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Is Your Small Business A Success?
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Article 6: Share Your Yardstick with Others
Success is holistic: A successful business is an extension of a complete human being, fully cognizant of deep-rooted values.
No entrepreneur, however, is really alone. Along for the ride are family, friends and employees. All of these individuals need to understand your success yardstick.
Indeed, all of these individuals will influence your yardstick of success, for all of them affect your personal values and therefore your business goals.
“When asking what your business needs to do to be successful, you really need to obtain input from other people around you,” says John G. Agno, a certified business coach and president of Signature Inc. in Ann Arbor, Mich. “The question has to be asked, in some way, not only to yourself but also to customers, suppliers, family, friends and community. Reach out to get a 360 degree view.”
Often other people can provide valuable clues that something is amiss. Maybe your business yardstick doesn’t reliably measure your personal values. This often happens when an entrepreneur begins to ignore family.
“Don’t think of your company as separate from your family,” advises Dr. Kathleen Hall, author of “A Life in Balance: Nourishing the Four Roots of True Happiness” (AMACOM, 2006). “Think of your family as part of your team and listen to them,” she advises. “Do your children say you are angry all the time and silent at the dinner table? Are they turning to drugs or alcohol? Is your spouse becoming alienated?”
Many entrepreneurs end up in divorce court, warns Hall. Don’t be one of them.
Share your success yardstick with your staff, too. They’ll have valuable insights into how it can be changed to better reflect your business values. Maybe they’ll report that your customers don’t like your pricing or a certain company policy. Your employees need to feel as though they share power and are as much a part of your team as your family.
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