Time…there never seems to be enough. Your to–do list of importantthings never seems to get any smaller. In fact, it seems to always begrowing to the point you have to prioritize and yet some things still fall bythe wayside. As a Business Owner or Senior Executive, what you do nextmay determine your company’s future. In order to drive your organizationbeyond its current plateau, you are going to have to change the way yourelate to your work.
There are three stages to making the transition from chief–cook–and–bottle washer to CEO.
- You must understand what your biggest value contribution is and focus on it.
- You must recognize your position as the leader and own the job of leader.
- You must delegate everything else and hold others accountable.
This article discusses the problems associated with delegation– give thework away!
The Issue
You have surely concluded your next level of organizational performancerequires some changes. Hopefully you have also realized thechanges necessary, may begin with you. As CEO, your role includes holdingthe vision; inspiring your management and other staff; fostering keyrelationships with customers, the public, vendors, etc. You need to let goof some cherished things like product design, day–to–day sales and operations,processing orders– many things you have handled in the past (maybeout of necessity) and focus on your role as CEO.
What about all of those things you used to do? Delegate them! Itdoesn’t sound like a big deal, does it? Probably not. However, most likely,you aren’t delegating the important things, the things you like to do, or thethings you just know you can do better than anyone else. You know thethings you are the “best” at. Should you be delegating those things?
Your biggest value contribution
What is it that you do (your activities) that generates the most revenue,profit or market share for your company? Your greatest asset and leverageis in mobilizing those around you such as your staff, customers, prospects,and vendors. Everything else is not nearly as important, even becomingsecondary, in terms of the impact.
So then, the answer must be yes. You should give away the things youare the "best" at, the things that are still important and you do so like doingthem. Give them away and make sure they are done right, up to spec anddelivered on time.
The cost of holding on
Now for the tricky part. Many execs refrain from delegating the thingsthey have labeled "critical". You know the things that just have to be doneby you and no one else. Give it up! The growth of your organization willultimately be stifled to the extent that you hold on to critical functions. Inother words, your company will suffer in those exact areas you think youare the expert! "What do you mean?" "How is that possible?" Well it isreally quit simple. If you are doing the things that provide the biggest valuecontribution like meeting with bankers, crucial customers, vital vendorsetc., then what about those "critical" things that are on hold while you areout. You, in effect, become a bottle neck for your own growth and success.You feel as if you have to be involved, but you don’t. You have to developyour staff and not stand in your own way of growth.
Aside from the fear the job won’t be done as well, there are otherreasons you don’t delegate. You probably feel that if you aren’t doing thereally important stuff, then you become redundant, dead weight, even"Overhead". If you feel this way, then you haven’t completed steps 1 and2. Remember them… determining how you create value in your companyand accepting the role as the leader. Once you make these transitions, youjust won’t have time for the rest, you know, the important and even criticalthings.
Now you have decided to accept your role as CEO and delegate soyou can focus on those value added things. But how do you delegate correctly?Often times, delegation is done in a manner that sets up failure;accountability is left out. What gets neglected is the structure for makingsure things happen according to plan.There are five components to successful delegation.
- Give the job to someone who can get it done. This doesn’t mean they have all the skills for execution, but they are able to martial the right resources. Perhaps the first step is even additional education.
- Communicate precise conditions of satisfaction. Timeframe, outcomes, and budget constraints all must be spelled out.
- Work out a plan. Depending on the project’s complexity, the first step may be creating a plan. Include resources, approach or methodology, timeline, measures, and milestones.
- Set up a structure for accountability. If the project is to take place over the next 4 weeks, schedule an interim meeting 1–2 weeks from now, establish a conference call, or an email status report. Put in some mechanism to evaluate progress and make mid–course corrections.
- Get Buy In. It is much more effective to have your delegate sign on for the task at hand. Use terms like, "Can you have this by Tuesday?" Whenever possible, have your delegate set the timeline and create the plan. As General Patton said, "Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."
By following these steps, you greatly increase the odds in your favorof things turning out the way you want them to. This process can be usednot just for projects, tasks, or problems, but for ongoing functions. Theprocess is the same in each case. For a free worksheet to help you in startingthis process, email us at info@guidepoststrategies.com and request theDelegation Worksheet and we will email it to you in MS Excel format.
One last thing… the only point to delegating something is to free youup for things which create greater value for your company. Spend yourtime with your business advisor and consultant, work on strategic planningand increasing your profitability. Don’t give up hiring, or Sales Managementetc. in order to fiddle with the company website or spend timefinding things to nit pick about. The greatest power and leverage you haveto offer is leading your company. Lavish your time doing just that!
