Differences - 3/3

I work hard. I put in long hours and enjoy it, but I only do some things well. For the rest, I need others to help me out. These workers, producers and managers do the little things that “drive me nuts”.

We need different people to do different things, or we will self-destruct. Earlier this year a high-profile client of mine went bust, for a second time. The guy is a real character, a very very talented technician with drive, energy, vision and good old Kiwi “can-do attitude”. He took on the big guys internationally and showed them up big-time but the way I saw it, he got it all wrong because he didn’t recognise and appreciate the “differences”.

This guy was into everything. He knew everything about every detail of his business - technical details right down to the last nut and bolt. He ran the show and everybody knew it, but you can’t build a strong business and win by doing that for ever. Of course I don’t know all the details of his demise, but I could see the problems in his management style for years, and he really made things worse for himself when dealing with me, doing it the way he did. He missed out on a lot of support and advice because he wouldn’t listen.

What he should have done was celebrate our differences and build a team. Then his big ideas, big dreams and big business could have really gone places. It’s hard to do it - I know myself after having employed a General Manager. Your ego takes a real hammering.

You have to allocate the jobs and the responsibility to others, and then manage the transition all the while balancing the personalities, skill-sets, resources and opportunities. It’s hard because you know you could do some things better if only you could just do it yourself, but you can’t because you need the others to do it for the long-term.

I often consider how Jesus did some things Himself and how he delegated. He spent a portion of His time in direct contact with the people, some of His time alone with His Father, but quite a bit of time with His merry men disciples building them up, training them and delegating to them. It’s an amazing thing what happens when an entrepreneur builds a team of diverse people and sets a clear vision.

You can almost change the world. He did actually!

I don’t build a business to change the world. I do it because I enjoy it, and am designed and built to do it. It’s my calling, my purpose, my mission. It’s my natural way and it brings me a deep sense of achievement - being able to help others, building a strong brand and creating value.

I learn from the scriptures, specifically seeking biblical principles to apply into my business life. While the following text from Paul is comparing the church to a body with many parts, the principles also apply to business:

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.
Romans 12:3-6a

The key lesson here is to appreciate our differences. In a business context we value each contributor, each member of the team - the producers, workers, leaders and thinkers - as important. Not equal, but equally important.

That’s sounding like a VICTUS IN AMBITUS approach to life if you ask me.