Like many of my crazy-busy-entrepreneur clients, I just LOVE to delegate!
But sometimes my high energy, my distaste for details, and getting distracted with my latest exciting opportunity turns my ”delegation” into “dumping.”
Being aware of this propensity is half the battle, and I’ve made enough progress that my assistant no longer has one foot out the door.
A client of mine recently shared a list of delegation “tips” that one of his employees created when she was extremely frustrated with him. My client is a high energy ADD entrepreneur who tries to balance between ensuring his team is happily productive, and shouting “Because I’m the boss and that’s how I want it!” As a fellow crazy busy entrepreneur, perhaps you can identify with him!
Fortunately, when reading his frustrated employee’s list, he was able to laugh at himself and take the criticism constructively. Perhaps one or two of the items on this list will sound familiar to you!
1. Blast your team with anything that comes to mind, the instant you think of it. Even at 3AM. They’re on salary, right?
2. Delegate to 7 different people without clarifying who you’re really making a request of. That increases the chance of it actually getting done.
3. Forget which 7 people you ‘delegated’ to and get frustrated with the one person who has no idea what you’re talking about when you ask them for status.
4. Make no attempt to understand who on your team has what skill set. Dump and run.
5. Instead of reviewing status that’s been reported to you, request it be re-sent to you now. Right now.
6. After delegating a project or task, check in every 15-20 minutes seeking results. After one day passes, forget all about what you delegated and ignore any feedback reported. Then insist that no one executes your requests.
7. Explain your vision in rambling stories with a multitude of tangents. Depart before anyone can ask those “pesky questions.” Then get pissed off when things aren’t carried out to your satisfaction.
8. Give absolutely no thought to the mindset of your employee or what they might be focused on when you burst in, ready to delegate. If at all possible, be sure to interrupt them on the phone or with a client.
It’s possible you’ve occasionally followed one or more of these “rules” in the past. But if it’s a habit, you may want to consider if your delegation style is harming your relationship with the person to whom you’re delegating.
Any other “rules” you’d like to add to the list? I’d love to hear from you!
