Are you a leader or a business owner?

Posted on by michael nitschke
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Business owners don’t become leaders, by default. Just because someone owns and operates a business, it doesn’t mean they’re a leader. 

Most small business owners are stressed, overworked, unsupported, and aren’t systems-minded. They might have bought into a business or worked their way up in a company. They might’ve started their own thing, because they outgrew being a solo owner. Often, they go in with the best of intentions but get in over their head. 

A lot of the time, business owners are technicians who just so happen to own it, too. As a result, the role of technician and business owner becomes blurred. These operators are often also responsible for bringing in revenue, on top of all the management tasks. 

If you’re in this camp, you’re not alone. I’ve certainly been there. 

Leaders, on the other hand, work on the business not in it. The leader/visionary is also the business owner, but their days are spent coaching the team, nurturing relationships with partners, solving problems, and strategising. 

Yes, sometimes leaders need to jump back into operational mode or client-facing tasks, if there’s a change within the team or sudden shift. But in a perfect world, leaders are leading 80-90% of the time. 

The leader: 

  • Comes up with new ideas 
  • Solves problems and creates systems 
  • Invests in big relationships 
  • Tends to the culture 
  • Taps into intuition as a leader. 

You have to have free space in your schedule and mind to be able to truly step into the leadership role. 

The EOS Accountability Chart (aka: organisational chart) totally transformed my thinking around managing and defining the key technician, business owner, and leader roles. As you can see here, the leader/visionary is the most important role – and it doesn’t mix with operations. 

Most SMBs operate with a managing director, a few managers, and the team. Instead, you can do this. 

  • Explore adopting a structure like EOS where there’s you (the leader), a general manager (the integrator), and clear roles across operations, sales/marketing, and finance. 

  • Identify the key areas of your business that require clarity of roles and responsibilities. Adjust the chart and language to suit your business/industry. 

  • Assemble a leadership team that sits under the integrator. You (leader), the integrator (GM) and the leadership heads will meet once a week. 

  • Track and audit your time as a technician or business owner for a month. This way, you’ll know exactly how your time is being spent and what you need to implement to move into the leader role. 

  • Reflect on the type of leader you want to be. This should connect to your company culture, vision, values, and vibe. A lot of this is mindset work. You have to learn to be okay with more of an open schedule, trust your team, and invest in yourself. Study the great leaders across all industries. 

Want more insights on how to lead and scale an industry-defining company? Make sure you’re on this list.