A Time to Reflect

Over the past two months, I've had several owners confess to me that they are tired. Not just tired of working the store, but bone tired - that weary that comes from grinding it out, day after day, with few results.

That's where many of you are, especially in this economy. Local store marketing is rarely easy, but it's usually at least fun. Not so much these days.

Vacations or long weekends don't seem to be the cure. It takes 2 days to stop thinking about your to-do list and the work seems to pile up while you're gone. The risk of burn-out is high, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.

But now (as the holidays approach) might be the time for you to find exactly the time you were looking for to spend ON your business instead of IN your business. More on that at the end. First, some perspective - for which we'll turn to football.

University of Georgia football coach Mark Richt is an offensive-minded coach. He was offensive coordinator at Florida State and, until very recently, he created the game plans and called plays during the game for UGA. This year, however, he turned that responsibility over to someone else, freeing him to think about how to make the team better in smaller ways.

Since then, he's focused on being a leader instead of a doer. Since then he's engineered team buidling moments, helped the fans connect with players, and led his team past a turning point in its season - maybe its program.

Richt is still involved in the game plan, but he doesn't construct it. He still offers suggestions in play calling, but someone else has the responsibility. The result is that his players are happier, his assistants are better coaches, and the team is experiencing more success. They might be playing as well as any team in the country right now.

The lesson here is that he didn't "get away from it all" - he took a step back. The holiday season offers you the chance to do the same, to pull back from the nitty-gritty and to focus on leadership and employee development.

How can you get better? How can your team get better? What things can you do in and for the community - because you want to and now have time for, not because you might get a catering deal from it?

The holidays offer you a unique opportunity to spend more time ON your business instead of IN your business. The perspective gained from that, even if for only a short period of time, might just help rejuvenate you.