ABOUT THIS EPISODE
What happens when your business depends on one exhausted “hero” to save the day every single time?
In this episode of The Business Fix, Chrissy and Josh tackle one of the biggest hidden problems in small business leadership: hero culture. If your company only works when a specific employee or YOU constantly jump in to fix problems, your business may be running on dependency instead of systems.
They break down why founders and managers get addicted to being the “fixer,” how learned helplessness quietly spreads through teams, and why operational chaos often starts at the leadership level. More importantly, they explain how to transition from a hero-driven business to a scalable process-driven organization built on awareness, autonomy, and accountability.
If you’re tired of babysitting employees, constantly answering questions, or feeling like you can never unplug from work, this episode will challenge the way you lead and help you build a healthier, more scalable company culture.
In this episode:
- Why “hero employees” are dangerous for scaling
- The hidden addiction leaders have to chaos and rescuing
- How leaders accidentally create learned helplessness
- Signs your business is dependent on you
- Why process culture beats hero culture every time
- The 3-part framework: Awareness, Autonomy & Accountability
- How to stop being the bottleneck in your company
- Building systems that allow your team to thrive without constant intervention
Whether you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, manager, or team leader, this episode will help you create stronger systems, healthier teams, and a business that doesn’t fall apart when one person steps away.
The habits that built your business can become the bottlenecks holding it back. We help leaders eliminate culture drift, reduce conflict, strengthen accountability, and build a company that thrives without them in every room. Because kindness without clarity is expensive avoidance. Learn more at https://businessfixpodcast.com.
Tired of keynotes that inspire your team for an hour but change nothing on Monday morning? The Business Fix Live delivers practical tools for stronger leadership, better accountability, healthier culture, and real business growth. Book Josh and Chrissy for your next keynote, summit, or manager workshop at https://businessfixpodcast.com.
Still hearing, “Nobody wants to work anymore”? It’s time for a better strategy. Join Chrissy and Josh at the BIG Summit in Cleveland on October 15 at 10:15 a.m. for practical tools to build a culture that works and lead with clarity. Get tickets at https://cose.org and use code Troche26 for your attendee discount.
If you're looking to get help with your culture, or to help out an entire group, reach out to Josh and Chrissy today! We would love to see how we can help you, your business, or your event. Contact us!
🎙 Ready to Fix What’s Holding Your Business Back?
The Business Fix podcast delivers real-world strategies to grow your business, lead your team, and reclaim your time. New episodes drop weekly—packed with insights for business owners and managers who want to do better.
🔗 Connect with Chrissy and Josh at https://www.businessfixpodcast.com/ for more tools, support, and clarity.
Enjoy the episode? Leave us a review, share it with your leadership team, and let us know your biggest takeaway in the comments!
SHOW NOTES 🔗
TRANSCRIPT 🔗
00:00:46.340 --> 00:00:49.073
I hate superheroes.
00:00:49.073 --> 00:00:49.506
Do you?
00:00:49.506 --> 00:00:50.873
Do you like superheroes?
00:00:50.873 --> 00:00:53.306
I hate them, I like superhero movies, yeah.
00:00:53.306 --> 00:00:58.540
No, see, I don't and I really I don't want to say I hate superheroes in my business.
00:00:58.540 --> 00:00:59.573
Oh, I don't like those.
00:00:59.573 --> 00:01:00.106
Right.
00:01:00.106 --> 00:01:01.740
You shouldn't have.
00:01:01.740 --> 00:01:02.373
Nor really.
00:01:02.373 --> 00:01:07.040
And I don't want to say you shouldn't need superheroes in your business, but you really shouldn't need superheroes in your business.
00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:20.605
No. If you need or have a superhero in your business, if there is that person that you like, you watch them pull in the parking lot, they get out of the Batmobile and they walk into your office wearing a cape.
00:01:20.605 --> 00:01:24.105
No, don't choke them.
00:01:24.105 --> 00:01:30.105
No. But you have to realize you need to move from hero culture to process culture.
00:01:30.105 --> 00:01:31.006
Oh, I like that.
00:01:31.006 --> 00:01:32.506
That's what we're going to talk about this week.
00:01:32.506 --> 00:01:33.439
Stay tuned.
00:01:35.939 --> 00:01:37.673
She's the CEO.
00:01:37.673 --> 00:01:39.840
He's the marketing and operations guy.
00:01:39.840 --> 00:01:43.240
If it's broken, you need the business fix.
00:01:45.140 --> 00:01:49.506
How many times have you seen someone come in to work in a cape?
00:01:53.539 --> 00:01:54.272
Never.
00:01:54.272 --> 00:01:56.506
But what about Halloween?
00:01:56.506 --> 00:01:58.105
No. You guys don't.
00:01:58.105 --> 00:01:59.705
You guys don't dress up for Halloween?
00:01:59.705 --> 00:02:05.306
No, we do not really know for insurance in HR.
00:02:05.306 --> 00:02:06.640
We are the fun suckers of life.
00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:07.906
No.
00:02:07.906 --> 00:02:08.473
No.
00:02:13.772 --> 00:02:14.439
Okay.
00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:15.073
Okay.
00:02:15.073 --> 00:02:16.105
That's, uh.
00:02:16.105 --> 00:02:19.140
There was there was an office episode about, like, casual Fridays.
00:02:19.140 --> 00:02:21.705
And I think you you're you're nailing that.
00:02:21.705 --> 00:02:22.272
Yeah.
00:02:22.272 --> 00:02:23.240
That's, uh.
00:02:23.240 --> 00:02:31.705
Yeah, no, it's so funny because I think back of some of the Halloween costumes I've worn at other employers throughout the years.
00:02:31.705 --> 00:02:37.772
And when I used to have my long hair, there was another guy that was good friends with that shaved his head.
00:02:37.772 --> 00:02:47.539
And so we both brought tennis racquets, we got identical outfits, and we went as Andre Agassi before and after the head shave.
00:02:49.539 --> 00:02:51.073
Nice.
00:02:51.073 --> 00:02:51.306
Yeah.
00:02:51.306 --> 00:02:53.372
You know, a little creativity to it.
00:02:53.372 --> 00:02:53.772
Yeah.
00:02:53.772 --> 00:02:54.373
Why not?
00:02:54.373 --> 00:02:54.939
Why not?
00:02:54.939 --> 00:02:56.573
Why not?
00:02:56.573 --> 00:03:00.540
We all know the the the the hero's exhaustion.
00:03:00.540 --> 00:03:06.806
When your superhero finally gets tired out or it being the superhero no longer feeds their ego.
00:03:06.806 --> 00:03:07.173
Yeah.
00:03:07.173 --> 00:03:12.573
Because, I mean, so many cases, I know you've seen this where there's the superhero that comes in to save the day.
00:03:12.573 --> 00:03:13.306
Yes.
00:03:13.306 --> 00:03:16.140
And they feel super important about it every day in the business.
00:03:16.140 --> 00:03:16.473
Yes.
00:03:16.473 --> 00:03:16.772
Right.
00:03:16.772 --> 00:03:18.806
And they're like, look at me.
00:03:18.806 --> 00:03:20.573
Da da da da.
00:03:20.573 --> 00:03:22.406
And you're like, ah.
00:03:22.406 --> 00:03:25.340
Right, right, right.
00:03:25.340 --> 00:03:29.740
Um, and sometimes they were the ones that caused the issue that they had to save.
00:03:29.740 --> 00:03:31.939
But they've, they've buried that.
00:03:31.939 --> 00:03:37.272
Um, we've talked, we did our hero to architect talk, talk about that before.
00:03:37.272 --> 00:03:42.073
And we really want to dive more deeply into the how you make that happen.
00:03:42.073 --> 00:03:45.506
Because we talked about that and we talked about why you should do that.
00:03:45.506 --> 00:03:52.740
Um, so many people are stuck in that hero culture where they've got that one star employee that they love.
00:03:52.740 --> 00:03:54.939
Um, because that person saves the day.
00:03:54.939 --> 00:03:56.939
Yeah, yeah.
00:03:56.939 --> 00:03:58.373
Sometimes it's themselves.
00:04:01.540 --> 00:04:03.540
Today we're going to talk about my favorite subject.
00:04:03.540 --> 00:04:04.573
Me, me.
00:04:07.173 --> 00:04:14.306
To me, when it comes to stuff like that, if you are babysitting, that is one hundred percent an operational failure, uh, to, to scale.
00:04:14.306 --> 00:04:15.640
We've talked about this so many times.
00:04:15.640 --> 00:04:17.406
You have to have process.
00:04:17.406 --> 00:04:25.740
Um, I don't know if maybe if someone's just listening for the first time, they would, they would start to realize I enjoy process.
00:04:25.740 --> 00:04:28.240
I, I enjoy repeatability.
00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:35.605
Um, I was joking the other day with my wife, like I have eaten eggs for breakfast for like the past sixteen years every morning.
00:04:35.605 --> 00:04:37.040
I mean, unless I'm traveling.
00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:38.240
It's eggs.
