The first article in this series focuses on the issues surrounding upper management decisions and the idea that the buck stops with YOU!
When you own or run a business, you certainly want to surround yourself with great people – people whose opinions and knowledge you trust. But, at the end of the day, it can be lonely at the top.
Before you shake your head and tell me to stop complaining, please understand that I am NOT complaining. I love my job and I relish the tough decisions but there are times when the path can seem a bit unclear; times when you have more than one option and you desperately want to choose the right one to ensure the success of your business and your team.
You start a business with a vision and, if you are focused, you work to keep that vision at the forefront. Every decision you make is designed to get you to your short-term and long-term goals. You build a team, you build products and services and a delivery system. You look carefully at your market and your competition and develop solutions that will give you an advantage and an edge. But, invariably, some unanticipated problem arises.
If you built the right team, your team members can help you address the day-to-day challenges and capitalize on the opportunities, but there will be times when you find yourself alone (usually at about three in the morning) thinking through the issues and trying to come up with the right answer. There are days when you find yourself facing a tactical or strategic decision. All of your trusted team members have weighed in on the issue but, ultimately, you are the one who has to make the decision – and it had better be the right one for your business, your employees and your success might suffer. At end of the day, you wonder if you are missing something, if your perspective is right. In short, you wonder if you are the right person to make this decision.
Believe me, I’ve been there! But, the truth is that it is YOUR business and YOU are the one who has to make the tough decisions and choices.
When you find yourself doubting your ability to make those choices, you have to take a step back. Consider every tool in your toolkit – everything you have learned over the years. Tap your network of colleagues, friends and mentors. Use measurable ideas to test your theories, think about the pros and cons of worst case and best-case scenarios, and by all means, don’t forget your gut.
We all get tied up in knots about decisions. The more important the decision, the harder it can be to take the first step. In the end, it is a combination of logic, experience, skill and just plain gut ‘wisdom’ that will lead you to the right place. Oh, and remember to use those talented, skilled people around you! They are pretty smart, aren’t they? I mean, that’s why you hired them.
Establish dates, assign activities and responsibilities and get things moving. Whatever you do, it is important to remember that, when it comes to technical and business management, doing nothing is worse than doing something. With the right combination of gut and logic, you will win more often than you lose and that will keep you moving toward that all-important vision.
Remember, you are in it for the long haul. Don’t expect it to happen overnight. Logic, skill and a sprinkle of intuition can take you far!
About Kartik Patel:
Kartik Patel is the founder and CEO of Elegant MicroWeb, a business specializing in software development services and products. Nearly two decades ago, Kartik conceived and built Elegant MicroWeb.
Elegant MicroWeb has a wealth of experience in offshore technology services. Its flagship software product, ElegantJ BI, is a business intelligence and corporate performance software product suite. In 2016, ElegantJ BI was listed as Representative Vendor in the ‘Gartner ‘Market Guide for Enterprise-Reporting-Based Platforms’, and noted in the ‘Gartner Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence and Analytics Platforms.’
Kartik manages Elegant MicroWeb and ElegantJ BI. His skilled team of technology, domain, and process and project experts provides local and global services, building innovative technology solutions, serving clients around the world, and promoting sustained, successful business partnerships.
Original Source – Lonely at the Top: Elegant Entrepreneur
