| Are you working longer and taking home less than | | | | to understand where the real brain surgery is in their |
| your staff? Are you working all hours of the day and | | | | business. The part of their job that is most valuable |
| night and still barely managing to keep your | | | | to the business. The part only they can do. |
| customers happy? Are you unable to delegate or | | | | Examples of brain surgery are: the marketing of your |
| outsource work to give you more time to work on | | | | business, the relationships with your key customers, |
| your business? If the answer to any of these | | | | or if you are a consultant, the analysis of the |
| questions is yes, maybe its time you learnt what | | | | problem you have been asked to solve. Not data |
| Brain Surgeons do. | | | | entry, or possibly even data collection. And not the |
| Most business owners we talk to believe almost | | | | bookkeeping. So the challenge for business owners is |
| everything they do in their business, only they can | | | | to identify what part of their role is brain surgery. |
| do. They have learnt from experience if they give | | | | Theoretically, everything else can and should be |
| work to someone else, they mess it up. And then | | | | delegated or outsourced. |
| they spend twice as long fixing things. But this is not | | | | A great theory, but how can you make this happen |
| what Brain Surgeons do. When they operate on a | | | | in the real world? |
| patient, they are not in charge of the theatre- the | | | | Business Systems. When you delegate or outsource, |
| theatre nurse is. They dont open up the patient, or | | | | you need to document what the person who is doing |
| close. They leave that to a junior surgeon. Everything | | | | the work will receive and what they will return to |
| is prepared for them, and someone else mops up the | | | | you, complete with standards and the form in which |
| blood later. All they do is the brain surgery. And some | | | | they will provide it to you. Then all involved need |
| marketing before hand (client needs), and afterwards | | | | training in the system. This takes some work, but for |
| (client satisfaction). | | | | a small investment in your time, the dividends are |
| How is this possible? | | | | huge. |
| Hospitals have very sophisticated systems, and | | | | The theatre nurse does not know how to do brain |
| everyone is highly trained in their use. There are | | | | surgery, but they know before the operation, what |
| checks and counter-checks. Nothing is left to chance. | | | | equipment the surgeon will need, and when they will |
| And the very expensive surgeon, the most highly | | | | need it. They will also know how the theatre and |
| trained person in the theatre, only does what he or | | | | patient are to be prepared. Detailed procedures will |
| she has been trained to do. They dont waste their | | | | have been developed so everyone in the theatre will |
| time doing jobs others can do. In other words they | | | | know their role, and the brain surgeon will have |
| dont spend dollar time on penny jobs. So the brain | | | | optimised his or her time doing what they have been |
| surgeon only does the brain surgery, and a bit of | | | | specifically trained to do. |
| marketing. | | | | When you know where the brain surgery is in your |
| This is, of course, a rather simplistic description of a | | | | business, you will be able to leverage your time. You |
| brain surgeons job. And I hasten to add an apology | | | | will spend more time with your customers, and more |
| to any brain surgeons reading this if they feel insulted | | | | time working on your business, rather than in it. |
| (after all, you never know I might need their services | | | | Ultimately, you will have a business that runs without |
| in the future- some might argue my need is | | | | you. |
| immediate!) The point of this for business owners is | | | | |