00:04:38.240 --> 00:04:39.706
Um, she's like, what are you having for?
00:04:39.706 --> 00:04:41.139
Like, are you going to change something?
00:04:41.139 --> 00:04:41.540
Nope.
00:04:41.540 --> 00:04:42.139
Never.
00:04:42.139 --> 00:04:42.740
Eggs.
00:04:42.740 --> 00:04:43.605
Aren't you sick of those?
00:04:43.605 --> 00:04:44.605
No.
00:04:44.605 --> 00:04:45.339
Nope.
00:04:45.339 --> 00:04:46.305
I know what it is.
00:04:46.305 --> 00:04:46.839
It's.
00:04:46.839 --> 00:04:48.206
It is my process.
00:04:48.206 --> 00:04:49.839
I'm here for it.
00:04:50.939 --> 00:04:58.740
When, like so many times, leaders struggle getting like they like the hero.
00:04:58.740 --> 00:04:59.173
Yeah.
00:04:59.173 --> 00:05:03.340
Boy, I've got this person that just pulls my butt out of the fire all the time.
00:05:03.340 --> 00:05:04.573
And they're they're brilliant.
00:05:04.573 --> 00:05:05.540
They're amazing.
00:05:05.540 --> 00:05:16.206
Well, like, how do you get out of needing that employee to come grab you by the scruff of your shirt collar and dragging you out of the fire?
00:05:16.206 --> 00:05:19.740
Like, why do leaders struggle to get out of that hero identity?
00:05:19.740 --> 00:05:20.439
Yeah.
00:05:20.439 --> 00:05:26.105
I mean, does it come down to ego or is it fear that, like, the culture needs to see them with a cape?
00:05:26.105 --> 00:05:30.773
Because we see a lot of a lot of leaders that are like, look at me.
00:05:30.773 --> 00:05:32.939
I have saved the day.
00:05:32.939 --> 00:05:33.973
Yeah.
00:05:33.973 --> 00:05:35.939
Uh, so like, why does this happen?
00:05:35.939 --> 00:05:38.173
Why do they like, I need to be the hero?
00:05:38.173 --> 00:05:39.372
Yeah, I think it depends.
00:05:39.372 --> 00:05:42.340
Sometimes they don't trust the team sometimes.
00:05:42.340 --> 00:05:42.540
Yeah.
00:05:42.540 --> 00:05:44.139
Sometimes they don't trust the system.
00:05:44.139 --> 00:05:54.605
And I think honestly, I think a lot of times leaders that are stuck in that dynamic where they have to be the hero or they always need a hero, is that they don't trust themselves without that chaos.
00:05:54.605 --> 00:06:09.040
That yeah, to me that as the process guy, as the guy that likes the same thing, the same breakfast for sixteen years, I read that and I feel like my spine is like rolled up like a set of blinds and curled up into my brain.
00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:10.439
Yeah.
00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:13.573
I mean, I get it because, you know, being the hero feels important.
00:06:13.573 --> 00:06:16.139
I think that's where you kind of get frustrated with it.
00:06:16.139 --> 00:06:24.906
But I mean, being the hero feels important because you solve the problem, you save the client, you're the person that's up late doing all the things like everyone needs you.
00:06:24.906 --> 00:06:25.773
Oh, it does.
00:06:25.773 --> 00:06:28.973
And it creates what I would call a hero high, right?
00:06:28.973 --> 00:06:29.939
The hero high.
00:06:29.939 --> 00:06:30.740
It's the hero high.
00:06:30.740 --> 00:06:32.206
And founders get addicted to it.
00:06:32.206 --> 00:06:35.406
Different types of employees can always get addicted to it too.
00:06:35.406 --> 00:06:39.939
And I think moving from that hero culture to process culture, it comes down to three things.
00:06:39.939 --> 00:06:43.506
It's awareness, awareness, autonomy and accountability.
00:06:43.506 --> 00:06:49.605
So awareness for shift, you have to realize that being needed for every decision is not leadership maturity.
00:06:49.605 --> 00:06:51.939
It's really organizational dependency.
00:06:51.939 --> 00:06:57.240
And so the first step to solving an issue is knowing there is an issue, right?
00:06:57.240 --> 00:07:01.439
The first step to knowing problem is knowing there's a problem, admitting there's a problem, there's a problem.
00:07:01.439 --> 00:07:04.105
So here's some signs you're on the edge of burnout.
00:07:04.105 --> 00:07:07.240
Every team meeting, you are responsible for the agenda.
00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:12.105
If you're doing all the things all the time, every issue raised is always raised by you.
00:07:12.105 --> 00:07:19.105
Every text that's one like you raise, every issue in every meeting is raised by you.
00:07:19.105 --> 00:07:28.105
Another one that I think we don't always think about, but I think you absolutely should as you're scaling your team is if every text from your people starts with where are you?
00:07:30.973 --> 00:07:31.540
Right.
00:07:31.540 --> 00:07:32.906
That's horrific to me.
00:07:32.906 --> 00:07:33.540
Yeah.
00:07:33.540 --> 00:07:34.773
But that's the awareness piece.
00:07:34.773 --> 00:07:39.139
So this is, you know, I might have a problem with hero culture if those things are happening.
00:07:39.139 --> 00:07:40.006
I'm on the edge of burnout.
00:07:40.006 --> 00:07:41.906
Every team meeting, I'm responsible for the agenda.
00:07:41.906 --> 00:07:44.040
I'm the person that's bringing up all of the issues.
00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:46.773
And my team continues to ask me where I am.
00:07:46.773 --> 00:07:48.040
They don't even want to look at my calendar.
00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:48.639
They just want to.
00:07:48.639 --> 00:07:50.372
Where are you?
00:07:50.372 --> 00:07:53.906
And you can hear it in the like, you can hear somebody saying it in the text message.
00:07:53.906 --> 00:07:55.639
Where are you?
00:07:55.639 --> 00:07:57.206
That's awareness to me.
00:07:57.206 --> 00:08:03.506
Like the awareness piece is like these four points that you brought up here.
00:08:03.506 --> 00:08:09.573
I, I, as you're saying that, um, you are the solution because you are the problem.
00:08:09.573 --> 00:08:10.906
You are the problem.
00:08:10.906 --> 00:08:12.006
That is very correct.
00:08:12.006 --> 00:08:13.773
That's why, that's why it's awareness.
00:08:13.773 --> 00:08:14.740
It's awareness.
00:08:14.740 --> 00:08:16.573
So first part is knowing.
00:08:16.573 --> 00:08:16.939
All right.
00:08:16.939 --> 00:08:18.540
So that's awareness.
00:08:18.540 --> 00:08:19.906
Second is autonomy.
00:08:19.906 --> 00:08:20.406
All right.
00:08:20.406 --> 00:08:25.406
And when it comes to autonomy, this is the part that founders struggle with small business owners struggle with.
00:08:25.406 --> 00:08:31.740
Because autonomy means someone may do it differently, slower or imperfectly at first.
00:08:31.740 --> 00:08:33.340
At first.
00:08:33.340 --> 00:08:34.206
Heaven forbid.
00:08:34.206 --> 00:08:34.805
Yeah.
00:08:34.805 --> 00:08:36.039
Control freaks.
00:08:36.039 --> 00:08:39.439
And I say this lovingly as one I was just about to say, I know.
00:08:39.439 --> 00:08:40.372
Hello, pot.
00:08:40.372 --> 00:08:41.572
Hello.
00:08:41.572 --> 00:08:45.439
I know we interpret that discomfort as danger.
00:09:42.659 --> 00:09:44.525
Yeah, I understand.
00:09:44.525 --> 00:09:45.993
Someone's going to do it differently.
00:09:45.993 --> 00:09:47.393
No way.
00:09:47.393 --> 00:09:48.993
I will do it myself forever.
00:09:48.993 --> 00:09:49.993
But you can't.
00:09:49.993 --> 00:09:51.793
I don't care.
00:09:51.793 --> 00:09:53.759
No, that's a problem.
00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:57.926
So as someone who is a control freak who has had to work on letting go.
00:09:57.926 --> 00:09:59.525
I'm going to say this lovingly.
00:09:59.525 --> 00:10:00.426
Okay.
00:10:00.426 --> 00:10:04.625
I realize that they may not do everything exactly the way you did.
00:10:04.625 --> 00:10:05.460
Okay.
00:10:05.460 --> 00:10:10.192
If you document what you do, they're probably going to get close to it.
00:10:10.192 --> 00:10:11.393
And you're like, but.
00:10:11.393 --> 00:10:13.060
But it won't have the same energy.
00:10:13.060 --> 00:10:14.225
I understand that.
00:10:14.225 --> 00:10:15.460
That's okay.
00:10:15.460 --> 00:10:19.225
If you ever want to scale beyond you, that's something you have to deal with.
00:10:19.225 --> 00:10:19.826
That's okay.
00:10:19.826 --> 00:10:21.393
It's going to lead us to the next piece.
00:10:21.393 --> 00:10:21.960
All right.
