Are You A Control Freak?
We had a review meeting this week with a Senior Guide Dogs trainer talking about the now gigantic puppy we’ve been fostering and training since January. He’s going through various checks at the moment for them to decide whether he becomes a stud dog to produce lots and lots more super-cute Guide Dog puppies. Or whether he’ll be trained up to become a fully fledged Gude Dog for a visually impaired person.
A lot of the conversation about his progress revolved around control (or self-control in Pippin’s case!) A big part of our training with him is helping him to be calm and at least vaguely under control in lots of situations – in pubs, on busses, in shops and around new people and other animals. He loves a bit of business networking too!
Now you might think that control is absolutely key here, but Guide Dogs are actually looking for a dog that has a blend of control and confidence. A puppy that’s still a bit naughty because they’re inquisitive, nosy and enjoy new things.
And Pippin definitely still has plenty of naughtiness in him I can tell you!
Because a puppy that’s confident and mischievous can be easily trained. Whereas a puppy who is always beautifully controlled might turn out to lack the initiative to take charge once he’s a Guide Dog or might turn out to be too nervous in certain situations.
So we’re delighted that Pippin’s mischief is a good sign and isn’t seen as us doing a terrible training job. Although that time at puppy class when he broke free and ran like the wind around all the other dogs 14 times definitely goes down as the peak of embarrassment. (That and the massive poo down Sainsbury’s vegetable aisle!)
Now what on earth does this have to do with business I hear you ask?
Well … if you try really reeeeally hard and let your imagination flow, you’ll see lots of ways that building a business has similarities to training a puppy.
And control is one of those areas.
Because when it’s your own business it’s so easy to think that YOU have to be in control of everything. That YOU have to be the person that knows the most about everything. That YOU have to make every decision, define every process, and be accountable for every result.
But that’s just not true. In fact it’s a myth that can massively hold you back in business.
Because just like Pippin, you need a bled of control and the confidence to let other take charge and help you out sometimes.
Being a control freak in your business is a recipe for obsessing over small, irrelevant details, for getting involved in stuff that could easily be handled by others, and for stifling the independence of your growing team.
Being a control freak just keeps everything on your shoulders and guarantees that you have minimal time and zero brainspace for business development.
Control will shackle you. Whereas delegation will set you free. It gives you back control over your time, so you have more energy and capacity to focus on business growth.
Now I know that relinquishing control can feel impossible, even terrifying, but there are some simple steps that can help you along the way so you can start gently, prove your process as you go and build much stronger foundations for growth.
And that’s exactly what I’ve shared in this week’s tips video. So, take a look, and think about the first things you could look to delegate or outsource in your own business.
And if you watch the video and realise this is an area that you’re going to need some help with, take a look at the different ways I can support you here, then use the website contact page to arrange a chinwag with me: https://taylory.co.uk/how-i-can-support/
