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HBApdx.org
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MAY, 2013
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BUildiNg YOUR BUSiNeSS
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HBA HOME BUILDING NEWS
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17
In my experience, the most
highly effective managers, chief
executives and business owners
have two things in common: a
clean desk and a capable team.
Yet in reality, very few execu-
tives and business owners are
effective delegators. Even when
they have a great team behind
them, they still tend to take on
too many responsibilities.
The purpose of this article is
to provide business leaders with
some helpful information about
the necessity of building strong
teams, and to help you identify
where you may be blocked in
your ability to delegate effective-
ly. Successful delegation requires
that you: select your team care-
fully; train them well; and trust
them.
Select your team carefully.
Delegat ing responsibi l i t y
means giving up a little… to gain
a lot. Many business owners and
executives struggle with del-
egating tasks to other capable
individuals, because they feel in
doing so they are relinquishing
control. Because you control the
hiring process you’ll always have
control. Surround yourself with
people who inspire you and chal-
lenge you but who are capable of
great things. The most effective
leaders understand there is no
threat in hiring the best.
Train themwell.
Time is the most valuable com-
modity of any business leader,
and the time it takes to effectively
train another person to take on
an executive level task may seem
unrealistic. As a leader, you must
take a long range view of this and
realize, investing time now in pre-
paring your organization to suc-
ceed will maximize your overall
effectiveness and improve your
long term results.
Remember, you are only as
strong as your weakest team
member. If you are not able rely
upon another individual, either
because they have consistently
performed badly or because you
don’t feel they can handle greater
responsibility, it’s time to evalu-
ate and make a change. If that
person failed because they did
not have proper knowledge, skill,
training or resources, it’s time to
look at your own responsibility in
properly selecting and training
your team.
Trust them.
You hired the right people and
you trained them well, and now
you’ve got to trust them. We’ve all
heard the stories of people who
failed to rise to the task they were
called to do, and the business
owners or executives who suf-
fered the consequences of those
decisions. This is one reason why
somany business leaders avoid or
fail to delegate important tasks.
It’s easy to understand why this
may cause you to hesitate; how-
ever, highly effective organiza-
tions run on a high level of trust
and autonomy. They perform
well as a result of effective del-
egation, which is why business
leaders MUST be willing to del-
egate and entrust a certain level
of responsibility to other capable
individuals.
If you’re not willing to delegate,
you’ll never have enough time
and energy to focus on essential
executive level responsibilities
such as planning, strategy, lead-
ership, and thinking about your
business on a daily basis.
Are you delegating like a true
leader?
Ask yourself the following
questions to determine your level
of effectiveness as a leader who
delegates and shares the respon-
sibility for success:
• Permission Required?
Do
you have a constant stream of
people coming to you for your
approval, every step of the way?
Are people always asking you
when, what or how much? If
so, you probably need to iden-
tify some capable leaders, train
them well, delegate tasks, and
get out of their way.
• Training Needed?
If you have
a constant stream of people
posing, “how?” or “why?” ques-
tions, you have not done a good
job of training them to function
effectively and independently.
Identify the areas where more
training is needed, provide it,
and then step out of the way
and allow them to do what you
have trained them to do.
• Where are you spending the
majority of your time?
How
often do you find yourself per-
forming tasks that do not con-
tribute to the executive deci-
sion-making of your business?
If you are spending more than a
little time on things other than
planning, strategizing, budget-
ing, product development, ne-
gotiating, legal issues, recruit-
ing, or organizational devel-
opment, you are probably not
taking full advantage of your
opportunity to get the support
you need by delegating non-
executive tasks.
• Where do you and your orga-
nization fall on the “happy”
scale?
If you or others in your
business organization feel frus-
trated or overwhelmed, it’s time
to look at how each position
could be streamlined for greater
effectiveness. Training and Del-
egation is a good place to start.
Learning to delegate can be
challenging, particularly for busi-
ness leaders who have always
tended to wear all the hats. The
benefits of effective delegation
are profound, and if you’re not
sure how to get started, it may
be a good time to talk with your
business coach.
Sherry Jordan, is a Business
Coach and Management Consul-
tant with Northwest Coaching
Group. For more information, vis-
it
www.northwestcoachinggroup.
com
or call (503) 954-4118.
Sherry Jordan,
The Northwest Coaching Group, Inc.
COACHES
CORNER
Delegating builds strong teams and improves leadership