00:10:21.960 --> 00:10:22.460
Yes.
00:10:22.460 --> 00:10:25.993
So and that is accountability, right?
00:10:25.993 --> 00:10:29.360
Accountability is what makes autonomy safe.
00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:29.793
It does.
00:10:29.793 --> 00:10:30.060
Yeah.
00:10:30.060 --> 00:10:30.759
One hundred percent.
00:10:30.759 --> 00:10:31.259
It does.
00:10:31.259 --> 00:10:32.460
You don't let go randomly.
00:10:32.460 --> 00:10:33.626
You build expectations.
00:10:33.626 --> 00:10:34.826
You build feedback loops.
00:10:34.826 --> 00:10:36.725
You you add visibility.
00:10:36.725 --> 00:10:37.026
All right.
00:10:37.026 --> 00:10:39.493
If the business only works when you're rescuing it.
00:10:39.493 --> 00:10:41.393
You didn't build a company, you built a cage.
00:10:41.393 --> 00:10:43.060
We have talked about this.
00:10:44.393 --> 00:10:46.326
You have dependency, right?
00:10:46.326 --> 00:10:48.460
Prison decorated dysfunction.
00:10:48.460 --> 00:10:49.093
We don't want that.
00:10:49.093 --> 00:10:50.160
Good luck taking your vacation.
00:10:50.160 --> 00:10:50.593
Exactly.
00:10:50.593 --> 00:10:51.593
You're never going to.
00:10:51.593 --> 00:10:53.793
And I plan on taking a really nice vacation this year.
00:10:53.793 --> 00:10:56.793
So this is why we have autonomy and accountability.
00:10:56.793 --> 00:11:02.626
So first leaders have to become aware of where they're still the bottleneck, where they're rescuing instead of building systems.
00:11:02.626 --> 00:11:08.426
And then comes that autonomy, which is giving people real ownership instead of making them wait for permission in every little thing.
00:11:08.426 --> 00:11:12.326
And then finally, accountability is what keeps autonomy from turning into chaos.
00:11:12.326 --> 00:11:20.826
And when all three of those things work together, Josh, the business stops depending on one exhausted superhero and starts operating like a healthy machine.
00:11:22.560 --> 00:11:24.160
I know it sounds really simple.
00:11:24.160 --> 00:11:25.093
It's hard to do.
00:11:26.393 --> 00:11:30.192
I was about to say like, this is all like, duh, it is.
00:11:30.192 --> 00:11:32.593
And most of us don't do it because you're the problem.
00:11:32.593 --> 00:11:33.060
That's it.
00:11:33.060 --> 00:11:36.826
It's when people are like, I don't understand why we have a superhero conflict center.
00:11:36.826 --> 00:11:38.426
I'm like, take off your stupid cape.
00:11:40.793 --> 00:11:41.860
It's really easy.
00:11:41.860 --> 00:11:43.460
Just rip the cape off.
00:11:43.460 --> 00:11:43.660
Here.
00:11:43.660 --> 00:11:44.660
Want me to help you?
00:11:47.692 --> 00:11:49.192
Do you have a closet full of capes?
00:11:49.192 --> 00:11:49.725
I do not.
00:11:49.725 --> 00:11:51.293
You've collected over the years.
00:11:51.293 --> 00:11:52.493
We burn them.
00:11:52.493 --> 00:11:53.192
Oh. Good call.
00:11:53.192 --> 00:11:53.393
Yeah.
00:11:53.393 --> 00:11:53.860
We don't.
00:11:53.860 --> 00:11:55.026
We never want to take them back out.
00:11:55.026 --> 00:11:55.826
No, we burn them.
00:11:55.826 --> 00:11:56.560
No. Good call.
00:11:56.560 --> 00:11:57.060
Good call.
00:11:57.060 --> 00:11:59.160
Excellent, excellent.
00:11:59.160 --> 00:12:03.493
So, I mean, we've talked about like learned helplessness.
00:12:03.493 --> 00:12:04.093
Aha.
00:12:05.793 --> 00:12:07.160
Yeah.
00:12:07.160 --> 00:12:08.826
The annoyance in your voice.
00:12:08.826 --> 00:12:13.993
I'm sure it's just bouncing around someone's car for the next twenty minutes or so.
00:12:13.993 --> 00:12:15.493
So she's calling me out?
00:12:15.493 --> 00:12:15.960
Yes I am.
00:12:15.960 --> 00:12:17.259
I'm calling myself out too.
00:12:17.259 --> 00:12:17.560
Yeah.
00:12:17.560 --> 00:12:19.393
No, I one hundred percent.
00:12:19.393 --> 00:12:25.460
It's funny how like we've talked that we'll do an episode and then we'll go go back to our business.
00:12:25.460 --> 00:12:28.460
Hey guys, we need to look at this.
00:12:28.460 --> 00:12:31.326
Um, cause we talked about learned helplessness.
00:12:31.326 --> 00:12:36.826
How does that hero boss accidentally train their team to be incompetent?
00:12:36.826 --> 00:12:41.593
Because like, look, if I've got the answer, they don't need it.
00:12:41.593 --> 00:12:47.826
So like, and I've seen it happen so many times where like, here's enough information to almost do your job.
00:12:47.826 --> 00:12:48.493
Yeah.
00:12:48.493 --> 00:12:49.326
Why, why?
00:12:50.326 --> 00:12:50.692
Yeah.
00:12:50.692 --> 00:12:53.160
And how exactly?
00:12:53.160 --> 00:12:56.460
Well, let's first talk about how we got here.
00:12:56.460 --> 00:12:57.192
All right.
00:12:58.393 --> 00:13:03.393
I think it's really important to figure out how we got here, because I think that most hero leaders think they're helping.
00:13:03.393 --> 00:13:06.160
I feel like I feel like this is a therapy session for me.
00:13:06.160 --> 00:13:07.725
Probably probably is.
00:13:07.725 --> 00:13:11.860
I think that most hero leaders genuinely believe they're helping because they think I'm being supportive.
00:13:11.860 --> 00:13:12.993
I'm moving things faster.
00:13:12.993 --> 00:13:14.259
I'm protecting the client.
00:13:14.259 --> 00:13:15.793
That's why I have to do it all.
00:13:15.793 --> 00:13:16.060
Yep.
00:13:16.060 --> 00:13:17.493
And that's why I really can't hand it off to you.
00:13:17.493 --> 00:13:21.793
I'll give you this teeny tiny piece, but you're still going to need me because I'm a control freak.
00:13:21.793 --> 00:13:31.093
But over time, if you're doing that, if you are always stepping in first, if you're always redoing their work, if you're overriding the process, that's a big one.
00:13:31.093 --> 00:13:39.860
Like, oh, wait, wait, wait, I know that I said that you had to do steps one, two, and three, but really you can do steps one and three and two is kind of like it's a suggest, like we don't have time for two.
00:13:39.860 --> 00:13:41.192
Let's just go to three.
00:13:41.192 --> 00:13:46.626
Or if you're rescuing people from the consequences of their decision, you will not let them make mistakes.
00:13:46.626 --> 00:13:53.093
You will not let something potentially be like eighty percent instead of your one hundred percent.
00:13:53.093 --> 00:13:55.326
The team starts learning a completely different lesson.
00:13:55.326 --> 00:13:56.493
They're not learning to do the work.
00:13:56.493 --> 00:13:58.192
They're not learning to train their.
00:13:58.192 --> 00:13:59.225
They're learning.
00:13:59.225 --> 00:14:03.326
Don't fully own it because you're always going to step in and fix it, or you're going to step in and change it.
00:14:03.326 --> 00:14:05.426
So why do I care?
00:14:05.426 --> 00:14:07.192
Oh yeah.
00:14:07.192 --> 00:14:08.293
The why do I care?
00:14:08.293 --> 00:14:08.660
Yeah.
00:14:08.660 --> 00:14:10.225
Why do I care if you're always going to fix it?
00:14:10.225 --> 00:14:13.460
If you're never going to fully train me on how to do it, why?
00:14:13.460 --> 00:14:13.793
Right.
00:14:13.793 --> 00:14:15.225
Why do I really even need to do the job?
00:14:15.225 --> 00:14:19.293
I will sit here and be your like, I'll get it two thirds of the way there and exactly.
00:14:19.293 --> 00:14:24.026
I'm just here to kind of like be, be someone that you talk to while you're doing the work.
00:14:24.026 --> 00:14:25.692
Like I can be your work companion.
00:14:25.692 --> 00:14:26.826
I'm just here because I'm pretty.
00:14:26.826 --> 00:14:27.692
Exactly.
00:14:27.692 --> 00:14:29.259
That's it.
00:14:29.259 --> 00:14:35.393
And this is where I really think, you know, leaders need that self-awareness because the warning signs are really subtle at first, right?
00:14:35.393 --> 00:14:41.692
Because here's here's some you might start hearing things like, you know, let me check with, let me go, let me go check with Josh.
00:14:41.692 --> 00:14:48.426
Like you're, you're sitting in your office doing something and you hear someone say, let me go check, let me go check with Chrissy, make sure that's okay.
