I have heard it said that organizations are filled with two types of work: people work and paper work. Many leaders I meet with WANT to do people work but are STUCK doing paper work.
Doing tasks are very important, but the role of a leader is to influence others to grow to their full potential. So, how do you deal with the tension of managing urgent tasks and spending the appropriate amount of time developing people over a period of time? One word: Outsourcing. It is old school thinking to believe that we have to do everything ourselves or have someone on our team to do it. The world is full of organizations that now exist to help leaders do what they need to do: LEAD! The Change Group is built to help church and small business leaders never have to think about their bookkeeping and financial management ever again. Here are benefits of outsourcing tasks that can result in increased leadership. To connect with Casey and The Change Group or for questions about outsourcing bookkeeping at your church or small business, click here.
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This post has given me a fresh perspective on outsourcing. All the points mentioned are excellent, but I particularly like the first and last one. Hiring the best staff at half the cost is so true! This gives the leader the peace of mind to know that the job will get done and be done well, and at the same time he/she can put first things first and focus on what truly matters. Not having to worry about these cumbersome tasks is a like a breath of fresh air thus resulting in increased energy and drive do what we really love.
I agree. I know for some people bookkeeping and financial management are a calling. Thank God. But not for me. I see them as a necessary evil. Outsourcing provides a way for people who can't afford a full-time bookkeeper a way to get those tasks off their to-do list, so they can get back to what they were truly called to do.
Thanks Jody! We love to help leaders do what they do best!
Great post. We use outsourcing in our communications and video areas which allows our fulltime team to focus on priority projects while the people we outsource to take on simple, less creative, yet time consuming projects. This saves us from hiring another fulltime person in that area, yet allows us to keep productivity up. Thanks again for a continual flow of practical posts!
My recent post Leaders as Teachers
Mac! Thanks for the reply… I am going to do a video for your site soon! Thanks bro!
"Hiring The Best For Half The Cost. When someone outsources to an organization, most of the time they get the expertise they need at a price they can afford."
I work in a field where outsourcing occurs. I must say, outsourcing doesn't mean getting the best at half the price. In my field, it's "Hiring Someone For Half The Cost."
This article would have been better if it was focused on the benefits of outsourcing bookkeeping. For example, "You Can Fire with Little Internal Consequences" is not a good statement to make. For example, I'll say that after bookkeeping internally for several years, I decide to outsource. After several months, I determine the company isn't performing to promised expectations. I can fire them (based on contractual rights) but then I have to bring everything back internally even if I then outsource to a different company because there is the whole transition phase. That bullet point should have read "You Can Fire Without Fear of Emotional Impact On the Company You have Fired."
Thanks for replying to the article. Good insights for the next article we do!
Casey, I think you're right in that small business owners in particular need to outsource work that they aren't experts in and for the reasons you outlined (lower cost without hiring full-time employees, expertise, and work only when you need it). Another idea for owners to consider is what kind of work they are buying – they need to delegate responsibility for well-defined tasks to outside experts, not abdicate that responsibility. I wrote about that idea recently here – http://wp.me/pH3jL-p. Thanks to Hyatt for bringing us another great and practical post!
Eric, thanks for the reply! I will check out your idea on your link!
I apologize – the URL had an error with the period. Please follow this http://wp.me/pH3jL-p link.
thx Eric!
Great points, we should always be looking to do more ministry while setting great examples of stewardship for our people to follow.
Keeping the cost/excellence curve in mind is one way our church makes sure we aren't spending unnecessary resources in areas where we've already got a great solution. Outsourcing helps us do that as does building a strong volunteer base.
My recent post Top 3
Creating momentum takes mass and speed. More people get the job done faster, but it takes a greater amount of leadership.
thanks for your inside.
I am the operations manager for an outsourced IT consulting firm. We frequently augment existing staff or replace internal support teams. We have found a great value in how our clients react to our work. Clients get an entire team, they get a help desk and project managers for a little more or sometimes less than a full time internal support person. They no longer have to worry about managing that person or group and they can focus on other areas.
My recent post 2010 Lowering Employee Turnover for MSPs in a Thawing Economy- Part 1
Having the time to lead is crucial for entrepreneurs — but it has to fit within your budget! I like outsourcing with a plan for ROI. In other words, knowing that the team I'm investing in is either
a) freeing me up to make money
b) completing tasks that will generate leads/money
It helps me feel more confident with my investment. I actually developed a cool little freebie tool for this called 101 Ways to Triple Your Income & Time Off. It helps me avoid any delusions of "OH, I can do that real quick myself!'
Great post, thanks!
Some organizations bring all disciplines in-house for an integrated common experience. Outsourcing to "experts" when you need their specific help does a far more important thing – it brings the full breadth of their experience – that is not linked to shared experience with you – to the table, rather than just the "group think".
And, don't "cheap out". As a rather irenic consultant of mine (a fabulous resource) once advised – "If you have a dog, why bark?".
There needs to be some balance to outsourcing. Institutional knowledge is important, maybe not as much for small or new organizations but even for those knowing what the background is on something can be very important. But on the whole I agree. I am working with a church that will not outsource their email. They insist on having their own servers, their own retention (one year no questions asked) policy, their own 1 gb user accessible storage quota. It would cost much less and they would get much more if they would release the reigns a bit. But on the other than they refuse to outsource their accounting and they have a top notch staff (who also happen to oversee IT and are part of the problem with the email.)
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