5 Ways for Time-Crunched CEOs to Find More Hours to Devote to Scaling Up Implementation

You’re committed to scaling your business, and you’ve identified Scaling Up as the system you’ll use to 10x your company. 

But if you’re like many CEOs who have started using Scaling Up, you’re now wondering how you’ll possibly find time to learn and correctly implement this new “operating system” across your organization. Now that you’ve begun the journey, you better understand how much time, energy and focus it will take. 

In some cases, the feeling of “I don’t have any time!” is legitimate. You may be short-staffed, with many people throughout the organization taking on additional responsibilities to keep the company running. You may be in the midst of a huge product launch that is consuming extra resources.  

In most situations, however, there are things that time-crunched CEOs can do to free up the time needed to do the important work involved with successfully implementing Scaling Up. This article offers 5 places to start. 

1. Define and Communicate Needs. 

Implementing Scaling Up takes time. Not only do you and your team need to learn the tools, process and rhythm, but you’ll also be identifying priorities on which to focus each quarter. It’s essential that every person within your organization understands the following about priorities: Quarterly priorities are in addition to business as usual.  

If you want to move forward with scaling your business, you absolutely must free up time to work on the priorities – at every level of the business. Your team must understand that it is simply not an option to push priorities aside because they get busy. Time must be carved out each week, perhaps even each day, to work on quarterly priorities.  

Remember that not all departmental priorities rise to the level of an organizational priority. However, generally speaking, all organizational priorities flow down to departmental priorities. Ensure that your executive leadership team understands and helps communicate this message throughout your organization. 

2. Stop Tolerating Lackluster Performance. 

Sometimes a time crunch is not caused by the amount of work that needs to be done. Instead, it’s how quickly and well the work is being done. 

If you’re serious about implementing Scaling Up, it’s time to review your team and make sure you’re not tolerating performance that will ultimately hold you back. Scaling a business requires having the right people on the bus – and in the right seats. 

You’ll likely find that some employees simply won’t make the cut. They may be great people who have been valued members of your team up until now. But you know – and they may even recognize – that they don’t have the ability to raise their performance to the next level.  

You’ll also likely have some people who are underperforming not because of ability or interest, but instead because they are in the wrong roles. Keep these individuals on your team, but move them to a different role where they’ll be better able to shine. 

Finally, it will be time to fill the empty seats. When hiring, hold out for “A Players.” According to Brad and Geoff Smart of Topgrading, an A Player is someone in the top 10 percent of the available talent pool who is willing to accept your specific offer. Finding A Players takes time and searching through a big talent pool. But it’s worth the investment. A Players do things much faster – and usually better – than B Players. Upgrade your players, and you’ll naturally create more time to work on quarterly priorities. 

3. Delegate, Delegate, Delegate. 

Most CEOs are holding onto tasks and responsibilities that could – and even should – be delegated. Why? Perfection. 

You’ve likely risen through the ranks in part because of your high standards and drive for excellence. But “No one else can do it as well as I can” is not a reason for you to keep a responsibility on your list. If you can find a team member who can complete the work 85 percent as well as you, it’s time to delegate. The benefits you’ll gain by freeing up your time will more than make up for any slight dip in the quality of work. 

If you struggle with delegation, you’re not alone. Delegation is one of the hardest skills to manage for many leaders. But to be a true executive, you must be doing high-value work.  

4. Be Creative with Completion. 

When you look at your lengthy list of things to be done, be willing to think outside the box. Challenge yourself to brainstorm ways to get items completed even faster. Getting items checked off your list will certainly free up time to work on Scaling Up activities. It will also build a sense of momentum, and position your organization to seize opportunities sooner than later.  

Using creativity to solve bottlenecks is particularly important. Look at your list of to-do items and identify anything that is a bottleneck in a process. Ask yourself what you can throw at this lead domino to finally knock it over.  

For example, perhaps you’ve identified that you want to write a book to use as a marketing tool and to establish credibility in your industry. Although you don’t mind writing, you struggle to find time to work on the project, and you acknowledge that you’re not as fast as a professional writer would probably be. Your marketing team is booked solid, so in-house delegation isn’t an option. You might consider hiring an A Player writer to complete your book and then help free up time in the marketing department. Perhaps you hire a freelance writer to eliminate this bottleneck quickly. Or perhaps you try recording your thoughts on your commute to work each morning, then hiring a writer to turn your transcripts into a book. 

5. Encourage Stop/Start Conversations.  

Keep in mind that you and the executive leadership team are not the only people within your organization who need to free up time. Everyone needs time to work on Scaling Up priorities.  

How do you do this, without hiring additional staff across the board to share the existing workload? Encourage everyone within your organization to evaluate what they do each day, week, and month – and to stop doing things that people don’t value. If Matt in accounting produces a weekly report that no one reads or references, it is wasted time. He should stop and use that newly reclaimed hour to work on Scaling Up. 

You may find that you have team members who resist letting go of responsibilities because they fear being seen as disposable. They have equated being busy with being needed. If this crops up, it’s time to shift your culture. Help employees understand how they’ll benefit personally by freeing up their time to work on Scaling Up. Yes, working on organizational and departmental priorities will help the company. But along the way, they’ll become more efficient, which will prepare them to take on new responsibilities – and signal that they are ready for the next level of their career. 

Start Finding Time – Today 

Being busy and feeling time-crunched is a nearly universal experience for CEOs and executive leadership teams. But it’s essential to find time that you can devote to the high-value work of implementing Scaling Up.  

Not only will your organization benefit from your team’s collective focus on quarterly priorities and the critical number, but you’ll become more efficient in doing the work that really matters – while letting go of the rest. Use these 5 tips to get started, and encourage others in your organization to follow your lead.