00:14:48.426 --> 00:14:52.692
Or, you know, they come to you and they're like, I think this is what I want to do, but I didn't want to make the wrong decision.
00:14:52.692 --> 00:14:54.593
So I'd really like your feedback.
00:14:56.860 --> 00:15:01.060
Or, or this, this is the passive aggressive one.
00:15:01.060 --> 00:15:05.893
This is I figured that you probably want it done differently.
00:15:05.893 --> 00:15:09.393
So can you hear that one?
00:15:09.393 --> 00:15:14.225
Have you heard someone come or have you been that person that's come in and said like, hey, I figured you'd want this done differently, so I'm not going to do it.
00:15:14.225 --> 00:15:15.426
I just want your feedback.
00:15:15.426 --> 00:15:20.160
I was about to say I was the person that said that one to, oh, I did to a few others.
00:15:20.160 --> 00:15:23.293
Like I figured like, I only did this halfway because I know you'd want to change.
00:15:23.293 --> 00:15:24.060
I've done that in the past.
00:15:24.060 --> 00:15:27.993
I've done that when I've served on different boards because it's like, I know someone's going to take it and run with it.
00:15:27.993 --> 00:15:39.460
So I yeah, there's the other one that I think is like the, if someone says this to you, you have a problem is if they look at you and go, well, I was waiting for approval.
00:15:39.460 --> 00:15:40.493
Yikes.
00:15:40.493 --> 00:15:41.725
Yeah.
00:15:41.725 --> 00:15:43.225
Those aren't communication issues.
00:15:43.225 --> 00:15:45.360
Those are dependency signals, right?
00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:45.860
Yeah.
00:15:45.860 --> 00:15:47.493
That's that's mommy and daddy issues.
00:15:47.493 --> 00:15:48.293
It absolutely is.
00:15:48.293 --> 00:15:57.126
And I think, you know, small business owners accidentally reinforce this all the time because stepping in feels really good in the moment because I'm helping it is.
00:15:57.126 --> 00:16:00.060
And you get that quick dopamine hit of being needed.
00:16:00.060 --> 00:16:00.960
You're the fixer.
00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:02.526
You're the smartest person in the room.
00:16:02.526 --> 00:16:07.259
You're the person that does all of the things because I mean, it is your baby and you are saving it.
00:16:07.259 --> 00:16:12.560
But if I'm consistently interrupting the learning process, the team is never going to build confidence.
00:16:12.560 --> 00:16:13.893
So that's the awareness.
00:16:13.893 --> 00:16:17.093
I have to recognize where my own behavior is creating the bottleneck.
00:16:17.093 --> 00:16:20.160
Then autonomy is if every decision still roots for me.
00:16:20.160 --> 00:16:23.126
People stop thinking critically because history has taught them, I'm going to change it.
00:16:23.126 --> 00:16:23.826
I'm going to redo it.
00:16:23.826 --> 00:16:25.126
I'm going to step in no matter what.
00:16:25.126 --> 00:16:26.926
So I don't trust them anyway.
00:16:26.926 --> 00:16:27.860
It's on me.
00:16:27.860 --> 00:16:33.326
And eventually that leader becomes exhausted and frustrated and they're like, why does nobody take ownership around here?
00:16:33.326 --> 00:16:35.426
It's like, because You.
00:16:35.426 --> 00:16:36.259
Really?
00:16:38.160 --> 00:16:38.692
Really?
00:16:38.692 --> 00:16:41.126
I have been asked that one from the hero boss.
00:16:41.126 --> 00:16:44.225
Well, and it's because ownership was never actually transferred.
00:16:44.225 --> 00:16:45.626
You didn't give them the ability.
00:16:45.626 --> 00:16:49.860
I mean, leaders think they're creating support, but they're actually creating learned helplessness.
00:16:49.860 --> 00:16:57.526
And the hardest reflection question for a founder or a business owner is, am I building leaders or am I just building dependency on me?
00:16:57.526 --> 00:16:58.660
That one hurts.
00:16:58.660 --> 00:16:59.526
It does.
00:16:59.526 --> 00:17:02.860
I'd like you to like, let's just ask like, pause for a moment and think about that.
00:17:02.860 --> 00:17:05.425
AM I building leaders or am I building dependence on me?
00:17:05.425 --> 00:17:09.093
Because your team cannot function confidently without your constant intervention.
00:17:09.093 --> 00:17:10.225
That's a problem.
00:17:10.225 --> 00:17:11.460
The business isn't scaling.
00:17:11.460 --> 00:17:16.725
It's orbiting around one overwhelmed human being, and that's you.
00:17:16.725 --> 00:17:18.492
And you can see it in management layers to.
00:17:18.492 --> 00:17:20.925
This happens in middle management as well.
00:17:20.925 --> 00:17:24.725
As I say, I think this is I see this the most almost in a middle management.
00:17:24.725 --> 00:17:26.059
Absolutely.
00:17:26.059 --> 00:17:26.359
Yeah.
00:17:26.359 --> 00:17:28.492
This isn't just a CEO or a business owner thing.
00:17:28.492 --> 00:17:30.859
It's actually rarely is it a CEO thing.
00:17:30.859 --> 00:17:31.326
Yeah.
00:17:31.326 --> 00:17:33.160
It's this is this is a business owner thing.
00:17:33.160 --> 00:17:34.326
This is a middle management thing.
00:17:34.326 --> 00:17:36.660
Like I just I have to be self-important.
00:17:36.660 --> 00:17:38.160
You can scale dysfunction.
00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:41.559
I don't think that people think that, but you absolutely can.
00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:42.859
It scales amazingly well.
00:17:42.859 --> 00:17:43.559
Absolutely.
00:17:43.559 --> 00:17:43.859
Scales.
00:17:43.859 --> 00:17:44.225
Amazing.
00:17:44.225 --> 00:17:45.160
Fantastic.
00:17:45.160 --> 00:17:52.259
Um, from that HR side, how do you transition from the like we're going to wait for instructions because it's going to be different.
00:17:52.259 --> 00:18:01.425
Um, to owning the result as like the team goes because in so many cases, if you say, you know what, I've been the hero far too much, you're cut off.
00:18:01.425 --> 00:18:03.160
Um, I need you to take ownership.
00:18:03.160 --> 00:18:03.692
Right?
00:18:03.692 --> 00:18:12.425
You have, you have now like to me, it's, it's the analogy I'm going to give you is when a child learns how to swim.
00:18:12.425 --> 00:18:17.093
I, I remember growing up for me, it was they pushed you in the pool.
00:18:17.093 --> 00:18:19.326
Um, not a good feeling.
00:18:19.326 --> 00:18:29.492
No. How do you how do you transfer this ownership without your team feeling like, hey, I know you don't know how to swim yet because you're three.
00:18:29.492 --> 00:18:31.893
We're going to go ahead and shove you in anyways.
00:18:31.893 --> 00:18:36.925
Well, and I don't think shoving people in or, you know, just like take ownership.
00:18:36.925 --> 00:18:37.826
That's not a plan.
00:18:37.826 --> 00:18:39.492
That's a wish with a deadline.
00:18:39.492 --> 00:18:43.660
Like there's no very tight deadline, very tight deadline yesterday.
00:18:43.660 --> 00:18:47.960
So again, you're moving people from waiting for instructions to actually owning the result.
00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:49.460
It comes down to those three things again.
00:18:49.460 --> 00:18:55.026
So awareness leaders have to become aware of where they are unintentionally training dependents.
00:18:55.026 --> 00:18:55.326
Right?
00:18:55.326 --> 00:19:07.460
If every question immediately gets answered by the manager or the founder, the business owner, or every problem gets escalated upwards, the team learns, you know, my job is to ask, not think so awareness, right?
00:19:07.460 --> 00:19:08.692
And employees need awareness too.
00:19:08.692 --> 00:19:12.326
They need to understand how their role impacts the bigger picture.
00:19:12.326 --> 00:19:17.526
Because I think a lot of times when people only see tasks, they are going to wait for instructions.
00:19:17.526 --> 00:19:21.625
So when they understand outcomes, they start making decisions, right?
00:19:21.625 --> 00:20:02.955
So then we've got to move into that autonomy piece, which is where the control freaks get uncomfortable.
00:20:02.955 --> 00:20:04.690
And I say, it's going to be okay.
00:20:04.690 --> 00:20:06.222
I've had to learn it too.
00:20:06.222 --> 00:20:10.623
Autonomy means giving real people ownership before they feel fully ready.
00:20:10.623 --> 00:20:12.155
It's not reckless.
00:20:12.155 --> 00:20:13.190
It's got guardrails.
00:20:13.190 --> 00:20:15.955
We give clear expectations, clear boundaries, clear decisions.
00:20:15.955 --> 00:20:17.690
And then we let the baby birds fly.
00:20:17.690 --> 00:20:19.490
Just kind of go.
00:20:19.490 --> 00:20:20.155
Let them go.
