We’ve heard every excuse in the book, every reason not to start making changes in your agency. Reasons not to take those baby steps like dusting the shelves or getting the dust out of those hard to reach places. We know that spring cleaning doesn’t exactly spell fun for everyone, there are some things that are going to be hard to do, but they need to be done! Are there some messes that you’re avoiding in your agency? There’s probably an invisible wet floor sign that’s been nagging you for weeks now that you just haven’t gotten around to. Here’s the thing: that wet floor sign is still there, and that floor is still wet. No one is going to clean up that mess for you, especially not in your agency.
So, what’s the problem and who do these problems affect? Be honest with yourself, the problems that you put off in your agency will affect your staff, but they’ll affect you (as an owner) even more in the long run! This is your agency and it should be run the way that you see fit, but if you’re not willing to take that first step then there will be consequences in the end. Not only are you holding yourself back by not making necessary changes, but you’re holding your agency back as well. Things might seem overwhelming in the beginning, but there’s no need to make a bunch of changes all at once. Take things one step at a time and don’t be afraid to bust out that mop or dust pan and get to work little by little! Everything will come together in the end as long as you’re trying, as long as you’re taking that first step to clean up your agency.
Change is hard and that’s the bottom line, but stop and think about all the excuses you’re making. Do you often tell yourself that you don’t have enough time to make changes to your agency? How much time is it costing you to be running your agency inefficiently? You’d save a lot of time and frustration by simply taking those baby steps. Let’s take a look at some of the other excuses or reasons that owners have to not make changes. A big one is that you tell yourself you don’t have the budget, and maybe you don’t have the budget, but you do have the money to invest. Even if you’re investing twenty dollars and getting back twenty five, that’s a no brainer? Invest in the short term because it will pay off in the long run! Maybe you have a fear of disciplining your staff, and that’s something that many owners struggle with in any company or agency. No one wants to be the one to let someone go, but termination doesn’t have to be the first step; it should be the last. Don’t let your staff run your agency for you, it’s your agency and if you keep allowing room for these messes then they’ll only start to grow bigger and more overwhelming in the end. Your voice is your best tool, be sure to use it.
One other big thing is that there might be a dispute between business owners when it comes to the decision making process, and then nothing gets brought to the table. The staff never hear about it and no changes are made in the end. Often times there might be disagreements or decisions that won’t reach an agreement on, but there needs to be some sort of compromise, right? Changes need to be brought to the attention of the agency staff and they need to be followed up on. Don’t sit back and watch those messes grow, it’s your agency and you deserve to run it in an efficient manner. These are all excuses that have been said and done, and they’re all the things you need to think about the next time you’re avoiding a change. The person it affects the most in the end is you and your agency. Don’t leave it until the last second, start breaking out those brooms and dustpans and get spring cleaning!
Let us know if you were able to relate to anything in this blog, you might be interested in taking our agency assessment to help clean up your agency. Don’t forget that these aren’t the only excuses we’ve heard, either. If you’re interested, take a look at some of our other blogs. Have any questions? Make sure you contact us so we can help you out! We hope to hear from you soon.
