Business (and employee) management often seems complicated, but it doesn’t have to be.

Effective management is great, but efficient management is better! Because while effective management just gets the job done, efficient management allows you to create a lean-built business that gives you space to actually work on the business and therefore grow. There are a few habits I utilized while building the fastest growing security firm in the US that will help any leader take their management from “just effective” to “highly efficient.”

So let’s dig into those!

Delegation

Your time is important. This means that proper delegation is crucial when trying to allow for better use of your time. And not only delegation within your organization, but delegation outside of your organization. Not everything needs to be done in-house. Outsource where it makes sense.

If you are involved in a task that doesn’t need you specifically, delegate it to someone else in your company or outsource it (especially if someone can do it better or cheaper than you can, you must outsource to be efficient). It’s rarely cheaper for you to do it all, or do it all in-house in the long run. Outsource quickly and aggressively to create space to focus on what you do best: leading.

Business Systems

Having systems is helpful in everyday tasks as well as when onboarding and managing team members. Systems for organization as well as communication can make a big difference. And the systems don’t even have to be complicated, they can simply be “use this channel for this” and can be anything from a system you’ve created to a tool you purchased online.

For example, we use both a tool we purchased online and our own proprietary software to allow those in the business to communicate on a real-time basis without the need of email or text going back and forth. It’s cut down on our time spent trying to communicate and has made our organization more efficient.

Get creative and systemize aggressively.

Screening Employees

Managing a business is difficult without the added burden of trying to handle poor employees. So if you create a solid (and efficient) employee screening process, it will ultimately reduce your overhead cost, turnover rate, and all the costs associated with hiring and turnover.

It may take more time up front to lay out the process, and be nerve wracking to follow that process when you want to hire someone quickly but the process has specific steps to follow. However, it will save both profit margins and your sanity in the long run.

Benefits

If you want your employees to be easy to manage, they must also know they are valued.

Having a great benefits plan is one easy way to show them you care. Include medical, dental, vision, and vacation in their employee contract. It encourages more effective work on your employee’s end, and reminds them that they are more than a number to the company.

When we first started however, we couldn’t afford a full benefits plan. Instead, we got creative. Our primary incentive was a bonus based on a lottery system. It worked with all employees who met the criteria, and ran on a regular schedule. Other than that, we worked hard to be flexible with staff in regards to days off and having split-shifts to enable them to meet family obligations without losing that full day’s worth of work in pay.

Schedule Core Business Needs

If there is something that must happen on a recurring basis in your business (like finances), schedule a time for it to happen.
For example, our core business needs run on this schedule:
Monday – Financials, billing, payroll forecast, employee status, and management updates.
Tuesday – Company-wide audits
Wednesday – Customer Calls
Sundays – Staff meeting and training

There are a few reasons this habit is so helpful and effective. First, it reminds your employees of what is important to the company and ensures they meet their metrics because they’re aware that an audit is coming every week.

Secondly, it helps you catch mistakes sooner rather than later. By having recurring core business needs scheduled out, you enable yourself to keep an eye out for variations that signal a mistake and you keep your staff on the same page regarding what is important.

Getting a business from effective to efficient is the biggest key I’ve found in creating fast and sustainable growth in my business.