00:20:20.155 --> 00:20:25.855
Because if your team needs permission for every small decision you haven't delegated, you've just redistributed tasks.
00:20:25.855 --> 00:20:26.455
I agree.
00:20:26.455 --> 00:20:27.589
Yeah, we're not doing that.
00:20:27.589 --> 00:20:32.022
Autonomy is what teaches people to trust their judgment.
00:20:32.022 --> 00:20:32.623
I like that.
00:20:32.623 --> 00:20:32.990
Yeah.
00:20:32.990 --> 00:20:34.889
And then finally we'll move into accountability.
00:20:34.889 --> 00:20:49.889
And you know, ownership only becomes real when people know they're accountable for the results, not just the activity, which means they have to follow through, they have to communicate and they have to learn from their mistakes.
00:20:49.889 --> 00:20:56.490
And so I would say, you know, leaders have to stop rescuing people from every consequence because every rescue delays growth.
00:20:56.490 --> 00:21:01.089
And when you allow people to win on their own, they're also less likely to freeze.
00:21:01.089 --> 00:21:05.623
So don't do it wrong because I mean, I've, I've done it wrong.
00:21:05.623 --> 00:21:05.990
Good advice.
00:21:05.990 --> 00:21:06.423
Don't do it.
00:21:06.423 --> 00:21:06.990
Don't do it wrong.
00:21:06.990 --> 00:21:07.655
Just don't do it.
00:21:07.655 --> 00:21:10.289
Like I see this pattern constantly.
00:21:10.289 --> 00:21:12.222
I don't see it in myself as much as I used to.
00:21:12.222 --> 00:21:12.822
Which is good.
00:21:12.822 --> 00:21:18.623
I mean, leaders are going to say they want ownership, so they keep interrupting the learning process.
00:21:18.623 --> 00:21:22.190
I want I want people to own it, but I'm going to keep interrupting the learning process.
00:21:22.190 --> 00:21:24.190
And so they override the decisions.
00:21:24.190 --> 00:21:25.089
They redo that work.
00:21:25.089 --> 00:21:28.889
They jump in too quickly and then they wonder why nobody takes initiative.
00:21:28.889 --> 00:21:31.190
I mean, you did it, you dummy.
00:21:31.190 --> 00:21:32.822
You did, and I get it.
00:21:32.822 --> 00:21:35.455
So awareness identifies the bottleneck.
00:21:35.455 --> 00:21:39.155
Autonomy builds confidence and accountability creates ownership.
00:21:39.155 --> 00:21:44.855
And so if you do those three things, that's how you stop babysitting and start building leaders.
00:21:44.855 --> 00:21:47.889
And I love how you put that, I really do.
00:21:47.889 --> 00:21:53.056
It's not it's really easy to say and it can be really snappy, but it's hard to do.
00:21:53.056 --> 00:21:56.222
It's tough because it is one of those things that it's like culture.
00:21:56.222 --> 00:22:02.423
It needs to be looked after all the time because you are trying to change habits over a very long period of time.
00:22:02.423 --> 00:22:09.289
Well, and I think for you, you despise the superhero stories because it's not just success is a shared thing for you.
00:22:09.289 --> 00:22:13.490
So it's not it's not in your DNA.
00:22:13.490 --> 00:22:14.190
No it's not.
00:22:14.190 --> 00:22:15.522
It's not the one person.
00:22:15.522 --> 00:22:16.222
Yeah.
00:22:16.222 --> 00:22:17.822
So let's talk about operations.
00:22:17.822 --> 00:22:20.822
How do we move from hero to architect in that daily workflow?
00:22:20.822 --> 00:22:23.522
How do we build the SOPs that actually eliminate babysitting?
00:22:23.522 --> 00:22:27.255
As I rip off everyone's capes and torch them?
00:22:27.255 --> 00:22:28.089
What's the process?
00:22:28.089 --> 00:22:29.190
The people, not the people.
00:22:29.190 --> 00:22:30.655
It's never the people.
00:22:30.655 --> 00:22:31.690
Just the case.
00:22:33.722 --> 00:22:34.822
We're not touching the people.
00:22:34.822 --> 00:22:36.089
No. Just the case.
00:22:36.089 --> 00:22:39.255
No, to me, like, first off, there's the hero trap.
00:22:39.255 --> 00:22:47.222
Logic is what I. I mean, me being the thinker that I am, I'm always going to look at like, and this is my thing that I had such a tough time to get past.
00:22:47.222 --> 00:22:49.423
It's going to be faster if I just do it myself.
00:22:49.423 --> 00:22:49.855
Yeah.
00:22:49.855 --> 00:22:53.522
Um, I like the customer needs this in two hours.
00:22:53.522 --> 00:22:56.022
It's going to take me five minutes to send it to them.
00:22:56.022 --> 00:22:58.655
It would take me fifteen minutes to get it done myself.
00:22:58.655 --> 00:22:59.490
Just do it.
00:22:59.490 --> 00:23:02.089
I'm just going to take care of it myself.
00:23:02.089 --> 00:23:09.522
Um, the problem is, is when you look at your operations, it is typically one thousand percent, give or take.
00:23:09.522 --> 00:23:10.022
Zero.
00:23:10.022 --> 00:23:10.923
Maybe in the wrong place.
00:23:10.923 --> 00:23:11.690
Whatever.
00:23:11.690 --> 00:23:18.789
But let's go with one thousand percent more expensive for you to do it yourself, because you aren't building a repeatable asset.
00:23:18.789 --> 00:23:21.522
You're just paying for a one off result.
00:23:21.522 --> 00:23:26.889
You're often doing a ten to fifteen dollars an hour job or twenty dollars an hour job.
00:23:26.889 --> 00:23:30.089
Instead of working on your business, you could be building systems.
00:23:30.089 --> 00:23:30.855
You could be.
00:23:30.855 --> 00:23:34.822
Imagine this hiring others that could do work.
00:23:34.822 --> 00:23:35.490
Oh my gosh.
00:23:35.490 --> 00:23:36.423
Oh my gosh.
00:23:36.423 --> 00:23:39.056
Imagine that you could be working with marketers.
00:23:39.056 --> 00:23:44.355
You could be networking, you know, going out and finding leads.
00:23:44.355 --> 00:23:46.089
Holy cow.
00:23:46.089 --> 00:23:47.190
Finding more business.
00:23:47.190 --> 00:23:47.923
Yeah.
00:23:47.923 --> 00:23:59.623
Um, like I said, so you could be doing your actual owner or manager job instead of the thirteen, fifteen or twenty dollars an hour job that you're.
00:23:59.623 --> 00:24:01.690
Yeah, that your enterprise value.
00:24:01.690 --> 00:24:05.822
There's a reason why your million dollar business is actually worth ten million dollars, right?
00:24:05.822 --> 00:24:09.022
It's if you have true enterprise value because you don't do all the things.
00:24:09.022 --> 00:24:09.623
Correct?
00:24:09.623 --> 00:24:10.089
Yeah.
00:24:10.089 --> 00:24:14.089
And once again, I we've talked about this before the bus philosophy.
00:24:14.089 --> 00:24:15.990
If you get mowed down by a bus.
00:24:15.990 --> 00:24:16.855
Yes.
00:24:16.855 --> 00:24:21.089
Like if you're the one that's saving the business all the time, no one else is putting on a cape.
00:24:21.089 --> 00:24:26.355
No. When you're flat on the ground, your capes flapping in the air, you're like, nobody's gonna help you.
00:24:26.355 --> 00:24:28.289
We don't know how to do the things.
00:24:28.289 --> 00:24:30.923
We'll just wait till Josh gets back off the floor.
00:24:33.056 --> 00:24:36.190
And he's poking you with a stick.
00:24:36.190 --> 00:24:40.490
He's old now, so even if it wasn't a bus, it's gonna take a mile.
00:24:40.490 --> 00:24:43.855
If he's down on the floor, it takes a while to get back up.
00:24:43.855 --> 00:24:49.889
Um, for me, I look at like three tiers of like the, the, the, the SOP for stuff like this.
00:24:49.889 --> 00:24:57.655
There's the tactical how and this is just the standard clicks and steps like, hey, like step one, step two, step three.
00:24:57.655 --> 00:24:58.255
There's a little boy.
00:24:58.255 --> 00:25:00.722
I built a fair number of model cars.
00:25:00.722 --> 00:25:06.123
And once again, every step was laid out in those things like assemble tires.
00:25:06.123 --> 00:25:06.556
Yes.
00:25:06.556 --> 00:25:11.623
Assemble like engine like da da da da da.
00:25:11.623 --> 00:25:12.855
Simple, simple.
00:25:12.855 --> 00:25:14.822
Really easy to go through.
00:25:14.822 --> 00:25:16.822
Um, then there's the why.
00:25:16.822 --> 00:25:20.855
So most work is taught like history or English.
00:25:20.855 --> 00:25:23.056
And this is the problem that we have.
00:25:23.056 --> 00:25:33.089
Um, or memorize a quote, memorize a chapter, memorize whatever it should be taught more like algebra, whereas you don't just memorize the answer.
