Most likely, as a business owner you will have to handle multiple tasks at once. You may need to take care of things at the management’s end because your staff is simply not equipped to handle them. You might also find it difficult to maintain a budget and fill important roles.
Sometimes you may be required to respond to an emergency call or handle a financial matter. You will also need to supervise the work of various departments in order to monitor progress and growth, as well as keep an eye for potential mishaps.
These are just a few suggestions for business owners who have to be a multi-tasking boss.
What is the best way to wear multiple hats?
Tracy Brower shares her tips on how to succeed in multi-faceted roles in a Forbes article. Let’s take a step forward by analyzing the multi-dimensional aspects of taking up multiple roles as a business owner, including skills, tips, and cautionary advice. [1]
To help you discover more about yourself, ask yourself reflective questions. You will discover a lot about yourself and your career by answering these questions. While some questions are simple, others are essential for self-awareness.
- Do you have multiple roles that you are able to choose from or in different circumstances?
- What is your favorite job?
- Is it a continuation of your existing strengths or are you learning something new every day?
- Which job do you find most boring?
- Why did it interest you?
- What motivates you to do it if it’s not your interest?
- Are you here because you’re struggling with managing multiple responsibilities?
- Are you starting to feel tired?
- Or is it disaster management?
- Which line do you draw?
Master of One vs. master of none
“A jack of all trades is a master of none but often better than a master of one.”
Are you new to this quote? It is for many. But it has been in use for hundreds upon centuries. It was famously used by Robert Greene in his booklet and even referred to William Shakespeare as the “jack of all trades.”[2]
While there is no direct origin of who first said it, the phrase was used many years ago to refer to “jacks” or people who knew different things in life. Like the “average joe” that we have today, “jack” may have been a common name.
The question is, how does this effect our day-to-day lives and work? Multitasking is advantageous as long as you know what you’re doing. That takes a lot skill. Hence, being a “jack.”
1. Time Management
Being a professional with multiple responsibilities is crucial. You need to be able to manage your time effectively. You will have to manage your time well. Unexpected calls or meetings may occur on weekends.
You may have too many meetings, events or tasks to attend to in a given day. Try to keep a schedule and allocate your time according to each role. Set clear boundaries, or adjust to fit the situation.
This can be solved however you wish. Time is an essential part of being a business owner. You will find many time management tools online that can help you get through this process.
2. Clear Judgment
Is this a task that is not worth 30 minutes of your time? It’s worth it to give up, or perhaps do it later. You need to be judicial with what’s most important to you and how you spend your time, which can only happen with a good sense of judgment.
Your perceptions also apply to clients and the people you work with. If it’s not worth your time and energy, then you’re better off doing something else that’s productive.
You can always do other things so these tasks are not as important. This is a great way to find the right person to delegate the task to. This is why you need to look for effective and productive team members to join your company.
3. Eye for Detail
Multitasking requires that you have sharp eyes. You might regret the tasks that you have checked off of your to-do lists.
If you’re not detail-oriented, you’ll waste time redoing things repeatedly without making progress. Often, the next step in solving problems and issues is to look for the solution. Although this can be a good approach, it may not be the best.
Be sure to look at the details before you jump to conclusions. It is possible that there is an underlying cause. This is the place to find the root cause. So, the solution to the problem can be done once only and not every time it occurs.
4. Leadership
You will need to be able to lead others if your role requires you to work in a team. Everyone is different and everyone has their own opinions.
As a leader, you’ll need to assess, communicate, delegate, motivate, and harness your team’s strengths to increase productivity. It’s one thing to motivate people and another to make them move.
To be a great leader, you must find the right balance.
5. Efficient Workspace Organization
You need to have enough space to store all your hats. Your workspace is your closet, where you keep all your files, documents and notes.
You can make your workspace more efficient by organizing it digitally and physically. Keep your files separate in your computer and your office filing cabinets.
Setting and achieving goals
It can be exhausting to manage multiple roles if you lack the management or strategic skills. You can learn these skills with patience, perseverance, and consistency. Here are a few things you can do to ensure you’re on the right track in wearing multiple hats.[3]
- Analyze – First and foremost, you must understand your roles’ requirements and create an agenda accordingly. It should be clear, concise, and easy-to-follow.
- Set Measurable Goals – Quantify your entire process and share it with your team. Your strategies should be presented to your team. You can then measure your progress against numbers and percentages. You should keep separate track sheets for each job and review them regularly to make sure they are clear.
- Live by Accountability – Create an accountability structure within your teams so that each member ensures that the other is working actively towards the goal. You may lose sight quickly of the goal so ask someone to hold you accountable.
