Monday, January 26, 2009

"Back" In The Game!

You know you're getting older when..... We've all heard the jokes starting with that famous intro. Well, this past week or so it wasn't a joke, at least for me it wasn't. I woke up one morning and my lower back was screaming at me. I couldn't get out of the bed! Pain was shooting down my right leg, and my back was locked up. I managed a few stretches, struggled to get to an upright position, and called my Chiropractor. It took me over an hour to get up, dressed and in the car, my wife driving me of course.

I had no idea what I had done to bring this spasm on. I have a history of low back trouble, degenerative disc disease, and as I indicated, I am under the care of a Chiropractor. The next five or six days were awful, filled with Chiropractic adjustments, pain pills, muscle relaxers, Ice, stretches, agonizing walks from the bed to the bathroom where I could not even stand erect without being in excruciating pain. I'm much better now, not totally pain free, but much better.

Why am I writing about this? well, it knocked me out of the game for almost a week. I couldn't call leads, couldn't follow up with customers and prospects, couldn't work with my team. Here's where the point comes in. I have a gal in Atlanta, Thora, super gal, great right hand (wo)man. I gave her my leads, handed over my three newest people and she took the ball and ran with it. She followed up with them, did some training with them, called leads with them, etc. You see, you have to have someone or someones like Thora on your team, someone who can step up in relief so the game can go on. This is only possible if you have learned how to duplicate yourself in your downline.

It could have been a disaster, no one to lead, no one to support the new guys, no one to manage the reigns. But it wasn't. No, it was instead, a testament to the power of duplication. You cannot delegate if you don't duplicate. I am fortunate. I have folks who are working hard to learn the system, learn the business, folks who in times like this can keep the ship sailing on course, and on time. Now that my back is better, and I'm "Back" in the game, I can rest a lot easier knowing that it's not all on my shoulders. And that's a great feeling to have, I assure you.

3 comments:

Thora B. Sullivan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Thora B. Sullivan said...

Hi Mitch - Thora here. Thanks for the praise! That is one of the many things I love about The Berry Tree and Nutronix is the team work. I can ALWAYS call you or my other leaders - Mike, Chris and James any time I have a question or need someone to 3-way into a conference call with me. I have NEVER seen team support like that in other companies I've worked with! I'm glad I was able to reciprocate and work with your newest members to help get their businesses started. And hey, I'm so glad your back is feeling better!

Anonymous said...

This is one of the best reasons I've heard for being in a "team" type system! Working for yourself is one thing - but what if you cannot work? Having a great team like this is a lifesaver - great job training your guys Mitch!