A few years ago I had a couple of health problems which meant I had to employ someone else to do my carpet cleaning jobs for me.
So I found this guy who I liked, but was he was always turning late, smelling of cigarettes, he didn’t seem to be as picky as I would be when it came to doing the job properly and I had a number of complaints, but since my focus was on getting back to good health I pretty much ignored them .
Because of this, I lost a load of work as some of my best customers left me.
I have to take 100% of the responsibility for the fact that, even though it was not me who let those people down, it was me that sent him into their homes. I have to take 100% responsibility for the fact that I lost many thousands of pounds worth of repeat business and referrals due to my error.
No, it wasn’t me who was always late. No, it wasn’t me who smelt of cigarettes. No it wasn’t me.
But it was still 100% my fault!
Every decent business owner on the planet knows that the buck always stops with him / her. Everything that goes wrong in a business is the owners fault. Conversely, everything that goes right in your company or business is down to you too, down to the procedures you have put in place, or down to the amazing staff you have hired.
As business owners, we have to accept 100% responsibility for everything that goes on in our businesses.
So many business owners say daft things like:
- It’s the recession
- It’s the government
- It’s the media
- It’s my staff
- … and any amount of additional excuses …
… and that’s all they are, excuses. It’s YOU! IT’S ALWAYS YOU. YOU are the boss. Grow a pair, take responsibility, learn lessons, and grow your business.
Be in no doubt that everything that happens in your business comes down to you. The buck really does stop with you.
