accomplished. Better yet, it greatly increases the potential for you to achieve success.

Use the mantra, “big plans; little steps” as a constant reminder of the need to stay focused and committed to your vision. At the same time, stay equally focused and committed to the planning process required to achieve it. Redo your vision and strategic planning process each year. Constantly adjust your business as market and competitive forces change. You and your team will be able to make sure every little step takes you just a little closer to the reality of your vision.

You may succeed at directing and delegating the work required to accomplish your vision. However, the real key to successful execution comes from the words Jack Welch used, “… passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.” Your employees and other team members will assess and frequently emulate your behavior, regardless of what you say.

Clearly communicate your vision for your company frequently and as directly as possible to all team members. They will only commit to your vision and pursue it with a passion of their own if they see this passion and commitment in you first. Do not delegate this assignment and do not underestimate its importance. Take the big plans; little steps approach, and stay relentlessly focused on controlling the focus on your vision. Then you and your entire team can drive your vision to successful completion.


Patrick Smyth is a leadership navigator and advisor to leaders of high growth and emerging businesses. He creates compelling visions and comprehensive strategic plans, and coaches on effective leadership and management practices. He is a recognized speaker, trainer, coach, and international business strategist and author of the book Elephant Walk: Balancing Business Performance and Brand Strategy for the Long Haul.
http://www.innovationhabitude.com