Sales Strategy
Six Tips To Delegate More Effectively | July 30, 2015 (3 comments)
Miami, FL—The topic of this article, “Delegate More Effectively,” is very hard for me to do. I have a problem delegating. I am getting better, but I had no choice. For the sake of my companies (and my sanity) I had to let go. But the fact is that if you are constantly busy working at your business, you have no time to work on your business. James Cash Penney, founder of the J.C. Penney retail chain, famously said, “The surest way for an executive to kill himself is to refuse to learn how and when, and to whom, to delegate work.”
Best-selling business author Harvey Mackay said, “When you grow, you have to know when to let go. You have to know how to delegate down, so you can rise up. I’ve learned that people will seldom let you down if they understand that your destiny is in their hands and vice versa.”
Now that I am learning to delegate properly, I can achieve the focus I need to steer and drive my company where it needs to go, but if you don’t get quality people, you’re doomed. So, the question I think we all have is, “How do you start delegating successfully?” Here’s some things I learned.
1. Don’t Look for Perfection. Your objective is to get the job done, not create a masterpiece. Establish a standard of quality and a fair time frame for reaching it. You must establish expectations then let your staff decide how to carry out the projects.
2. You must Give Complete Job Instructions. Make sure your employee has all the information needed to complete the job. Confirm that he/she understands and accepts the requirements.
3. Stop believing you’re the only one who can do the job properly! I think this is an owner or manager’s largest hurdle. Just because an employee does things differently doesn’t mean he or she won’t do the job right or as well. You must establish expectations of the goal and standards to follow but don’t micromanage the process.
4. Focus on Teaching Skills. Delegate does not mean passing off work you don’t enjoy. (Except when it’s your husband; I do it to him all the time!) As I handed over greater responsibility, I had to understand that learning new skills sometimes includes making mistakes. So don’t punish employees who make a good-faith effort to do things right.
5. Check On Progress. Let the employee do the work but check in periodically on progress! Don’t look over employees’ shoulders or watch every move. Let it go! “You don’t want to be micro-managing and end up macro-mangling. The captain’s place is on the bridge and not knee deep in the bilge,” says Mackay. I love that quote!
6. Say thank you to the people who have accepted the responsibility. Make sure employees know that their efforts are recognized and appreciated. This is probably the most important thing to do to empower your crew.
The saying goes, “The most successful managers aim to make themselves unnecessary to their staff.” This is one of the most difficult challenges of an owner/operator. Take it slow, but to grow it must be done.
Andie Weinman, president and CEO of Preferred Jewelers International / Continental Buying Group Inc., was born with the “Jewelry Gene” working in the jewelry industry since she was only ten years old. Her first job was as a cashier in the opening of a catalog showroom doing a fantastic job even at that tender age. Andie holds a B.A. in musical theatre and a B.S. in marine biology from The University of Tampa. When she realized that seawater and marine biology were not good on her hair and she wasn’t quite good enough to make it on Broadway, the jewelry business beckoned. Andie has picked diamonds, sorted color stones, shot waxes and performed a multitude of jobs in the manufacturing of jewelry. Her negotiating experience and prowess has given her the reputation as being tough but fair in her dealings with vendors. In 2012 the Indian Diamond and Color Association awarded Andie the Prestigious Doyenne Award of the Year.