Who’s Flying Your Plane?

The cockpit door of the plane slams open; the pilot rushes down the aisle to the rear of the plane and into the galley; the smell of coffee brewing permeates the air.  Uh-oh!  Turbulence!  The pilot dashes from the galley back into the cockpit; the plane levels out; smooth sailing once again, but the coffee smells like it’s burning.  In fact, there’s smoke coming from the galley.  An alarm goes off, the cockpit door crashes back, the pilot sprints down the length of the plane.  The fans are already clearing the air of smoke, the pilot bustles along the aisle with a cart.  “What would you like to drink today?  I’m sorry, but we’re out of coffee.”  A passenger turns to his neighbor and with a look this side of panic asks, “Who’s flying this plane?!”

Is this a scene from the latest horror movie?  No.  It’s a very scary scenario that describes the way many business owners and entrepreneurs are running their businesses.  “Nice business!  Good ideas!  Great product!  I love your service!  But, this doesn’t feel like a business.  You’re acting like a crazy person and I need to work with a reliable business I can trust.”

Put yourself in the role of that pilot. Think of your business as the plane. The passengers are your customers, your clients, your network. How do you think they view you and your delivery of your product or service? What experience are you giving them about your business? Is it a consistently favorable experience, or are there ups and downs, a few excuses and delays? Is the coffee burning?

And what of you? Do you feel in control? Are you proud of the way you run your business? Are you confident that your customers, clients and network speak only highly of you in your business role? What about your personal life and other interests outside of business? Is there ever any time for them beyond stolen moments? If you’re running your business like that pilot, there’s one critical action you need to take: Stop Doing Everything Yourself! Learn to Delegate!

Getting things done does not mean that you have to do them all. Team work! It’s all about team work and your teams. Your “team” can be people, or your “team” can be systems. Your ideal team will be a combination of both. It is okay to build the team over time, but it is critical that you begin to build your team Now!

People teams can be advisors, subcontractors, employees, and partners. Systems are the processes that are used to get the work done, to deliver the goods, to handle the interruptions, to serve your customers. Build the teams in a way that you can trust in the teams. The teams must enhance and provide value to your business, instill confidence in your customers and clients, give them a great experience of you!

If that pilot had some flight attendants, they could be making the coffee and serving the drinks. They would smile and chat with the passengers and they would be doing a better of job of it, because that would be their focus. The passengers would feel relaxed and confident, while having their expectations met. The pilot can now focus her energies on flying the plane. She’s able to do the thing she does best, and trusts her “team” to do what they do best. 

How can you build your team around you? What one thing could you have someone else do in your business that would free up your time to focus on what you do best? What one thing would impact your customers and clients, and give them a great experience of working with you? 

Consider some solutions. You could outsource components of your work to another company or an independent contractor. You could hire an assistant to handle a variety of on-going tasks and projects. You could create systems that will diminish the time needed to complete projects and tasks. The key is to share the workload with your team and as a team you will be Running a Business that delivers a consistently great experience to your customers and your clients and your network. You will be running a business that has the best chance of success.

So ask yourself, “Who’s flying my plane?”