Let Go To Grow!

As a business owner, I need to get a huge return on my time. Every year, our company does $40 to 75 million in commercial construction and development. We also manage over 700,000 square feet of leased buildings. I don’t have time to sweat the small stuff. But, I have great people who do!

When I started my construction company in 1977, I took care of everything: hiring, purchasing, awarding subcontracts, marketing, sales, proposals, bids, estimating, supervising projects, project management, job meetings, paying the bills, invoicing customers, depositing checks, etc. You name it, if it had to be done, I did it! Often until the wee hours of the night.

Can’t find any good help?
As my business grew, I had to get some help. So I hired family and friends. Not the best idea in retrospect! It’s hard to build a professional company with inexperienced people who don’t respect you like a boss. Over the next seven years we grew to 150 employees. Wow, what a workout! I had to learn how to manage people or die trying. In one 2 year period, I hired and fired 14 secretaries, 3 vice presidents, 5 project managers and 9 superintendents. I couldn’t find anyone who could do the work exactly the way I wanted it done. No one seemed to care, be accountable or accept any responsibility except me.

Our company became a revolving door. Hire people, put them on the job and then watch them leave after less than a year. Not a good thing for our bottom-line profit! We had lots of exciting work with great clients, but our company didn’t retain people. My job description changed from contractor to personnel complaint department. Not what I enjoyed doing.

I continued to try and find answers to our company’s people problem. I looked everywhere for the magic fix. I tried new management ideas, went to time management seminars, read business books, and attended company retreats. Nothing worked. As a last resort I decided to try a new approach. Let go of all daily management decisions. Delegate everything except leadership, vision and values.

Look in the mirror!
I finally realized that the only factor that was holding our company back was me! I was the problem. I was trying to control everything and everybody. This was holding back our people from accepting responsibility and being accountable. When I made every decision for them, they didn’t take responsibility. When I fixed their problems, they weren’t accountable. When I controlled and lead every meeting, they didn’t grow. When I approved every purchase, contract and strategy, they people didn’t have to think or be their best.

Don’t control, let go!
I learned that high control equals low performance. And low control equals high performance. 99% accountable and responsible equals 0% accountability and responsibility. You can’t be