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Chaos or Structure
I didn’t know…NO REALLY, I DIDN’T KNOW!
I started an engagement with an entrepreneur to help them assess and develop their leadership team. They seemed reasonable enough, yet I thought I knew that successful, independent entrepreneurs are quite hard-headed and that when they get an idea in their head, it's a done deal.
Honestly, I was a little like that within the larger companies I worked for early in my career. Intrapreneurial.
But, I had to adjust to a more formal/structured environment to survive in Corporate America.
I learned that without structure it is impossible to scale a business.
There must be a standard process to follow that can help the business leaders stay focused on even sub-par strategies, yet nonetheless, execute the strategy.
With a lack of structure and process, I’ve seen businesses where no one has authority but the entrepreneur, whether they say you have authority or not.
They are not lying to you, they just think that when they say that you have the authority to make a decision and, you then make a decision, getting screamed at for making the decision and thus, for being an idiot is reasonable. I know it sounds crazy.
