Recently, a friend of mine shared some of his thoughts about the state of the small-business environment. He talked of the small-business owner’s reluctance to spend money on consulting assistance. And, he talked about the difficulty small-business owners experience when they attempt to teach the people they have in key roles how to improve performance…the ‘management disconnect’. And, he talked about the disappearance of the executive assistant.
In summary, he described the isolation of small-business owners…men and women who champion business innovation, growth, sustainability, and all the benefits enjoyed by all the people they positively touch.
As he talked, I thought about the tremendous drive I have seen over and over in the eyes and actions of small-business owners.
As he talked, I thought of the frustrations I have experienced in a consulting role. It is easier to consider then provide quality advice to help another person’s business than it is to consider then provide quality advice to help your own business. That’s why I have used business consultants…and still do. That’s why it is frustrating to watch small-business owners experience relentless problems, many of which should be avoided so the owners can focus more thought and effort on their crucial problems. It is even more frustrating to watch small-business owners struggle at the hands of their key people and, even worse, their business partners.
As he talked, I thought about all the small-business owners who have talked to me about their attempts to hire good executive assistants…how, not all that long ago, executive assistants brought so much value to their bosses' business lives…and, it went without saying, also to the business lives of all the people they positively touch: coworkers, clients, and the families of all. Now - quality executive assistants, wherever they are, do not connect with and work with small-business owners.
As he talked, I thought about the numerous small-business owners who struggle with hiring, training, and keeping quality 2ICs, people who can expand the value the small-business owner brings to his or her organization. And I thought about the unreasonable demands many 2ICs place on their small-business owner-bosses: unreasonable pay expectations, unwillingness to accept and implement instructions, inflexibility, and inability to change in positive and necessary ways.
Yes – in the small-business sector:
- Small-business owners face expanded challenges,
- There is a growing rift between owners and key people,
- Skilled executive assistants are extremely hard to find, &
- There is a reluctance to invest in help offered by consultants.
Yes – these are current problems.
And– these problems do not have to be.
...we need to acknowledge them and pick away at solving them.