00:25:33.089 --> 00:25:37.855
You understand the concepts of how the variables work.
00:25:37.855 --> 00:25:39.855
So, but that takes more time.
00:25:41.222 --> 00:25:41.789
Correct.
00:25:41.789 --> 00:25:42.923
And I don't want to be patient.
00:25:42.923 --> 00:25:45.190
It takes more time initially.
00:25:45.190 --> 00:25:45.923
Very good.
00:25:45.923 --> 00:25:48.455
I appreciate how you say that initially.
00:25:48.455 --> 00:25:50.289
Yes it does.
00:25:50.289 --> 00:25:58.322
So if you're up to your ear balls in work on something or else, then yeah, you may need to be the hero for another couple of days.
00:25:58.322 --> 00:26:02.089
But to me, it's taking that whole machine view.
00:26:02.089 --> 00:26:03.822
I don't want to say holistic view.
00:26:03.822 --> 00:26:05.623
Yeah, it's the whole machine.
00:26:05.623 --> 00:26:07.455
The whole darn thing.
00:26:07.455 --> 00:26:09.623
Show people the entire process front to back.
00:26:09.623 --> 00:26:13.522
So that way, not just their station, not just what they do.
00:26:13.522 --> 00:26:16.923
That way they can see how their output affects others.
00:26:16.923 --> 00:26:25.522
Because what I see in so many owners, founders, managers that are jumping in and saving things, they do it because they're like, oh, hey, I can make this quicker.
00:26:25.522 --> 00:26:27.923
Yeah, because they know the next five steps.
00:26:27.923 --> 00:26:31.655
The person sitting at the station doesn't know the next five steps.
00:26:31.655 --> 00:26:33.789
So they're not seeing how they can make it quicker.
00:26:33.789 --> 00:26:36.655
So make sure people know the whole thing.
00:26:36.655 --> 00:26:41.789
Then they can, when they see the why behind the handoff, they'll stop cutting corners.
00:26:41.789 --> 00:26:47.255
They'll stop moving stuff in the wrong direction, and you'll stop feeling like you have to jump in on stuff like that.
00:26:47.255 --> 00:26:49.822
Now we've got something outlined for that.
00:26:49.822 --> 00:26:57.822
The other thing that I always say with this too, is if you want to stop babysitting, you have to give them a legitimate path to improve the system on their own.
00:26:57.822 --> 00:27:07.855
Um, if there's no official way to suggest a change, like if they see a way they're going to create a shadow process, you're going to be like, no, wait, this is going wrong.
00:27:07.855 --> 00:27:11.490
I'd be so mad when you realize they've got a shadow SOP, right?
00:27:11.490 --> 00:27:16.255
And then you come in with your cake, you're like, I'm gonna save this so we can do it better.
00:27:16.255 --> 00:27:19.222
And then you're like, no, it actually works better without you.
00:27:19.222 --> 00:27:20.289
Yes.
00:27:20.289 --> 00:27:28.855
Um, so once again, and this comes back to your three A's in all that because you're creating those three things through this.
00:27:28.855 --> 00:27:33.822
Um, the tier three piece of it is what I, what I would say is granting autonomy.
00:27:33.822 --> 00:27:38.855
Um, you have to find a way to grant a bit of it to earn that trust.
00:27:38.855 --> 00:27:39.556
Absolutely.
00:27:39.556 --> 00:27:44.322
And then once you start to grant a bit of that and earn that trust, give them more.
00:27:44.322 --> 00:27:46.789
Um, the Ritz Carlton, I've talked about this before.
00:27:46.789 --> 00:27:49.089
Two thousand dollars per guest.
00:27:49.089 --> 00:27:55.889
Anyone in the building, the janitor can be like, oh, your suitcase broke.
00:27:55.889 --> 00:27:57.355
Here's a suitcase.
00:27:57.355 --> 00:28:01.222
Um, they have that autonomy to make those decisions.
00:28:02.255 --> 00:28:05.322
Are your employees going to make the same decision as you every single time.
00:28:05.322 --> 00:28:06.789
I hope not.
00:28:06.789 --> 00:28:10.455
No. Are they going to make a decision that's going to fit with your culture?
00:28:10.455 --> 00:28:10.889
Yes.
00:28:10.889 --> 00:28:13.190
That's what the better question.
00:28:13.190 --> 00:28:15.923
That's the question that, like, does this fit with our culture?
00:28:15.923 --> 00:28:18.155
Is it the same exact decision you would make?
00:28:18.155 --> 00:28:22.155
I'm going to venture to say any time they make a decision, it's going to be slightly different than yours.
00:28:22.155 --> 00:28:22.690
Yeah.
00:28:22.690 --> 00:28:23.255
It should be.
00:28:23.255 --> 00:28:24.690
And sometimes it's going to be better.
00:28:24.690 --> 00:28:27.955
And you need to be excited when it is one hundred percent.
00:28:27.955 --> 00:28:29.889
Do not be mad when they outshine you.
00:28:29.889 --> 00:28:30.722
Let them know.
00:28:30.722 --> 00:28:30.990
Yeah.
00:28:30.990 --> 00:28:31.289
I'm.
00:28:31.289 --> 00:28:32.690
I'm overjoyed.
00:28:32.690 --> 00:28:34.789
I'm so excited when people are like, your people are brilliant.
00:28:34.789 --> 00:28:35.955
I'm like, yes, they are.
00:28:35.955 --> 00:28:39.755
And to me, you know what the best feeling is?
00:28:39.755 --> 00:28:40.655
The to.
00:28:40.655 --> 00:28:46.789
We'll go a hair off topic of this when someone says like, you've got great people.
00:28:46.789 --> 00:28:54.955
I to me, that's the best compliment ever because it says the number one thing that owners do wrong is higher.
00:28:54.955 --> 00:28:56.155
Yes.
00:28:56.155 --> 00:28:57.655
And you did that right?
00:28:57.655 --> 00:28:59.655
There is no bigger compliment than that.
00:28:59.655 --> 00:29:04.455
Um, going back is the other thing is there's explicit boundaries with things.
00:29:04.455 --> 00:29:07.289
If people have the boundaries, they can be autonomous.
00:29:07.289 --> 00:29:11.089
If you're having to step in all the time, they have no idea where the boundaries are.
00:29:11.089 --> 00:29:20.990
No. If you're jumping in like one and this is a problem that so many, most owners don't wait until it crosses the line to jump in.
00:29:20.990 --> 00:29:23.455
They're jumping in at the fifty yard line one time.
00:29:23.455 --> 00:29:31.556
The next time they're jumping in at the forty yard line, another time it is out of the stadium before they're like, oh hey, I need to jump in with my cape on.
00:29:31.556 --> 00:29:34.190
Like the set up those boundaries.
00:29:34.190 --> 00:29:37.056
Um, the other thing is you've already kind of talked about this.
00:29:37.056 --> 00:29:40.289
If they have to ask permission for everything.
00:29:40.289 --> 00:29:41.722
Yes.
00:29:41.722 --> 00:29:43.889
Why do you have them working for you?
00:29:43.889 --> 00:29:44.722
Correct.
00:29:44.722 --> 00:29:45.789
Correct.
00:29:45.789 --> 00:29:50.889
I mean, autonomy is the reward for following the logic that we established in tier two.
00:29:50.889 --> 00:29:56.855
The other thing is, is this is one that I that is so tough to do the no rescue protocol.
00:29:56.855 --> 00:30:01.789
I am not saying push your three year old into the pool and watch them drown.
00:30:01.789 --> 00:30:06.355
Um, No one is saying that ever.
00:30:06.355 --> 00:30:09.455
Christie has a very disturbed look on her face.
00:30:09.455 --> 00:30:11.722
Just because I said we would never do that.
00:30:11.722 --> 00:30:17.556
Um, to me it is like there's if there's a problem, there's a piece that the employee should own.
00:30:17.556 --> 00:30:18.155
Yeah.
00:30:18.155 --> 00:30:18.789
And it is.
00:30:18.789 --> 00:30:21.889
What does the SOP say if you followed that.
00:30:21.889 --> 00:30:23.490
Well, then we've got to look at this.
00:30:23.490 --> 00:30:25.789
And once again it's not the employee's fault then.
00:30:25.789 --> 00:30:27.789
So I'm not upset with them.
00:30:27.789 --> 00:30:28.755
I'm upset with that.
00:30:28.755 --> 00:30:29.990
We have an issue.
00:30:29.990 --> 00:30:37.355
Um I need to make sure that they know that distinction that if Josh is on the on the rampage, it's probably not at them.
00:30:37.355 --> 00:30:40.123
It's because we have an issue in our processes.
00:30:40.123 --> 00:30:52.855
Um, the other thing that I like to say is when something you can't step in too soon is you step in at a point where you can say, hey, based on the logic and the processes that we agreed upon, what's what's your next move from here?
00:30:52.855 --> 00:31:00.490
Yeah, that that question is the one that allows them to go back and be like, oh, I screwed up.
