Small Business Leader: Do One Thing at a Time

We are living in a time when we have so much on our plates.

Labor shortages.

Supply chain shortages.

New laws and mandates.

Navigating the work from home vs. returning to work challenges.

The list of problems facing our small business community is endless.

Val, our Sr. HR Consultant & Innovation Manager, said it perfectly in a meeting recently:

“Our problems today aren’t new. But we’re experiencing all of the problems all at once. And that’s the challenge.”

This brings me to INFINITI HR and Inspiring HR’s recent: One Thing at a Time.

Solve one problem at a time.

Fix one issue at a time.

Correct one mistake at a time.

The issues, challenges, and problems are overflowing for our small business clients:

– Employee recruitment and retention
– Employee attendance
– Compliance
– Flexibility with working from home and the office
– Mental health —we’re facing a mental health crisis the likes of which we’ve not seen before
– Compassion fatigue—if you’re running low on compassion, you’re not alone!

Trying to solve every problem at once is a recipe for failure. You know that. I know that. But as business leaders, we’re compelled to be the fixers, problem-solvers, and solution makers.

Remember the old adage of how to eat an elephant: one bite at a time. One thing at a time.

So let me ask you: what’s the next challenge you’re going to solve? What’s most essential for your focus?

Life and work feel chaotic for most of us right now. The impulse is to flex your “control muscle” and clamp down on the chaos. But the antidote for chaos is not control: it’s focus.

Focus on what’s in front of you: the key problem that requires your full attention.

The to-do list never gets completed.

Don’t believe me? Check your email tomorrow morning. There’s bound to be at least one new problem added to your plate.

So, focus on one thing at a time.

Be deliberate. Be intentional. Be focused.

Chip away at the mountain of challenges in front of you.

And make sure to take care of yourself. If you’re a leader with a heart, you’ve been caring for your employees since the start of the pandemic. Compassion fatigue is a real thing.

As HR consultants who specialize in working with small businesses, we know what the current landscape for our clients looks like. It’s tough. It’s challenging. It’s often overwhelming.

So this month, try doing one thing at a time. Set your focus. Eat that elephant one bite at a time.

Interested in other current employment trends? Click the link to view the recent blog: Too Busy and Burned Out to Plan? Try This Instead. or check back for more on human resources, payroll, insurance, and benefits.