I’m a fan of making things simple and when I read the e-Myth by Michael Gerber, I knew I had found the answer to my problems. Systematise everything so anyone can follow the process and you’ll have a business that can hardly go wrong.
And I will admit this all sounds very good. The best thing a process driven role can do is to map out the processes. If you can eliminate error by having a clear roadmap, you should.
But that is just the process. There is so much more to a business. And you can’t “process map” customer service, marketing, relationship management and sales.
Sure, you can outline the steps, the imperatives and some suggestions of what to do when things go wrong, how to escalate an issue but how to you map the interaction?
The point is you can’t. People are people and they are your biggest problem and also your biggest opportunity. People are your biggest asset or your biggest liability.
The best thing a professional firm can do is outline the guidelines/frameworks for key processes and then train, develop, coach people in their use.
Using recruitment as an example. You can outline all the steps, tools, time frames, but you will get a variation of commitment depending on who is leading the recruitment process. If that person has a laissez-faire attitude, the process will be that way too. If the person is passionate about finding the right person, the process will seem vastly different
The Solution
The solution to all this is in fact, relatively easy: get the right people doing the right things that will add value to your business. That’s it. Get the right people doing the right things. Don’t put a technical person in charge of people management. When I joined an engineering firm I ended up reporting to the Chief Financial Officer. Great, put people management in the hands of a bean counter!
So …
Have the right people lead the recruitment process.
Have the right person lead the charge on customer service.
And have the right person leading these people (i.e. you! 
)
Is Michael Gerber Really Wrong?
Yes and no. Mapping out processes is vital. You must do it. But don’t over do it. Allow your team to bring themselves to work and be the difference you need in the industry.
If one of the biggest challenges of being in business is about defining a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? How will you do that if you over process everything and be “just like the others”.
If you lose the ability to be different, then why should any client choose you over another?
