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Brick No136: Do Not Eat Michael Gerber
By Matt Weston, Thursday 17 March 2005 The E-Myth Revisited Revisited Long-time readers might be surprised to hear that I'm going to borrow from Michael Gerber today. Especially if you were on the list for these two Bricks: Brick No97 & Brick No98. Gerber, if you're not already familiar, is the author of international blockbusters, "The E-Myth", "The E-Myth Revisited" and, lately, "E-Myth Mastery". All at www.e-myth.com And even though I disagree with about sixty percent of what he says, I still recommend that you find room on your reading list for "The E-Myth Revisited". How come? First: because you should make up your own mind about Michael Gerber. I happen to be of the minority view. Second: because Gerber, unlike most other business authors, forces you to take a position. You can learn more by disagreeing with something than by agreeing with it. At the very least, Gerber helps you figure out WHY you're in business. (Even if you can't agree with him that it's "to create other jobs for other people.") A Super-Simple "How To Grow" Exercise" If you want to grow your business to be bigger than just yourself, begin with the end in mind. Most people have no problem saying where they'd like to be in terms of revenue, or income in say 5 years time. But many of us skip the next, more important visualisation. What will your business look like if you're to reach your revenue or income objective? What people will you require? In "The E-Myth Revisited", Gerber asks his readers to take a blank piece of paper, and draw out an organisational chart for their business. What people will you require? Think about the roles you currently cover. Draw a box for each role. Who will report to whom? Link the boxes with arrows. Yes, it's guesswork. But it doesn't matter if you guess right, it just matters that you complete the exercise as early on as possible. The easy mistake is to wait until you are overwhelmed with work, and only then start thinking about getting help. The exercise forces you to work out where you want your business to be, the work that needs to be done, what people you'll need, and work backwards from there. Do Not Eat Michael Gerber Gerber shouldn't be swallowed whole. (A bit like the iPod Shuffle.) Once you've drawn up your organisational chart, MG suggests you create jobs that can be operated by people with the lowest level of skill. For him, the system is more important than the people you hire. Find square pegs to fit the tightly defined square boxes you've drawn. And that's a problem I have with Gerber. As Steve Jobs puts it: "A players hire A players, B players hire C players." Like SJ, my take is that people are the most important part of any growth strategy. It takes time to find A players. And for me, the whole point of drawing up an organisational chart is not to systemise, and fit B players into square boxes. Instead, use your chart to plan ahead. Picture the exact A player you want to build your team, work out how you're going to create sales to pay her/ his wages, and keep a long-term lookout for that person. Bric-A-Brac (1) If you already have a copy of "The E-Myth Revisited", the relevant chapter is number 14. If not, you can buy it here. (2) Google AdWords. Some gritty first-hand insight on Brickie Andy Bell's blog. Remember to sign up: back to top |
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