I get to work with a variety of leaders spanning different roles, industries, and walks of life. One commonality I find is that most of them spend more time working IN the business than ON the business.
What’s the difference between working IN the business versus working ON it?
Working IN the business is the operational aspect of leadership. That includes activities like managing projects, meeting deadlines, attending meetings, and putting out fires. These operational details are important and necessary. It’s what keeps the trains running on time.
Working ON the business is the strategic aspect of leadership. It’s setting the vision, direction, and goals for the organization or team. It’s charting the course you want others to follow and putting the structures and systems in place to help the organization live out its mission. Whether you’re a CEO, a front-line supervisor, or anywhere in between, you need to work both IN the business and ON the business.
The Business of You
But I’m not just talking about the business of your organization. I’m talking about the business of YOU as a leader.
If you’re like most people, you moved into a leadership role as a natural progression of your career. You probably excelled as an individual contributor and somewhere along the way earned a promotion into a leadership role. Before you knew it, you’d been a leader for years, working busily IN the business without much foresight or plan for how you want to develop as a leader.
Since working IN the business is easier and more comfortable than working ON the business, I’d like to offer three strategies for how you can rise above the daily grind and spend some time thinking about the strategy of YOU as a leader.
Schedule Me Time
I’m sure it seems obvious, but you need to schedule time to focus ON the business of you being a leader. Put time on your calendar on a recurring schedule to engage in deep thinking about your leadership. If you’re new to this practice, take baby steps and start with an hour. If you’re more comfortable with this discipline, book a half-day or more; whatever is needed for what you want to accomplish.
What do you do during this time? Do a values check. Are you living out your values in a way that makes you smile? If not, identify what you’d like to do differently. Another suggestion is to do a calendar review, for both the recent past and near future. Are you using your time in ways you want? Are you focusing on high value activities that align with your purpose? A third option is to ask yourself three simple questions: What do I need to start doing? What do I need to stop doing? What do I need to continue doing?
Take a Class
When was the last time you took a leadership development course? Most leaders I work with are pressed for time and attending a training class is usually near the bottom of their list of priorities. If that sounds familiar to you, then it’s probably a sign that you’re spending too much time working IN the business versus ON it.
I think we can learn a lot from professions that require ongoing learning or recertification to remain in those jobs. Can you imagine if the average manager in the corporate world was mandated by law to take X hours of professional development a year to stay in their position? Do you think it would improve the state of leadership in our organizations? It probably wouldn’t hurt! Even though you likely aren’t required to engage in training, consider making your own personal commitment to professional development. Take advantage of any training offered by your organization, and if there isn’t any, there are plenty of low-cost or free resources you can find on the internet.
Connect with Others
Leadership is a tough gig and at times it can be a lonely experience. This is especially true when you’re mired working IN the business. It’s like you are wearing blinders and all you can see is what is directly in front of you. It’s easy to get in a rut, rely on what feels comfortable, and stick to what we know works.
A great way to work ON the business is to purposefully connect with other leaders outside your organization. You can do this through various leadership forums or online organizations that facilitate the gathering of a diverse group of leaders. A primary purpose of these kinds of groups is to help its members to work ON the business. I belong to one such forum and it allows me to learn from other seasoned leaders. I get to share challenges, opportunities, support others, and gain a broader perspective on leadership outside of my own little cocoon.
What Will You Change?
Working IN the business can easily become a trap if we’re not careful, and it takes intentional effort to periodically shift our perspective to work ON the business. Given the time constraints that most of us face, this can be a tall task. There is a quote that says, “If you change nothing, nothing will change.” So, what will you change to spend more time working ON the business?
