The 10x Problem we all face!
Every business owner, manager or leader has violated this principle, constricting business and narrowing their focus. The ultra successful recognize scalable thought patterns quicker than many of us do.
Would you do this times ten?
This is a great question to ask yourself. You can ask it about nearly anything. Would I take ten of these employees? If the answer is no, you shouldn’t take one.
Would I want to do this project ten more times or in a magnitude of ten? If that seems ridiculous, the single project could be as well.
How often do you slog through something, saying “Never again!” and then find yourself doing another dreadful task with similar thoughts? Chances are you are like the rest of us, and it is too many times.
But experience was worth it?
Likely not. If you aren’t or shouldn’t be doing that action ten more times, than doing it once is not a productive use of your time. Let others be experts at what they do, so that you can get better at what you do.
If you are new to scalability thinking…
Looking at issues, actions, and even employees with a scalable mindset is an example of an abundance mindset. A scarcity mindset says, “I have to make due with what I have”. This is in contrast to, “What can I do better with what I have?” or a step beyond that “What do I have extra of that will increase what I have?”
Common tradesman/technician hurdle.
The mindset duality is seen best in trades. Owner/Founders that are still on the “tools” often fail to scale. They fail to leverage their “extra” to create multiplication.
Recently I was discussing an issue where a company owner felt stuck to the tools due to lack of sales. In choosing to be in the field, this owner limited his time to 1 location at a time.
Tragically, this owner previously was employed as a top tier salesperson. Reducing time reduced client exposure to his extra experience, limiting sales creating a vicious spiral.
Why 10?
The employee that kicks a bucket after something goes wrong can be overlooked, but if there were 10 employees kicking objects it would be chaos! We tolerate the “one off”.
It is ridiculous and improbable. Ten times something is a lot. It often signifies a exponential growth curve. It gets us thinking about what really matters. Tipping the balance towards what should be obvious.
“The act of considering what it would take to grow ten-fold is, in and of itself, an exercise in thinking through leverage, systems and capacity, and will generate breakthrough ideas if you give it the energy it deserves.” Actionable Books 2014
Business planning sessions are a great place to discuss 10x questions with the key leaders of your organization. Don’t limit scaling questions to group settling, expand yourself by taking the challenges below.
Practical Steps to Avoiding 10x Mistakes
Ask yourself a scaling question.
“Should I do this 10 more times? “ You might still do it, however think about what it would take to delegate or outsource that task.
Week 1 Challenge - outsource or delegate 2 tasks that don’t fit your pay-scale.
Leverage the extra.
More time than money? More experience than time? Are there trades or conversions that you can do to take the things you have extra of to multiply your efforts?
Month 1 Challenge - Find the extra. Brainstorm with a trusted friend/spouse how to leverage your extra.
Recalibrate your expectations.
Think bigger. What does my business look like if it is ten times bigger? What does my health and family life look like ten times better? What could reduce my stress by ten times?
Quarter 1 Challenge - Journal each question separately for 20-minutes. Pace yourself, you have all quarter. Or don’t if you have an hour and a hand that won’t cramp. Don’t stop writing until your timer goes off.
