by Diana Southall | Nov 15, 2016 | coaching, Delegation, job role, performance
Lately I have been sharing with you resources to 1) Clarify the best use of your time, 2) Create a delegation wish list of your “stop doing” tasks, and 3) Identify to whom to delegate this list.
By delegating, you are creating a “win” for you AND a “win” for you high performers.
Your high performers crave challenging assignments and want to know they are being developed for future growth.
In fact, “opportunities” to develop is the number one retainer and engager of your top people- the least expensive and most powerful reward your organization has to build your A team.
To continue your delegation journey, I created a 18 minute video to show you the whole process. The development action plan process gets all employees working towards goals that benefit them and the company.
Watch the 18 minute Video: Develop High Potentials with Action Plans
(The video shows not only how action plans benefit your best performers, but also the average Jane and the lowest performer as well!)
So go ahead, give up something off your list in January and watch your people grow!
by Diana Southall | Aug 10, 2015 | Delegation
We have all been there, whether you are a “control freak” or “perfectionist” who struggles with the handoff, or a great delegator who regularly gives away routine work.
You start doing something and you just know that someone else could do it.. perhaps should do it.. perhaps does it better. Yet, you rationalize that you will do it faster, she is busy, you don’t want to bother / distract him, you waited too long and now it’s urgent, or my favorite- it will only take a few minutes.
Is this an issue, perhaps not.
But, you are a candidate for more delegation if:
- You are exhausted/ overworked/ burnt out doing work you don’t enjoy
- You want to spend more time in your “circle of genius” and do things you actually enjoy
- Your business revenue has flat-lined, or is losing customers or opportunities because you haven’t implemented those big plans you have
- Your high potential people are leaving after a few year
Why should you delegate— in case you need reminding:
- Your time is available to focus on high value long-term activities to grow, scale or optimize your business
- By delegating, you develop the skills of your team members, which is actually the number one reward and the reason they stay with your company
- Your brief initial time “investment” pays dividends over time
If you think about investing your time to show someone a task that takes you “only 1 hour a month”
=1 hour training + 15 minutes verifying/ clarifying / training x 4 weeks = 2 hours invested in another person’s development versus 12 hours of your time year (6x your initial investment)!
You know you “should”—if you would like the “how” click here to read my article “Too Busy? 5 Steps to Delegate More”
by Diana Southall | Jul 21, 2015 | action plans, coaching, culture
The average manager has 2-3 weeks of paid vacation each year, but most do not use every day off.
Time Magazine cover article for the 6/1/15 edition asked “Who Killed Summer Vacation?”
In fact, this has become so prevalent, there is a commercial featuring kids asking “can we just have one more day?” Pretty heartbreaking!
Do we love our jobs so much that we can’t possibly get away for 5 days at a time? Or are we creating conditions at the office where our teams and colleagues can’t function without our genius and brilliance?
I have a global client with multiple locations in Europe. Last summer we were working on a high priority sales compensation project. I was struck by the attitude of the sales manager from France and the regional operations Director in the UK. They simply mentioned “I am on holiday those two weeks (or month)”—no apologies, no offer to call into the meeting from the beach. And somehow their divisions seemed to survive the summer, and re-emerge in the fall with plenty accomplished.
If you own the company, you truly have no excuse.
What are you doing that can’t wait 5 days?
Who can you train to make decisions while you are gone?
My mother’s wisdom applies here – she used to say “I became a manager when I opened my second store. I had to put systems and people in place, since I couldn’t be there to handle everything.”
What can you do? I say book a 10 day cruise or vacation without email or phone access, and prepare as best you can. Then leave! You would be surprised by how your team can “hold down the fort” without you.
(In fact, have everyone keep a list of things they normally would have discussed with you, but they somehow figured out … then add these things to your training plan for next quarter).
Need some tips for taking charge of your schedule?:
Read my article about how delegation actually leads to more engagement: Engagement Driver 4- Training and Development
Entrepreneur Magazine article- 12 Habits for a Better Work-Life Balance
