Comments on: Leadership mistakes made by small business owners

By: Ian

Ian — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:47:44 +0000

For a small business to grow beyond a handful of
individuals the CEO has to learn to delegate all
of the above areas to qualified specialists.
This of course is expensive until a critical mass is
reached. Why so many companies never get above to 10-12
number.

By: Charan Atreya

Charan Atreya — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 03:08:59 +0000

I am glad the article and subsequent conversations have been useful, Jonathan. All the best in your venture.

By: JTreiber

JTreiber — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 14:27:28 +0000

Thanks for these great insight guys. Definitely helpful as we try to launch our new venture.

By: Charan Atreya

Charan Atreya — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 22:02:25 +0000

Stephen, your observations are perfectly valid. Thank you for highlighting them.

I myself have been at the receiving of statements like “I pay your salary”. Another statement I have heard is, “I get two votes and each of you get half”. In the last two years that I have been in Canada, I know of at least one great product that will fail miserably due to this attitude from small business owners.

By: Stephen Calhoun

Stephen Calhoun — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:38:38 +0000

You forgot the number one small business owner’s mistake, even if it is often the context to #1.

Thinking that because you’re the owner/boss, BY DEFINITION, you are the: smartest, most knowing, (’all knowing,’) and most exemplary person in your business.

It is not for nothing that persons who would otherwise be working for someone else often start their own businesses because they don’t want to be under somebody else’s thumb. Alas, these same people can have crushing thumbs.

Perhaps the hardest truism for many entrepreneurial types to adhere to is the one that states: ‘hire people smarter than you are and unleash them.’ One of the classic business failure syndromes follows from the owner becoming seduced by their own powers while capable people are literally prevented from solving garden-variety business problems.

I’ve observed and worked for numerous businesses that evaluated everything and everyone except for the boss and leadership. In total consider this the ‘emperor with no clothes’ syndrome and consider how common it is among business owners who don’t like being second fiddle to anybody, even those with proven capabilities, smarts, and dedication.