And so it is in the business world.
When you were an inventor, working alone, there were few rhythms, just a continuum of focus to bring your idea to a time when you revealed it to others, and recruited them to your cause.
After you have others working on your mission, you will notice that your rhythmless continuum is now developing a rhythm brought on by the real world of workers and customers: they have what you will come to know as "weekends" and "vacations" and "holidays". These are interruptions to the flow of work, ideas, and cash. These negative effects are deleterious to the enterprise, but there is no alternative.
The cure is to follow the sun, and the moon. Give in to the rhythms of the people. Embrace these rhythms and use them in building your business.
And now we come to the Management Metronome. The essence of a successful business is in the communication that occurs between the people involved, not just team members but also customers, suppliers, etc. These communications can occur randomly (less effective) or with a planned, consistent beat (every Friday at 4pm, for example).
Team members are energized by the scheduled repetition of important events, such as progress reviews of their work, team meetings, pay increases, profit sharing checks, casual Fridays, Monday morning meetings, Board meetings, etc.
Structure the foundation of your business with consistent, reliable meetings with standard agendas and opportunities for 2-way feedback. These meetings are for teams as well as individuals.
Keep to the schedule as much as humanly possible. Avoid impromptu and emergency meetings above all. Breathe. Create the heart beat of your business.
After you have others working on your mission, you will notice that your rhythmless continuum is now developing a rhythm brought on by the real world of workers and customers: they have what you will come to know as "weekends" and "vacations" and "holidays". These are interruptions to the flow of work, ideas, and cash. These negative effects are deleterious to the enterprise, but there is no alternative.
The cure is to follow the sun, and the moon. Give in to the rhythms of the people. Embrace these rhythms and use them in building your business.
And now we come to the Management Metronome. The essence of a successful business is in the communication that occurs between the people involved, not just team members but also customers, suppliers, etc. These communications can occur randomly (less effective) or with a planned, consistent beat (every Friday at 4pm, for example).
Team members are energized by the scheduled repetition of important events, such as progress reviews of their work, team meetings, pay increases, profit sharing checks, casual Fridays, Monday morning meetings, Board meetings, etc.
Structure the foundation of your business with consistent, reliable meetings with standard agendas and opportunities for 2-way feedback. These meetings are for teams as well as individuals.
Keep to the schedule as much as humanly possible. Avoid impromptu and emergency meetings above all. Breathe. Create the heart beat of your business.
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