How many times have you asked someone to do something and been disappointed with the result?
Do you ever find yourself thinking “it’s easier if I just do it myself?”
The bottom line is you may not be able to DO everything yourself. As leaders, business owners, decision makers and managers, there are a variety of reasons for delegating tasks to “someone else.” Assuming the “someone else” knows what you want, how and when you want it, can lead to disappointment and frustration.
Delegate with Clarity by following these EIGHT STEPS and save yourself the time, money, disappointment and frustration!
1. Delegate to the Right Person–be sure the individual has sufficient skills and experience to effectively perform the delegated task. Otherwise, you may be setting them up for failure and yourself for disappointment and frustration.
2. Clearly Define the Task–explain the task itself, the intended outcome and why it is important. Understanding the
significance can inspire success. To insure understanding, have the assignment repeated back to you. If the description is not accurate, explain again. Repeat this process as needed.
3. Set a Deadline–clearly define the completion date. An ambiguous target such as “sometime next week” or “whenever you can get it done” may lead to frustration, lack of a sense of urgency, and the job may never get completed.
4. Measure Progress–determine how you both will gauge the progress being made. In the case of a very small task, meeting the completion deadline may be sufficient. However, larger tasks may require more detailed progress planning.
5. Agree on Resources–agree on what resources will be required and take steps to insure they will be available when needed. Resources could include research materials, logistical support, technology, etc.
6. Highlight the Consequences–openly discuss the consequences of successful completion as well as not completing the task. Be sure to deliver on the consequences when the task has been completed-or the completion date has passed and it has not been completed. Keeping your word lays a foundation of trust in future communications.
7. Put It in Writing–this turns your mutual understanding into a commitment and may uncover misunderstandings.
8. Monitor Progress–don’t delegate and then forget about it! Stick to the agreed-upon follow-up process.
How you apply these eight steps may vary depending how simple or complex the task. Delegate with Clarity and enjoy the benefits!
Decisive, tough, impatient, strong-willed, competitive, demanding, independent, direct, does not listen
Sociable, talkative, open, enthusiastic, energetic, persuasive, spontaneous, emotional, talks more than listens
Calm, steady, laid back, careful, patient, amiable, listens carefully, is sincere, modest, indecisive and trustworthy
Precise, exact, analytical, logical, systematic, quiet, careful, formal, disciplined, does not express emotions
“Communication is Everything!”Lee Iacocca made this statement in his book Iacocca, and many others have made similar claims in an effort to highlight the necessary skills to excel and inspire as a leader. But effective communication is not just for high profile leaders. Effective communication transcends every aspect of our business and personal lives. What you are able to accomplish as a business person, parent, friend, educator, customer, client or supplier is highly dependent on your ability to get the message across. Probably 99% of the problems within organizations are caused by a breakdown or failure in the communication process.
Being able to quickly string words together does not mean the message is understood by others.
Consider who you are communicating with. Think about where the other person is coming from. What is his point of view? What are her problems or concerns? What is he trying to accomplish? What is her level of knowledge or information? 
Want a great business? Then do great things. As a leader, business owner, decision maker, you set the tone for the rest of your team, no matter what the size or location. Often, there are so many things to do in a day, we bypass some of the most important concepts that can make our businesses GREAT. The following Business Improvement Concepts, as basic as they may seem, are often overlooked. Apply or revisit these GREAT concepts for your business and see what happens!
Resisit the temptation to assume you know what they want or even who they are. Know who your best customers are and keep them happy-HAPPY CUSTOMERS ARE YOUR BEST REFERRAL!!
somebody in your life? Who do you offer these to? Spouse, partner, kids, boss, customer, staff, suppliers…..everyone you come in contact with. What are you doing every time you sell? COMMUNICATING!
6. Everything Your Mother Taught You Is Not Out of Style:
In the age of social media, it becomes easier every day to find ways to procrastinate. In an effort to somehow justify perusing the variety of forwarded emails, articles, YouTube clips, questionnaires, surveys, games, links, invitations…..I contemplate what message, learning or opportunity could be buried in the content, and how I might apply it to my business. Often, I come up short, scolding myself for deviating from the “block schedule”, a fail safe tool which is supposed to insure an efficient and productive blend of marketing, sales, meetings, administration, planning, preparing, delivering and following up. Oh, and a personal life.
again. In one such case, what appeared to be cause for scolding, turned out to be a terrific reminder that a “time-out” is not always a punishment. Pause for reflection, a quick chuckle, change of scenery, is often inspiring, invogorating and just plain fun. Funny how teachers know these things. Maybe recess had a purpose!!
We struggle daily-attempting to maximize our productivity, do more with less, master a variety of roles, meet deadlines, obtain goals….meet everyone’s expectations. Sometimes a good old “time-out” works wonders. In their book, “The Power of Full Engagement”, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz address the concept of “sprint and recover”, emphasizing that to fully engage, we must allow ourselves frequent, intermittant recovery time to recover from the “sprint” we engage in daily. A few minutes to break the cycle, chuckle at a ridiculously funny re-enactment of high school history and not do anything with it, is OK. In fact, here it is.
next.
conference with Tiger Woods, held in Augusta, GA.. One reporter asked Tiger why he hadn’t addressed his situation sooner, knowing he was cascading into a downward spiral? Tiger’s response was simply, he wasn’t able to face reality and take action until he had reached absolute rock bottom. Most likely, Tiger will recover and go on to win tournaments and generate millions in endorsements. What about your business??
1. Ask “How are we doing? Do this often. Always know where you are with regard to achieving your plan. Waiting until a deadline to evaluate can lead to disappointing results.
you a clear indication of how your business is progressing. Detailed reports are important, but can take time to review. Find those particular numbers and keep track of them regularly-making sure all of your team is tracking them as well. Examples: monthly revenue, annual profit margin, weekly operating costs, quarterly number of clients, weekly client conversion rate, daily cold calls, average transaction dollars-whether dollars $, percentages %, or numbers #- pick something and track it. 
A few weeks ago I received 2 emails. One was offering new business owners the opportunity to gain visibility in a new online and print business magazine. The other was inviting me to the launch party for a new magazine with the same name. I opened the first email, clicked the link and checked out the advertising, featured business owners and comtemplated whether or not it would reach my target market. Next, I reviewed the launch party invitation, thinking what fun it would be have a new group to network with. Looked interesting, so I forwarded to my friend, asking her if she might want to go to the party and to check out the magazine at blahblahblah.com.
I began sharing the 18 Disciplines of Sales used by a consistently successful sales associate and 2 time recipient of the Brian Tracy award for Sales Excellence. In past blog posts these were presented a few at a time. Considering the consistently recurring sales theme, it seemed timely to share all 18 at once. Hope these offer some relief from frustration. Sales CAN go according to plan. Apply these basics and make the second quarter of 2010 exceed your expectations:
Answer WII-FM (what’s in it for me?).