December 5, 2020

Why Delegation Fails and What You Can Do About It.

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Some managers and business leaders still believe that they must be involved in all things to control things. The truth of the matter is – it’s bigger than you are. You can’t be in all places at the same time. You physically can’t be looking over everyone’s shoulder all of the time. The key to managing and leading in today’s world is about inclusion, not exclusion – the more you give up control, the more you’ll have control.

Worth Remembering … “In the digital age, you need to make knowledge workers out of every employee possible.” – Bill Gates

Delegation fails when we fail to give up some of our control. Delegation fails when we fail to allow others to decide on a course of action. Delegation fails when we hold them accountable for the results but we failed to give them the tools they’ll need to accomplish the task. When you fail to delegate, you are robbing others of their opportunity to grow. What is it about sharing some of your responsibilities with others that scares you?

Worth Remembering … “You establish some objectives for them, provide some incentive, and try not to direct the detailed way in which they do their work.” – David Packard

Think of all the tasks that you do and list them on a piece of paper. Look over your list and circle the ones that only you can do. (Promotions, salary reviews, disciplinary actions, etc.) – If you are honest with yourself, there must be some items on your list that you didn’t circle. Those are the tasks that you can delegate. Think about who on your team is capable of completing those tasks.

Eight Easy Steps to Effective Delegation

1 – Decide what you want to delegate.

2 – Decide who is capable and, most importantly, who is willing to take on more responsibility.

3 – Create a teachable moment. Teach them how to perform the task.

4 – Ask questions, so you know they understand what needs to be done.

5 – Monitor their performance. People do what you inspect not what you expect.

6 – Keep the lines of communication open. You need to make yourself available to answer any questions or concerns they have.

7 – Hold them accountable for the results but be sure you have given them all the tools they need to complete the task.

8 – Praise performance. Recognize what has been accomplished and be quick to praise for a job well done.

Delegation fails when you fail to allow others to grow. What are you going to do about it?

Copyright (c) 2020. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization visit: https://briansmithpld.com

November 22, 2020

Why Collaboration Fails and What To Do About It

According to Wikipedia collaboration is the process of two or more people or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. It’s aim is to increase the success of the team by finding creative ways to solve problems and eliminate potential road blocks. A good idea becomes a better idea when we allow everyone on the team to be involved in the decision making process. Collaboration fails when we fail to allow others to have input. Collaboration fails because we throw people together , call them a team, and expect them to perform like one.

Worth Remembering … “It is not the individual but the team that is the instrument of sustained and enduring success in management.” – Anthony Jay

Like all good teams, it starts at the selection process. Some people already posses the interpersonal skills to be effective team players. When hiring team members, in addition to their technical skills required to fill the position, ensure that you hire people who like working with people. Soft-skills, the ability to communicate and interact more effectively with others, are more important then technical ability.

A recipe for building collaborative teams

There are a number of ways to accomplish the same thing. It doesn’t have to be just your way. Solicit everyone’s input and decide on the best plan of action regardless of who came up with the idea.
Resist the urge to micro-manage. Let everyone of the team know what needs to be done and then get out of their way and let them do it.
Let them know how their part contributes to the success of the whole. If the team wins – everyone wins. If one person on the team fails – the team fails.
Hold everyone accountable for the results. I mean everyone – including you.
Keep lines of communication open. Let everyone know how things are going – good or bad.
Be fair and consistent. Rules are for everyone – including you and your super stars.
Consider rotating positions so everyone on the team knows how to do everyone’s job. Cross-training can increase productivity, reduce boredom and eliminate turn over.

Worth Remembering … “Teams are now the primary force of organizations. They are worth cultivating at their core. Their core is the mind of each team member. ” – Nancy Kline

Be sure to monitor individual performance so that “social loafers” won’t go about un-detected. Tune into the unofficial grapevine so you know what’s really going on. Be aware of group think and make sure everyone on the team has an opportunity to express their opinion. Together everyone does achieve more. Teams create a synergy that results in a level of performance far greater then it’s individual parts.

October 23, 2020

Trust is a Two-Way Street

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Enduring Principles, Ethics, Leadership Development, Management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Personal Values, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Sometimes you need others to take a leap of faith. Without establishing trust, you’ll have little chance of getting people to come along. If they trust you , they will follow you. If they trust you, they’ll believe that you have their best interest in mind. If they trust you, they’ll know that you aren’t setting them up to fail. Just because you’ve been given a title doesn’t automatically mean they will trust you. Managers and leaders need to earn their trust.

Are you looking to establish trust? Start here

Keep Your Word. Your word is your bond. What ever you say you’re going to do – do it. If they can’t trust what you say – they won’t trust you at all.

Be Honest and Transparent. Tell them the truth – always. If they catch you in a lie – you’ll never regain their trust.

Admit You Don’t Have all the Answers. It’s ok if you don’t have all the answers. However, you need to know who and where to go to to get them.

Communicate Often. Let them know how they are doing – good or bad. It’s important to keep them in the loop. You can’t communicate too much.

Admit When You’ve Made a Mistake. We all make mistakes. Take ownership, learn from them, apologize, and move on.

Resist The Urge to Micro-Manage. A leader’s roll is to teach them what they need to know and then get out of their way and let them do it.

Be True to Your Own Set of Values. Don’t compromize your own set of values. Be true to who you are. Integrity is more than just a word.

Walter Wriston, the former Chairman and CEO of Citicorp, understood that in organizations where people trust and believe in each other, they don’t need to get into regulating and coercing behaviours. They don’t need a policy for every mistake. People in these trusting environments respond with enormous commitment and creativity. Walter Wriston understood that trust is a two-way street.

Copyright (c) 2020. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization visit https://briansmithpld.com.

October 5, 2020

Stop Trying to Change People

Everybody is good at something. Some people are good planners while others are better at executing those plans. Not everyone can sing a song well but they can play an instrument. We’ve listened to great communicators and some who have a difficult time being understood. It’s rare to find someone who is good at everything.

Worth Remembering … “Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you will begin to understand what little chance you have in trying to change others ” – Unknown

You can’t take the stripes off a tiger or rub the spots off a leopard no matter how hard you try. Stop trying to change people. You can’t. You would have more luck trying to herd cats. Trust me it’s darn near impossible. Spend your time putting people in positions where they can do what they do well.

Worth Remembering … “The task of an executive is not to change human beings. The task is to multiply performance capacity of the whole by putting to use whatever strength, whatever health, whatever aspiration there is in individuals.” – Peter F. Drucker

Great leaders do what they do well and surround themselves with the best people they can find who do somethings better then they do. Great leaders understand that success comes from everyone on the team doing what they do well. Play to their strengths and stop trying to change people?