00:31:00.490 --> 00:31:01.923
Step five.
00:31:01.923 --> 00:31:02.389
Yep.
00:31:02.389 --> 00:31:03.455
You sure did.
00:31:03.455 --> 00:31:08.389
Rather than you just being like, I'm gonna fix this before it goes rolling out the door.
00:31:08.389 --> 00:31:12.789
Um, in some ways I'm going to say it's unkind to save them.
00:31:12.789 --> 00:31:16.589
Saving them ensures that they stay as a level two performer.
00:31:16.589 --> 00:31:20.889
Hey, if the bot, like you said, if the boss is always going to save me on this, why do I do it?
00:31:20.889 --> 00:31:21.722
Why do I care?
00:31:21.722 --> 00:31:22.056
Right?
00:31:22.056 --> 00:31:22.655
Why do I care?
00:31:22.655 --> 00:31:24.255
Why do I step up for this?
00:31:24.255 --> 00:31:26.155
Um, so be direct with that.
00:31:26.155 --> 00:31:40.123
The, the thing that I see with this is if you're babysitting the fulfillment, you have no capacity for like market for the marketing firehose, so to say, of everything else that's going to be going on in your business.
00:31:40.123 --> 00:31:40.955
Yeah, I agree.
00:31:40.955 --> 00:31:49.123
Um, if you're consistent, if your people are consistent, then you can market that to the outside world.
00:31:49.123 --> 00:31:53.990
You can market that to your internal people to say, look at what we have.
00:31:53.990 --> 00:31:56.722
You know what to expect when you walk in the door.
00:31:56.722 --> 00:32:01.923
If you have a hero like the Batman, show up every time he saw the bat signal.
00:32:01.923 --> 00:32:03.355
No.
00:32:03.355 --> 00:32:07.955
no. There was times they they showed the signal and he would be in the background or whatever.
00:32:07.955 --> 00:32:18.955
Um, if you're showing up at inconsistent times to play the hero role or just swooping down at the last minute, it's not something that's consistent.
00:32:18.955 --> 00:32:20.923
It's not something that's repeatable.
00:32:20.923 --> 00:32:23.355
And people want a consistent work environment.
00:32:23.355 --> 00:32:35.389
Like, yeah, whatever you can do to make things consistent for people makes it so they can take the other things that are the small inconsistencies and they can handle those.
00:32:35.389 --> 00:32:45.690
If the like, if every day my lunchtime changes wildly from nine a m to four p m as an employee, how do you plan your day?
00:32:45.690 --> 00:32:46.789
No you don't.
00:32:46.789 --> 00:32:56.690
So I use that as kind of a loose analogy on that to say like, look, if, if, if you make the basics consistent, there's no need for the hero.
00:32:56.690 --> 00:32:58.955
That's what we're going for with that.
00:32:58.955 --> 00:33:04.789
Um, when you're moving from managing people to monitoring the machine.
00:33:04.789 --> 00:33:06.289
Okay.
00:33:06.289 --> 00:33:09.589
Like, are you leading by exception?
00:33:09.589 --> 00:33:11.923
I mean, how, like, how do you feel?
00:33:11.923 --> 00:33:15.623
Like, are you looking at patterns or what are you looking at from?
00:33:15.623 --> 00:33:18.155
Okay, so we're talking about, we're going from like hero to architect.
00:33:18.155 --> 00:33:18.556
Yes.
00:33:18.556 --> 00:33:23.222
So I would say architects watch patterns and heroes chase emergencies.
00:33:23.222 --> 00:33:24.423
Oh, yeah.
00:33:24.423 --> 00:33:25.690
Don't be the ambulance chaser.
00:33:25.690 --> 00:33:26.022
Don't.
00:33:26.022 --> 00:33:28.423
No, don't do that.
00:33:28.423 --> 00:33:29.322
Watch the.
00:33:29.322 --> 00:33:30.990
I guess in essence, you're going to be a meteorologist.
00:33:30.990 --> 00:33:32.490
You're going to watch for patterns.
00:33:32.490 --> 00:33:33.389
Oh, I love that.
00:33:33.389 --> 00:33:33.623
Yeah.
00:33:33.623 --> 00:33:35.022
I always wanted to be one of those as a kid.
00:33:35.022 --> 00:33:35.222
Yeah.
00:33:35.222 --> 00:33:36.423
So you're watching for what's going on.
00:33:36.423 --> 00:33:38.355
So leaders have to really stop measuring effort.
00:33:38.355 --> 00:33:41.289
And they start measuring kind of flow of where information flow of things.
00:33:41.289 --> 00:33:45.722
So the goal is not to hover over people, it's to monitor the system.
00:33:45.722 --> 00:33:50.990
And so it's to monitor whether the system is healthy, where those bottlenecks are forming and where support is needed.
00:33:50.990 --> 00:33:55.822
So you go from, I have to do all the things to I am the watcher of the things.
00:33:55.822 --> 00:33:58.589
And where do resources need to be deployed and where is it?
00:33:58.589 --> 00:33:59.955
Where are we going to see some challenges?
00:33:59.955 --> 00:34:01.190
Where are things going to be going?
00:34:01.190 --> 00:34:01.789
great?
00:34:01.789 --> 00:34:03.556
Where do I need to add professional development?
00:34:03.556 --> 00:34:05.755
Where do I need to do some coaching?
00:34:05.755 --> 00:34:07.755
That's that's what an architect does.
00:34:07.755 --> 00:34:11.822
I love the the thing that you said is where do resources need deployed?
00:34:11.822 --> 00:34:12.523
Yes.
00:34:12.523 --> 00:34:15.755
Um, please do not consider yourself a resource typically.
00:34:15.755 --> 00:34:22.789
No no no. When we say resources need deployed, that is like more cash, more training, more like more effort, more supplies.
00:34:22.789 --> 00:34:25.956
That is not you being in everybody's business.
00:34:27.023 --> 00:34:34.322
No, you are, you are a resource for ideas that you said like that was like bad dog, bad dog.
00:34:34.322 --> 00:34:40.856
And I'm telling those of you in your car that are like all prickly right now, I'm also telling this to me because I have been this person.
00:34:40.856 --> 00:34:42.722
It doesn't mean it needs you.
00:34:42.722 --> 00:34:47.623
Sometimes it needs you to just sit there and wait to respond.
00:34:47.623 --> 00:34:49.123
One hundred percent.
00:34:49.123 --> 00:34:53.322
Like, do you do teams typically want you to stop babysitting?
00:34:53.322 --> 00:34:54.789
Yes.
00:34:54.789 --> 00:34:55.389
There was.
00:34:55.389 --> 00:34:58.022
Unless you've unless you've trained them through learned helplessness.
00:34:58.022 --> 00:34:59.789
Not to do not to want to.
00:34:59.789 --> 00:35:04.722
I mean, you can screen for people that are never going to be willing to do things on their own.
00:35:04.722 --> 00:35:07.955
I mean, I've seen organizations that are full of people that will never act on their own.
00:35:07.955 --> 00:35:10.155
And they were they were hired specifically for that reason.
00:35:10.155 --> 00:35:12.123
No, this is not a cult.
00:35:12.123 --> 00:35:15.489
So you want people to be able to do things independently.
00:35:15.489 --> 00:35:17.222
You ever do the twenty four hour test?
00:35:17.222 --> 00:35:19.755
The twenty four hour the Saturday test.
00:35:19.755 --> 00:35:23.389
Is that the, um, just does the business miss me?
00:35:23.389 --> 00:35:23.690
Yeah.
00:35:23.690 --> 00:35:25.056
Shut your phone off.
00:35:25.056 --> 00:35:25.922
Have you ever done that?
00:35:25.922 --> 00:35:26.922
Of course I've done that.
00:35:26.922 --> 00:35:28.190
I do that a lot.
00:35:28.190 --> 00:35:28.556
Yeah.
00:35:28.556 --> 00:35:31.623
My people don't call me unless there's a really big issue.
00:35:31.623 --> 00:35:35.056
And even then, they tend to handle most things.
00:35:35.056 --> 00:35:37.589
Yeah, they don't because they know what to do.
00:35:37.589 --> 00:35:40.222
They have a threshold in what expenses are if something happens.
00:35:40.222 --> 00:35:45.389
I mean, in here's a great one in twenty twenty.
00:35:45.389 --> 00:35:51.689
I mean, granted, I was not in the office, but somebody else was our well failed as an organization for the second time that year.
00:35:51.689 --> 00:35:54.055
And I was in South Dakota.
00:35:54.055 --> 00:35:55.522
They didn't even call me.
00:35:55.522 --> 00:35:58.389
I called to check in and they're like, hey, just so you know, the well failed.
00:35:58.389 --> 00:36:01.489
We sent everybody home and the well guy came out yesterday and everything's fine.
00:36:01.489 --> 00:36:03.022
I was like, huh?
00:36:03.022 --> 00:36:05.155
You're gonna call me when the building has no water?
00:36:05.155 --> 00:36:06.055
No need to.
