Clients love it when I get on a call with them. I bring a lot of experience, training, and unique perspective to problems. Team members like it when I get involved too. These same attributes make projects easier. Because of this, there will always be pressure for me to get involved in operations.
I’m not special. For smaller agencies like mine, it’s common for the president to provide this sort of value.
In all businesses, there are squeaky wheels. As in, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” These are situations that draw attention.
Often they’re important things. I love our clients and our team. They’re both critical components of the business.
The problem with squeaky wheels is that, while loud and often important, they’re not your responsibility. As the entrepreneur, you’re responsible for the entire business system.
Your business’s trajectory is derived from how well you direct your attention to things that impact that whole system. You have to figure out how to address the squeaky wheels while mostly focusing on what matters for the business.
This challenge of the entrepreneur is to see the squeaky wheel as an expression of the system and choose how to respond accordingly.
“Think of the small as large
and the few as many.”
– Tao Te Ching 63, Stephen Mitchell Translation
See also “The Competence Trap“
Featured image is a Zodiac circle with planets for the 12 types of people, cerca 1000. Used under CC0. Provided by the National Library of Wales.