#scaling #business #personal development #stress #self-improvement #practices
Today, I'll reveal the key aspects of achieving autonomy in business, discussing how and when to transition from constant involvement in operational activities to strategic management and a systematic approach.
We'll discuss the importance of delegation, establishing effective systems, and creating a business capable of functioning without daily intervention from the leader.
Signs That You Are Ready to Exit Operational Management
What's the main sign that you, as an entrepreneur and business owner, are ready to exit operational management?
The real task isn't just to exit operational management but for me, as the owner, to make this decision and realize that I'm capable and ready for it. So, I'm ready to step away from day-to-day operations and let the company run more independently. This is a fascinating barrier that always exists. On one hand, a person wants to leave operational management, and on the other hand, they come up with numerous reasons and circumstances why they can't do it.
I've been in business for 20 years, 20 years in management, in large tech companies, education, and retail. I've helped thousands of people through mentorship. And of course, I've personally experienced circumstances when I needed to exit operations. I've experienced times when I was fully immersed in management, playing the role of a true CEO. Interestingly, I've experienced being a CEO when I wasn't the owner of the company and when I was the owner. I've been involved in businesses without handling the day-to-day operations.
Key Moments
There are two key moments that should happen to start moving towards ceasing your operational involvement.
First: You must love your business incredibly. Loving it doesn't mean being attached or working 89 hours a day. It's understanding that your business is awesome.
Second: You must be emotionally ready to take any actions necessary to not be present in day-to-day operations. This readiness is the most challenging part. You realize that you love your business, and you're ready to let go.
About Readiness
“I’m ready for an employee who has worked with me for 15 years to be let go,” or “I’m ready for the automated system I set up, which I still think is awesome even though I know it’s flawed, to be removed,” or “I’m ready for the management team to change the motivation system, even adjust salaries,” or “I’m ready for a new strategy, a new action plan, entirely new situations, opportunities,” or “I’m ready for my team to be completely revamped: new style, design, fonts, new ways of providing services and creating products.” In other words, I’m ready for something different. Of course, this doesn’t mean you’re not involved in the business: you can still be on the board of directors or attend a series of meetings, visit quite often, or even perform a specific role.
What Does “Getting Out of Operations” Mean?
Getting out of operations means that the business doesn't rely solely on you, and you can relax completely.
There are interesting people who say, “It's great when a CEO can take a vacation for a week, for 10 days.” I never really understood that. As a CEO, since I first became a true, strong leader in 2005—almost 19 years ago—I always allowed myself to take a vacation whenever I wanted, for as long as I wanted. It doesn’t matter if I was an employee, a manager, or working in a partnership while playing the role of CEO. Even though I led quite serious companies: Megaplan, GeekBrains, Business Youth, AGRO24, iTec Group, Meca Soft, TMITech, led numerous international projects in tech development, and managed the growth of product markets.
There were many different leadership roles, but I always clearly understood that I could go on vacation at any moment. Having the ability to go on vacation at any time is an acknowledgment that I understand the system in the company can develop without me.
And I trust it, have a great attitude towards it, and I love it. When you have accepted these two aspects—love for your business and trust in the company—you need to disconnect.
Support and Mentorship
What needs to be done to detach yourself? You need to get pretty comprehensive support from the outside.
External support is quite comprehensive: find at least one (or even two) mentors or someone you can be a student to. This person might be stronger than you in terms of business, approaches, and thinking.
Or you interact and engage with this person, getting into a state where you're ready to do everything they suggest.
The second thing to do in your environment, in your business circle, is to start discussing with your acquaintances and friends that you want to exit operations and begin talking about how it can be realized and what their views are on this matter.
Third: you need to start discussing this topic with your partner or partners in the business, if you have any, openly, honestly, and sincerely. Say that the time has come, and it needs to be done.
Fourth: you implement processes and actions aimed at making your company able to operate without you. And what is that?
The most important thing to make the company run without you and for you to exit operations is the team that manages it.
About the Team
It's likely to be that one main person who manages everything. But there's always a combination of the team because if you have just one amazing, super awesome person, then there isn't really a team. That would be a bit of a strange structure. It would probably be his team, not yours. So, there are always some combinations. There's this person who takes on your role, and there's a team that grows and rises together with him. What if, at this moment, you don't see this person, don't know who they are, or aren't sure if they exist in your team, or you don't know who specifically to replace? Absolutely nothing to worry about. If you start doing the first three steps (about mentors, your environment, and discussing this topic with your partners), this issue will resolve itself, and the team will form.
Choosing, envisioning, and forming the right team is a separate art, a separate system, and at the same time, separate creativity. It's a process, a system that's very clearly described and parameterized, and at the same time, it's something emotional that resides in every person and cannot be described or structured. Forming a good team is the combination of systems, knowledge, and understanding of people among themselves.
What Exiting Operations Gives
In my life, there have been times when I exited operations without loving the business. There have been times when I exited operations without being emotionally ready for the changes to what I had built inside. It's incredibly hard to accept and embrace that what I've worked on for years might change, be destroyed, or disappear. This is my own anchor in the business, created to keep myself from losing direction. But it can also be the point of destruction for the business, like a broken leg of a chair.
Therefore, balancing the knowledge that love for the company and this business is needed, balancing the understanding that I am emotionally ready for changes in what I've created, knowing that everything in life changes - this is the right time to act.
Exiting operations opens up completely different opportunities: scaling the business, creating new businesses, exponential growth in income. It gives me a new level of peace, new emotional control. Exiting operations gives me, in fact, the most important things - freedom and status. And I get the status of a person who created a business that works without them.