Benita Sen finds ways to keep up your ‘drive’ when you’re working on your own.
The most committed of us feel jaded at times - especially when you are on your own, and you don’t have a boss for a battery charger. But don’t let ennui get to you. If you feel it does, take a couple of hours off, park yourself at a cafe, fish out a pen and paper, recall where you began from and list all that you have achieved. And remind yourself, that even in our times, not many women are in complete charge of their professional lives!
“Sometimes,” says J Kiran, who runs a small marketing agency, “I look around and feel pretty small. Then, I pull myself out of this self-pity and look at what I began from — three years ago — a single-woman workforce from my dining room!”
PASS THE BUCK
No boss worth her blue bottomline will shrug off responsibility. But there are many small chores that need to be taken off your shoulders and passed on to the team’s, so that you can move on to more important decisions. Take stock of where you can delegate work and who can be trusted with what. Try not to feel threatened that you won’t have enough work.
“Delegating responsibility gives me the distance to look at my office a little more objectively,” admits Shashikala, who runs a consultancy firm. It also leaves her with more time to plan at the macro level.
The world awaits! And generally, every employee wants to impress her boss with a sense of responsibility, so you won’t be sorry for delegating. It will also give you more time off from mundane matters and keep you from feeling frazzled at the end of the day.
PLAN FOR PROSPERITY
Running a home is said to be more challenging than running a business. And most women run a pretty decent home with basic planning. Get away for a little while from mundane work to plan regularly, rather than sporadically. “I keep Saturday to set my schedule, although the general trend is to earmark Monday. But planning on the last day of the week gives me a direct view of what has happened and what to look forward to the next week,” says Kiran.
Take stock of the past week or month. What were your plans for that time? Which plan worked? Don’t let minor setbacks discourage you. Rather, consult your colleagues, recognise what went wrong and set goals. You’ll soon feel your business is being monitored closely and fewer things take you by surprise.
CHANGE COURSE
With regular reviews, you will soon learn to identify what’s not working. Even if it was something dear to your heart, learn to accept a decision that didn’t work, think of something in its stead that may, and move on. Often, we burn out trying to make a difficult relationship or decision work for us.
If you’ve given it a try and it still lags, learn to let go. As the saying goes, one door closes and another opens. “When we opened shop, I told suppliers, the shelf life of any product would not be more than three months. If it doesn’t move after that, they take it back. This ensures their money is not blocked, my shelves don’t stock things that are not appreciated by my customers and I have a constant flow of new products,” shares Rita Bakshi, who runs a gift shop.
BLOW THAT TRUMPET
You may be shy of publicity, but in a competitive market, just as you must sustain standards, publicity has to be regular too. Business promotion is one of the most important tasks that you must perform. And do it in style. Women, after all, are credited with more creativity! Even if you have hired the services of a marketing agency, follow-up regularly with them to review policy.
ME-TIME!
Expand your horizons. Apart from reading and catching up with market news, meet, network and socialise. Drop that guilt about business lunches. It’s work! Get yourself to join lifestyle courses like meditation, where you not only help your soul, but meet more people. Interaction will give you new ideas and fresh contacts.
Says entrepreneur Mala Sharma, “I’ve started playing golf with a small group of like-minded women. Through golf, which I find calming, I have met so many people in similar positions that my office work has become that much easier.”
In the new age, it pays to get fresh. Fresh ideas, fresh strategies and fresh starts!
GOT COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? E-MAIL US AT femina@timesgroup.com WITH ‘strategies — REFRESH, RECHARGE AND REV!’ IN THE SUBJECT LINE