The Key to Booming a Business
Keywords: Business, Tony Melvin

I have often been asked, “How do you do so much, you must be exhausted?” The question is prompted by the fact that over the past 2 ½ years I have written 3 books, run 2 companies, delivered close to 100 seminars and during that time my wife and I had our first child.

Is it because I have more hours than the average person? I only wish!

The key to doing a lot is to know firstly, what it is that YOU are responsible for. The second thing to know is what others around you are responsible for.

This seems rather obvious and a little too simple for an answer to the above question. Nevertheless it is the key to success. When it comes to organisation, a lot of people are left in the dark as to what others in the business are truly responsible for.

The Dominos of Confusion

Here’s an all too common scenario: A new staff member doesn’t know who is responsible for what and will tend to ask anyone “How to I get my pay organised?” or “How do I login to my computer?” such questions, if then not known by the person being questioned, results in another being asked. If that person doesn’t know then all 3 people will go and ask a 4^th person and you get your domino effect. Lack of knowledge about who is responsible for what leads to more confusion being spread around the organisation – the result is little or no work being done.

Time Vampires

Another way this concept rings true is your time vampire. The person doesn’t know (or doesn’t care) who is responsible for what, all they know is that if they come to you – you’ll fix it. This might include such things like major strategic decisions (your actual job, lets say) and extends to questions like, “ Hey have you seen my pencil – you know the yellow one with the pink fluffy bit on the end?” This person is sucking your valuable time away with such a question. Why? Because it has nothing to do with your job – it is not part of your responsibility.

Therefore the key to doing a lot and achieving a lot is to know what YOU are responsible for and doing that no matter what. And when your staff or those around you try to get you to do their job, by all means help but once you’ve done that, make sure you get them trained on their role in the organisation and where it fits in with everything else. By doing so you’ll reduce a lot of confusion and increase productivity.

It’s a simple tip but well worth knowing. Hope it helps.

All the best,

Tony Melvin

Tony Melvin is a Director of Chan & Naylor Australia, which was recognised as the fastest growing accounting firm in Australia by BRW Magazine. He is also the author of 3 best selling books.

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