Delegation dysfunction plagues most small businesses.
Here's how it works: You give something to someone else to
do. They put it on the bottom of their pile. You check on
it and discover that it's not done. You press them on it,
and it finally gets done (with rolled eyes and cold stares).
But it's not done right and you end up doing it yourself.
That is the definition of dysfunction!
"Getting things done through others is a fundamental
leadership skill. Indeed, if you can't do it, you're not
leading," declares Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan in
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done.
FOUR ESSENTIALS FOR GETTING THINGS DONE THROUGH OTHERS
In spite of this dysfunction, delegation actually does
work. More importantly delegation MUST work or we're doomed
to doing everything ourselves. Here's what it takes to get
things done through others:
1. Clearly identify the jobs that need doing
Effective delegation starts with knowing what needs to be
done. As obvious as that statement sounds, it is where most
businesses fail. Strong dynamic leaders have an idea of
what they want done, but never communicate it clearly,
leaving others trying to read their mind.
Not surprisingly, most employees are not good a reading
other people's minds. As a result, expectations are
unfulfilled and everyone is unhappy. All because no one
took the time to clearly define what needed to be done.
Like the old Fram® commercials where a grizzled mechanic
says, "You can pay me now or you can pay me later," up
front time spent clarifying expectations saves hours of
wasted effort.
2. For each of those jobs specifically state WHO is going
to do WHAT by WHEN and HOW (or NOT HOW)?
Here is the blocking and tackling of delegation:
Choose the right person to give a project to (WHO), that is
the person for whom a task is the best fit for their talent
and ability. Specifically outline the parameters of the
project (WHAT) and set reasonable deadlines for its
completion (WHEN). Also set intermediate milestones toward
the completion of those deadlines and check on those
milestones faithfully, adjusting them if needed (also WHEN).
Finally determine the best practices that should be
implemented to complete the project (HOW) and the
methodologies that should be avoided entirely (NOT HOW).
Again, a little time spent at the beginning of a
project-this should take LESS than an hour-reaps big
rewards. Write everything down and distribute it to
everyone on the project.
3. Provide the time and training for your people to excel
at these jobs.
What passes for delegation in most businesses is really
dumping. Or what I call "drive-by delegating" where leaders
shoot people with a list of things to do and speed away to
the next victim.
Effective business leaders view delegation as a process NOT
an event. It is a process that takes time. Be patient with
people and let them adjust to the learning curve of
acquiring a new skill. It is also a process that takes
training, giving people the tools they need to excel at
what they do.
The problem is that we wait until the last minute-until we
ourselves are utterly overloaded-before we ask for other
people's help. We then don't have the time to adequately
train our people. But time and training is critical for
getting things done through others. Look into the future,
even for a few months, and identify the jobs you might ask
other people to do. Then get them started on learning those
jobs.
In others words, stop dumping on your people in the name of
delegation. Start developing them into the fully capable
employees that they can be.
4. Follow-up each assignment politely, but religiously on a
daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
Finally, you must follow-though on everything that you
delegate. No exceptions. Inspect what you expect.
Don't wait until the end of a project to inspect either.
Check in at first daily just for a quick update. As you
gain confidence that a project is well underway, have
weekly times where you touch base. NEVER, however, let more
than a month slip by without meaningful inspection of
anything others are doing for you.
Accountability accelerates performance. Simple, polite,
honest accountability creates a culture of execution within
your company. "Follow-through is the cornerstone of
execution, and every leader who's good at executing follows
though religiously," Execution: The Discipline of Getting
Things Done again advises.
ENJOY THE REAL DREAM OF OWNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS
When you break the death grip of delegation dysfunction,
you will enjoy being a business owner again. You will have
gathered a team of people around you who are just as
serious about the success of your small business as you
are. Together you conquer the world!
That's the dream you had when you sarted your business.
----------------------------------------------------
Bill Zipp is a seasoned small business specialist. Bill has
spent thousands of hours working with hundreds of business
leaders across the country, and his proven program, The
Business Fitness™ System, provides a step-by-step plan for
building a strong, self-sustaining small business. For a
FREE Special Report, The 3 Biggest Killers of Small
Businesses Today (And What YOU Can Do About Them!) visit
http://www.LeadershipLink.net .
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