Your business is a bit like your car. It needs an engine and four wheels, and it needs someone to drive it. Of course, where you’re taking it might affect the type of tyres you need or how much fuel you use. Before a big trip the car should be serviced to ensure it is running optimally. 

A car is made up of many systems – fuel, engine, brakes, lights, air conditioning, and so forth. You need to know you can rely on those systems to safely take you on your journey. 

Business owners and entrepreneurs are sometimes the drivers and sometimes the navigators, but as a business grows, they don’t tend to be both. These are essential roles for ensuring the business keeps moving forward, working closely together to keep the organisation heading in the right direction. 

In a small business they might also play the role of mechanic and auto electrician, but in larger companies they must delegate to others to ensure each system is working optimally. Think onboarding, training, purchasing, sales, customer service, product development, IT, health & safety, security, drafting, production, logistics, and the list goes on. 

As driver, you need to be able to rely on those systems yet be ready to respond to little red warning lights that show up on the dashboard. Ignore them at your peril. If too many warning lights start flashing, it’s going to interrupt your journey. 

It’s complex, and the key is in choosing a route to travel then setting clear accountabilities for every role to ensure the systems are appropriate and work together to take you safely on that journey.