The Foundation is Built in the Weeds

Stay out of the weeds! It’s often regarded as sage advice for all mid- to upper level leaders, but the reality, especially for entrepreneurs, is that the foundation of a business is built in the weeds.

Leaders of young businesses who dwell in the weeds aren’t micromanaging; they’re establishing a foundation. When the foundation is there, they can step out of the weeds knowing that the details will continue on without them being in the weeds to oversee it.

So, how do you build your foundation? Here are four areas to focus on:

Values/Non-Negotiables: What values is your organization committed to living out? And what are the standards that you will not negotiate on? When you know your values and your non-negotiables, you establish a foundation that allows your employees to make decisions in regards to the organization’s standards.

Stewarding Your Philosophy: When you care for, support and champion your values and your non-negotiables, you’re creating your culture.  You have to keep it out in front. Remind your teammates of what you do and the motivation behind why you do it. Hold the line and keep your standards high. If you don’t, no one else will.

Systems and Processes: I’ll confess, I don’t like policies, processes, and procedures. I like to create and run, and for an activator who’s low in the detail category, these always seem to slow progress down! However, growing organizations need established systems and processes for things that repeat so that we don’t have to recreate every time we encounter the same situation or challenge.

Spirit and Attitude: Make sure that your foundation doesn’t become stale or boring. Keep your vision and your values alive. Learn how to flip the negatives into positives. Encourage and lift others up. Model how people should be treated. Care about them.

Once your foundation is built, your people have a basis for making decisions, and they won’t constantly need you to keep moving forward.

How’s your foundation? What do you need to do to strengthen it so you can stay out of the weeds?