00:36:07.355 --> 00:36:08.189
What are you gonna do about it?
00:36:08.189 --> 00:36:09.022
You're in South Dakota.
00:36:09.022 --> 00:36:09.489
I mean, come on.
00:36:09.489 --> 00:36:15.122
We've had we've had a car be on fire outside the building, and I just got a text message and they're like, just so you know, we're all fine.
00:36:15.122 --> 00:36:16.055
But this happened.
00:36:16.055 --> 00:36:18.855
I'm like, oh, I was there when somebody drove through the building.
00:36:18.855 --> 00:36:20.522
Yeah, I was gonna say you were there when I was there.
00:36:20.522 --> 00:36:21.355
Drove into the building.
00:36:21.355 --> 00:36:21.555
Yeah.
00:36:21.555 --> 00:36:24.789
But I mean, client issues come up, they handle them.
00:36:24.789 --> 00:36:26.322
A billing issue comes up, they handle it.
00:36:26.322 --> 00:36:27.155
They don't.
00:36:27.155 --> 00:36:28.422
Yeah, they don't need me.
00:36:28.422 --> 00:36:30.155
It's funny, I had the same thing.
00:36:30.155 --> 00:36:32.289
I recently was at the state House and same thing.
00:36:32.289 --> 00:36:37.189
Like I'm like, hey, if I'm talking to a state senator, I'm probably not gonna pick up the phone.
00:36:37.189 --> 00:36:40.689
I can't write, I can't now do my kids listen to that rule?
00:36:40.689 --> 00:36:44.622
No. Can I go twenty four hours without talking to them?
00:36:44.622 --> 00:36:46.222
Gosh, not not my eighteen year old.
00:36:46.222 --> 00:36:47.022
She's like, what's going on?
00:36:47.022 --> 00:36:47.855
Mom, where are you?
00:36:47.855 --> 00:36:59.555
Yeah, so but I mean, if your absence creates chaos in the business and the business is still built around you instead of beyond you, I think that's some I think it's a sign that you need to do some inner work on your dependency.
00:36:59.555 --> 00:37:00.922
that's about you.
00:37:00.922 --> 00:37:04.289
Like if you go away and like you come back and you're like, did you miss me?
00:37:04.289 --> 00:37:07.455
And they're like, no, no, go away.
00:37:07.455 --> 00:37:08.455
Don't be upset.
00:37:08.455 --> 00:37:10.289
Tell them I'm so glad.
00:37:10.289 --> 00:37:13.289
Because when you're when you're gone, I miss you because you do all the things.
00:37:13.289 --> 00:37:19.189
But I mean, I don't want them to miss me too much, I really don't.
00:37:19.189 --> 00:37:20.922
I like that added too much.
00:37:20.922 --> 00:37:23.389
I want them to miss me a little, tiny bit.
00:37:23.389 --> 00:37:23.689
Yeah.
00:37:23.689 --> 00:37:26.022
No they should because they want to know like, where are we going?
00:37:26.022 --> 00:37:26.455
What's going on?
00:37:26.455 --> 00:37:28.222
Like what's what the future forward stuff.
00:37:28.222 --> 00:37:29.455
Because that's what I'm working on.
00:37:29.455 --> 00:37:30.189
You are the leader.
00:37:30.189 --> 00:37:31.089
Where the hell are we going?
00:37:31.089 --> 00:37:32.022
Yes.
00:37:32.022 --> 00:37:34.022
That being said, some key takeaways for today.
00:37:34.022 --> 00:37:37.622
For me, one of the ones is audit your resources for one week.
00:37:37.622 --> 00:37:52.722
Track every time you stepped in to help and by when I say stepped into help, I full mean like had to walk out of your office or had to take a random phone call or had to answer a message, those are your top SOP priorities.
00:37:52.722 --> 00:37:55.022
Those are the SOPs that you need to look at and rewrite.
00:37:55.022 --> 00:38:00.389
Yeah, I would say ask yourself, what's your awareness on being the hero?
00:38:02.022 --> 00:38:04.189
I know you have to do some inner work there.
00:38:04.189 --> 00:38:06.422
Long, hard sit in front of the mirror.
00:38:06.422 --> 00:38:10.455
Um, kill the just this once.
00:38:10.455 --> 00:38:17.022
Uh. Every exception is a brick in the wall of the hero culture.
00:38:17.022 --> 00:38:18.789
Like you're building that wall.
00:38:18.789 --> 00:38:19.555
Yeah.
00:38:19.555 --> 00:38:21.689
Where are you promoting autonomy?
00:38:21.689 --> 00:38:24.855
And if you're not, what's something you can hand off?
00:38:24.855 --> 00:38:26.822
Because if you're not promoting it, it's not happening.
00:38:26.822 --> 00:38:27.989
It's not happening.
00:38:27.989 --> 00:38:29.955
So ask yourself, where am I promoting autonomy?
00:38:29.955 --> 00:38:35.355
And then if I'm not doing it or if I am and I'm not doing enough of it, what can I hand off?
00:38:35.355 --> 00:38:39.689
Another one I'm going to go into is write the why not the what?
00:38:39.689 --> 00:38:45.689
Update an SOP today and include the logic behind why the hell are we doing this?
00:38:45.689 --> 00:38:47.922
Oh, I like that.
00:38:47.922 --> 00:38:54.089
And I would say my last question for thought is, you know, where does accountability live in your organization?
00:38:54.089 --> 00:38:55.389
Oh yeah.
00:38:55.389 --> 00:38:57.189
Yeah, I like that one.
00:38:57.189 --> 00:38:57.755
Yeah.
00:38:57.755 --> 00:38:58.489
Quick shot.
00:38:58.489 --> 00:39:02.989
Uh, is it possible to be an architect in a company with only two employees?
00:39:02.989 --> 00:39:03.955
It with technology now?
00:39:03.955 --> 00:39:04.689
Absolutely.
00:39:04.689 --> 00:39:05.055
Yep.
00:39:05.055 --> 00:39:09.255
Um, but I think you still have to approach it with awareness, autonomy and accountability.
00:39:09.255 --> 00:39:10.155
Totally agree.
00:39:10.155 --> 00:39:14.989
What do you do with the hero employee who refuses to document their work?
00:39:14.989 --> 00:39:19.489
You document your discussions and you mandate automate documentation.
00:39:19.489 --> 00:39:21.422
You have a right to record as an employer.
00:39:21.422 --> 00:39:22.255
So you do it.
00:39:22.255 --> 00:39:24.255
I mean, sometimes they don't want to slow down.
00:39:24.255 --> 00:39:26.655
And honestly, you don't have to slow them down anymore.
00:39:26.655 --> 00:39:28.255
You can just record everything.
00:39:28.255 --> 00:39:29.689
Yeah yeah yeah.
00:39:29.689 --> 00:39:32.955
Can the can AI be the architect for your SOPs?
00:39:32.955 --> 00:39:34.889
Oh, I want to hear you answer this question.
00:39:36.155 --> 00:39:37.255
Yes, in many ways.
00:39:37.255 --> 00:39:42.889
And it can be what I guess I'm going to say with that is it can be the basic drawings.
00:39:42.889 --> 00:39:43.255
Yeah.
00:39:43.255 --> 00:39:47.822
If you put in like, hey, we need to go from point A to point B, what would you do with this?
00:39:47.822 --> 00:39:52.622
It will give you, in most cases, a great outline for you to build off of.
00:39:52.622 --> 00:39:54.255
You're going to still need to polish it.
00:39:54.255 --> 00:39:56.222
You're still going to need to create your businesses.
00:39:56.222 --> 00:39:58.789
But you guys have done some of that, haven't you?
00:39:58.789 --> 00:39:59.155
We have.
00:39:59.155 --> 00:40:00.089
We've done a lot of it.
00:40:00.089 --> 00:40:05.455
We use and we used a bunch of different AI tools to kind of get it started because again, we were those people like, we don't have time.
00:40:05.455 --> 00:40:06.889
We're like, wait a second.
00:40:06.889 --> 00:40:15.089
If it runs in the background and it's watching us, or it's telling us like it can summarize what we're doing, or you're doing the work, it's recording and you're talking while you're doing it.
00:40:15.089 --> 00:40:18.489
And then, yeah, it's a really great way to kind of get that rough draft.
00:40:18.489 --> 00:40:19.289
Wonderful.
00:40:19.289 --> 00:40:19.789
Yeah.
00:40:19.789 --> 00:40:22.022
That being said, thank you for listening.
00:40:22.022 --> 00:40:25.789
We are going to go like we're at the end of the episode, so we're gonna go outside and burn some capes.
00:40:25.789 --> 00:40:27.022
Yes.
00:40:27.022 --> 00:40:27.889
Can't wait.
00:40:27.889 --> 00:40:30.455
Go to Business Fix podcast dot com.
00:40:30.455 --> 00:40:31.455
Do us a favor.
00:40:31.455 --> 00:40:34.389
Take care of yourself if you can take care of someone else too.
00:40:34.389 --> 00:40:36.489
We will see you very, very soon.