Introduction

As I work with small business owners, I see common mistakes that prevent business growth or goal achievement. One of the most common is the desire to personally touch and control all aspects of their business. I often see a small business hit a sales level the owner can manage and then get stuck there until the owner can learn to let go and delegate significant responsibility, authority, and decision-making to one or more leaders in the organization. Sharing leadership requires clarity, resources, trust, and training.

If you are positioning your company for growth, you must develop a strong 2nd in Command or 2nd tier of leadership in your organization.

For most small businesses, the 2nd in Command emerges out of circumstances rather than a conscientious decision. Sometimes the default 2nd in Command is a family member, an employee that has been around the longest, or an employee the owner sees him/herself reflected in. Occasionally, these defaults can work. Most often, they do not. Whatever your situation, the steps outlined here are critical to successfully expanding the leadership of your organization.