Sent: October 18, 11:29pm
From: Jodi, Founder & CEO
To: Jen
Subject: Margaritaville!
Jen,
I’m so glad you talked me into taking this trip! I’m so excited! Just imagine—three weeks in sunny Mexico. I don’t think I’ve ever taken a vacation for this long. Of course, I’ll bring my laptop, tablet, and cell phone. Things are smoking hot in sales right now, and I’ve got to be on call morning, noon, and night. I also need to find a printer and fax machine for check signing and some important contracts that are coming up for renewal.
Sent: October 19, 8:30am
From: Jen
To: Jodi, Founder & CEO
Subject: RE: Margaritaville!
I thought you hired a VP of Sales last year; can’t he handle it? And don’t you have a CFO now that can sign contracts?
Sent: October 19, 8:34am
From: Jodi, Founder & CEO
To: Jen
Subject: RE: RE: Margaritaville!
Oh no. I approve all of the important strategic sales like I always have. Our new CFO has check signing authority, but I sign the checks. I don’t always know what they are for, but I sign them just so it’s my signature on them. I’m the check signer. I also need to be available to answer questions.
Sent: October 19, 8:42am
From: Jen
To: Jodi, Founder & CEO
Subject: RE: RE: RE: Margaritaville!
I thought you rounded out your executive management team with top talent. What questions would come up that couldn’t wait? Can’t they answer the day-to-day questions? We have all kinds of outings and activities planned. Are you going to be glued to your cell phone the entire time?
Sent: October 19, 8:40pm
From: Jodi, Founder & CEO
To: Jen
Subject: RE: RE: RE: Margaritaville!
I’m the CEO. Of course, I’m going to be glued to my cell phone. It’s my company. I need to know everything that is going on. Always. I mean, I have to know, to be informed, in case I need to make a decision. I didn’t hire these people to make decisions on my behalf, I still need to make important decisions every day. Jim is doing a great job since I promoted him to president; mind you though, he’s not the CEO. I’m the CEO. I’m the decider.
Sent: October 19, 8:46am
From: Jen
To: Jodi, Founder & CEO
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: Margaritaville!
Okay. Well, I guess, if you must. Seems like it kind of defeats the purpose of having that highly paid executive team and a president when you don’t let them make any decisions. But at least you won’t be glued to social media all day like you usually are.
Sent: October 19, 8:50pm
From: Jodi, Founder & CEO
To: Jen
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: Margaritaville!
Right, well, I’ll have to tweet and post at least four times a day. We hired a social media vendor, and they do a pretty good job staying on top of it, but I have to post myself. I have to do it. I’m the only one that can do it the right way. It has to be me. After all, I’m the voice of the company.
Sent: October 19, 8:50am
From: Jen
To: Jodi, Founder & CEO
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Margaritaville!
Okay, but are you sure you can’t go offline for even a few days? I mean, what’s the worst that can happen with such a capable team?
Sent: October 19, 8:52pm
From: Jodi, Founder & CEO
To: Jen
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Margaritaville!
I’m telling you, listen, the place would burn straight down to the ground without me. To. The. Ground. Now, let’s have another margarita.
LET’S GET REAL
Okay, time for some tough love. If you built a successful company, there is going to come a time when you need the company much more than it needs you. If you were fortunate enough to acquire top senior talent and to have a steady and sustainable stream of revenue, and if that revenue is providing you with the means to explore other things that are fulfilling, then do so, guilt free.
Many business founders fail to recognize when they are no longer needed for the day-to-day operations of their business. Like Jodi, they convince themselves that they are desperately needed and depended upon by their staff, when in truth, they have become the meddling founder who not only isn’t needed, but ultimately, isn’t wanted. The energy that your business needed to get off the ground may not be the same kind of energy that it needs when it has matured. And if you are unable to evolve your own identity, much as your business has evolved, it will forever be in service to you and your need to maintain that identity rather than to its employees, customers, and industry. When founders recognize that they too need to evolve—that they too can grow and mature—so too can their businesses. Living co-dependently with your business is often times a requirement of a successful start-up: it’s what you know, who you are, and how you’ve operated – it is part of your identity. But that notion doesn’t mean you are a persona non grata without it. When your business matures to the point where it can operate without your attentiveness to every detail, recognize that milestone and revel in it! It’s part of the reward of entrepreneurship and yours for the taking. It’s the time at which you get to focus on your personal strategy: who you are, what you want, what makes you happy, and what plans you will lay out for the next chapters of your life.
Your team knows when you’re not adding value and when you are staying connected simply because you think you’re supposed to, or you don’t know what else to do. So, get off the deck and climb to the top of the mast. See what lies ahead for your business and what lies ahead for you. It’s the most valuable thing you can do for both parties.
To get your copy of “How (NOT) to Create a Winning Strategy” click here.