Don’t forget your clients

TOOLS TO ENSURE YOUR BUSINESS STAYS AFLOAT The hallmark of a good leader is when things can run smoothly in your absence.

As the end of the year approaches, many entrepreneurs will be planning a well-deserved break and maybe even a holiday to some exotic destination to enjoy the fruits of their labour. But before you fly off, remember that not everyone will be taking a leave of absence in December.

Many people will be hard at work and that could include some of your clients and, regardless of your absence, they expect business as usual.

Everyone deserves a break from time to time but, unfortunately, that doesn’t mean the world will take a break with you. Therefore, you need to have a system in place that ensures it remains business as usual, whether or not you’re present.

The hallmark of a good leader is when things can run smoothly in their absence. Here are some tools to ensure your business stays afloat while you are away:

Identify a key person to whom you can leave the reins. This should be a competent individual who has shown leadership qualities but most of all, is loyal. Bring that individual close and teach them the ins and outs of managing the business. Your business should operate like clockwork. After you have set up your operational processes, everything should run smoothly, with every employee understanding their role and ensuring the business is efficient. A good system allows you to be absent with operational efficiency maintained. Inform your clients of your impending holiday and that you have left someone in charge. Your clients will appreciate the heads up and will know who to call in the event of an emergency. As much as you want peace and quiet on your holiday, you must have an open channel of communication with your business in case of an emergency. You wouldn’t want your manager to make a critical decision that impacts your business without your consent. At the same time, you must empower him or her to make certain decisions; if your phone is ringing every five minutes, then it’s not much of a holiday. I imagine your business is important to you, so if a client calls for crisis intervention, you must be ready to abruptly return – otherwise you might not have a business to come back to.