Like everyone else, I see things in my business that are broken and that I could fix. For example...
- The security camera systems at our locations need to be inspected and upgraded where necessary.
- I could make sure that the pricing and offers on my facility websites are up to date.
- I could work to improve the design of a direct mail piece
Sometimes I have to ask myself, "Can action on this wait?" (That is a hard question to ask when so much of business rewards immediate response and proactivity.) Alternatively, I have to ask myself, "Will things will be ok without my intervention?", and delegate or just let stuff go.
It's not that solving these problems isn't important. Its just that part of my role as a leader is to think ahead, with the assistance of other smart people, and help us as a company prepare for the next big thing. This requires some breathing room. Some time to pick my head up and look above the tall grass and weeds that grow up and obscure longer-range vision.
Its a matter of choosing to do something more important and significant in the longer run. If no one does it we are doomed to mediocrity by virtue of stagnation. I also think it is fun.
Sometimes you have to have some discipline to keep yourself from getting sucked in.