- Share your dreams – Your team can’t help you if you’re fighting multiple battles alone. Your goals and aspirations should be shared with your team. Find ways to motivate them to help you get there quicker. Don’t just set goals but also set expectations.
- Rely on the process and your team – If you’re in a leadership position, it is easy to get sidetracked by multiple goals set under a limited time frame. Often, working with others can prove challenging if there’s a mismatch between your and your team’s pace. Trust and perseverance are key ingredients to achieving success in goal setting. Be sure to do your best!
Keep your eyes wide open
It’s a fulfilling and fun job to be able to take on multiple roles. It makes you part of most things in a business and also allows you to see things that others don’t. There are some things you need to be aware of. Here’s what you shouldn’t do when wearing multiple hats.
1. Don’t Expect to Know Everything
Let’s face it, it’s not humanly possible to know everything. You’re not a computer, so why act like one? Unskilledness can happen to even the most experienced of us, and it often happens at the worst times.
Don’t panic if you can’t find the solution to a problem or if your colleague suddenly asks an unanswerable question. If you put in the effort to solve it, you’ll find a solution quickly enough.
2. Don’t Be in Charge of Everything
Now, don’t be a control freak. You might be tempted to dip your hand in all jars to check the temperature, just don’t overdo it. Having the ability to wear multiple hats doesn’t mean you have to do everything. There’s a reason why you have the managers and the rank and files in your team.
A leader is not the goalkeeper for your team. Your guidance will help your team grow and allow them to make decisions that are within their capabilities. Soon, you won’t even have to check up that much since they are already better prepared for the task.
3. Don’t Seek Perfection
There are always cracks, and flowers will bloom in them. So don’t let your experience become the ultimate standard of perfection, and allow your members to fall, get up, and grow on their own.
As you learn to manage your business, your men will too. Quality is one of the most important things in a business, but it doesn’t have to be perfect. If there isn’t growth, then you need to look for other solutions.
4. Don’t Reject Feedback
Multi-role roles can mean that you will interact with many people in different capacities. So make sure to take feedback from each member to know how well you’re performing at each front.
One thing leaders often overlook is listening to constructive criticism. You’re not a know-it-all-jack-of-all-trades. You’re always bound to make mistakes as you’re just human.
Growth comes from learning from mistakes, whether from others’ experiences or your own mistakes. Get as much feedback as possible.
5. Don’t Say Yes to Everything
If you ever feel the urge to volunteer for everything, just run outside and return when you’re exhausted because that’s how you’ll feel if you keep saying yes.
To build a high-performing group, give equal attention and time so that it can fill your roles with time. Empower your people so they can replace you in tasks that don’t need executive involvement.
You can then use the time saved to do more productive work.
6. Don’t Wear Hats Simultaneously
You can’t be a creative and finance person simultaneously because each job has its unique needs and performance levels. Multipliering roles at once can lead to confusion, poor judgment, and lower productivity.
7. Don’t Compromise Your Life
Multitasking is tiring and time-consuming. There will be moments when you must choose between making a business call or going out for dinner with your family.
Because you can always get back money you have lost, you should choose what makes you happy. But you can’t retrieve lost time.
8. Don’t Compromise Your Health
While it can be tempting to do everything, the greatest satisfaction comes from balance. Balance and well-being are achieved when you have a strong body and a calm mind. If you’re a wearer of multiple hats, take time off at regular intervals to rejuvenate.
If it ever gets too much, don’t hesitate to take off a few hats. Only when you are at your most, can your best be achieved.
Conclusion
Multi-tasking allows you to be more involved and spend more time understanding your business. Being more familiar with your business makes it easier to solve problems both inside and outside the company.
As a watchmaker, your watch has all the controls. People will find it easier to approach you. You must realize that this has its downsides. You are a business owner and your role is one of three: executive, managerial, or employee. These risks can be mitigated by knowing how to balance different roles.
If you’ve chosen to lead different roles in the company, I hope this guide can help you do justice to your responsibilities.
Clay Banks via unsplash.com Featured photo credit
Refer to
| [1] | ^ | Forbes: Agile Requires Role Flexibility: 6 Ways To Help People Succeed When They’re Wearing Multiple Hats |
| [2] | ^ | Proverbs: MASTER OF NONE, JACK OF ALL TRADES |
| [3] | ^ | Better Up: 10 tips to help you set and achieve your goals |
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Lifehack first published the article How To Stay Organized Wearing Multiple Hats Within Your Business
