A Blog about Leadership

On Wednesday, I covered the 7 Steps to Lead Without Inherent Talent and, yesterday, I started to cover the topic of delegating.  Today, I want to lightly drive a point about delegating.

Leadership quote from Robert Half:
“Delegating work works, provided the one delegating works, too.”

Leadership is not without work.  I have heard of managers who purport themselves as leaders and visionaries who provide the “big picture,” but don’t feel they have to be involved in the planning, organizing, and completing tasks.  If you are a manager - manage.

Bottom line, delegating is a process of collaboration.  The one delegating needs to work, open up the “what needs to be done” file, and collaborate with team members.  Involve them in the management of the organization by playing to their strengths and, thereby, delegate with out the perception of shirking work.

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You don’t have to be the smartest or, even necessarily, the best to rise to positions of leadership.

 Leadership quote from Peter Drucker:
“No institution can possibly survive if it needs geniuses or supermen to manage it. It must be organized in such a way as to be able to get along under a leadership composed of average human beings.”

1. Learn better management techniques:

There is a difference between leadership and management, but leaders need the skill set of a manager in order to complete the active job of leadership.

2. Organize and plan every project and task:

Even when you don’t have the time to plan, the critical element of continuous success is planning - put some cognitive power behind your tasks.

3. Delegate through empowering your people:

The members of your team will respond to the tasks that you delegate if they are constructive to their desires to participate in the team - use that desire.

4. Always seek improvement:

Continuous improve leads to continuously getting better; what ever measure you assign, whether effectiveness or efficiency, be a change agent and seek improvement.

5. Move past mistakes:

Sorry, your not perfect, but good news - no one is!  Just follow step number 6.

6. Never make the same mistake twice:

I don’t want to advocate beating yourself up over a mistake, but make certain the lesson is learned and the problem is mitigated.

7. Pay attention to the little things:

At the end of it all, the details are the weakest links that cause most of the problems - pay attention.

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